Yorktown Town Board Opposes VA Hospital Closures

(March 25, 2022)—The Town Board formally opposed the proposed closure or reduction in services at the Veterans Administration Castle Point hospital in Fishkill.

On Tuesday, the Town Board adopted a resolution urging the Town of Yorktown’s federal elected delegation to preserve and enhances services for Hudson Valley veterans. The Town Board also asked the region’s federal representatives to hold forums to allow for community input on any proposed closure or service reduction.

“We’ve just ended a 20-year war, so we have an entire generation of soldiers now who are home and who are in need of services,” said Supervisor Matt Slater.

Earlier this month, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs unveiled a proposal to close what it described as 17 aging or underused medical centers. Medical centers in areas with diminishing veteran populations are among those slated to close, while others would be built in growing urban centers in the western and southern parts of the country.

“It’s sort of like Indian Point, where they really don’t have a plan for what they want to do and they’ll figure it out after,” said Councilman Ed Lachterman.

Besides Castle Point, two VA hospitals in Manhattan and Brooklyn would also close.

“We do have the Montrose facility, but different VA hospitals offer different services for different types of veterans,” said Councilman Tom Diana. “Our troops should come back from any war and be given anything they need.”

The federal recommendations, which represent the VA's vision for future health care delivery to more than 12 million veterans in the next 25 to 50 years, are the first step in an asset and infrastructure review required by Congress in 2018.

Town Board members acknowledged that the process to determine which hospitals close will take years, but they promised to begin their opposition early.

“You tend to forget what the veterans did for us,” said Councilman Sergio Esposito. “It’s the least we can do for them.”

In other business, the Town Board voted to recognize March 29, 2022, as Vietnam Veterans Day in the Town of Yorktown.

Contact:  Yorktown Supervisor Matt Slater, 914-962-5722 x201 or [email protected]