PRESS RELEASE: Thursday, October 5, 2023
Contact: April Ezzell, april.ezzell@1199.org, (716) 449-1620
Anna Sterling, anna.sterling@nysna.org, (646) 673-0419
Brooks Hospital Workers, Patients, and Elected Officials Called on New York State Department of Health to Release Funds to Build New Brooks Hospital!
Brooks Hospital workers represented by NYSNA and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East supported by the local community called for an end to the years-long delay in building the new Brooks Memorial Hospital
The New York State Department of Health has held up funding to build a modern micro-hospital in Northern Chautauqua County for more than six years while hospital workers continue to provide care at aging and outdated facility
Dunkirk, N.Y.— NYSNA nurses, 1199SEIU healthcare workers, community allies, patients and elected officials, including Assemblymember Andy Goodell, Chautauqua County Legislator Susan Parker, Presley Redeye Seneca Nation Cattaraugus Councilor, Mayor Doug Essek of Fredonia and Mayor Willie Rosas of Dunkirk, gathered outside Brooks Memorial Hospital on Thursday, calling on the state to release the funds allocated to build a new facility in the region.
Photos and videos from today's event can be found here on Dropbox. Media outlets have permission to use all videos and pictures.
Brooks Memorial Hospital is the only healthcare facility available in Northern Chautauqua County. The dedicated healthcare workers at Brooks continue to provide care in the aging and outdated Dunkirk facility. But the community needs and deserves better.
Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc., Brooks Memorial Hospital’s parent company, was awarded a $57 million grant from Essential Healthcare Provider Support Program (EHCPSP) to build a new modern hospital and to convert TLC Lakeshore to an Ambulatory Destination Center specializing in chemical dependency. In addition, the 2017 New York state budget also included a $17 million dollar Healthcare Facility Transformation grant to help build a modern hospital.
But the community has been waiting for more than six years for the New York State Department of Health to release the funds needed to construct a new modernized hospital. Healthcare workers and allies are demanding the Department of Health release the funds and move this project forward.
Mayor Wilfred Rosas of Dunkirk, said: "As Mayor of Dunkirk, I worked hard to keep Brooks Hospital here in our city. That work is done; the work is behind me. The challenge now is to raise a new hospital that will continue to serve the residents of northern Chautauqua County. It is essential that we have a new hospital funded by the State. A hospital that continues the quality of care that is everyday care of our Brooks Hospital Employees and especially our professional nurses. The time is now. We must build a new Brooks now and for the future health of our community and to retain our essential health care."
Susan Parker, Chautauqua County Legislator, said: “As a registered nurse and licensed social worker, I’ve committed my professional life to public health. As your county legislator, I’m committed to getting the necessary funds and building the facilities and providing the health services that only Brooks hospital — AND OUR PROFESSIONAL NURSES — can provide to our Dunkirk and Fredonia communities and the whole of northern Chautauqua County.”
Karen Sommers, 1199SEIU member and Environmental Services Aide, said: “I live 25 minutes away in rural Chautauqua County. We have to wait longer for EMTs to help in case of an emergency and lives depend on it.”
Yanileen Morales, 1199SEIU member and Environmental Services Aide, said: "As someone who maintains Brooks Hospital, I have seen how broken pipes and a lack of working bathrooms impacts patients and workers. Without basic infrastructure like plumbing, how can patients get the best care possible? It's clear we need a new facility, and we need it to say in this community."
Kenny Long, RN at Brooks Hospital and NYSNA member, said: “As an Emergency Department nurse, I know minutes make the difference between life and death and access to local healthcare matters. We’re tired of being an afterthought. We call on New York’s Department of Health to invest in our health, invest in our community, and build the new Brooks Hospital our community was promised over 6 years ago.”
Carrie Fearman, RN at Brooks Hospital and NYSNA member, said: “I take pride in my job, I take pride in practicing at a community hospital because this is where I grew up and it’s a privilege to be able to care for my neighbors. But let’s be honest, our current hospital needs major updates- from updated computer systems to new vital signs machines, to basic infrastructure. It’s time for our state to prioritize rural healthcare and provide our patients with the state-of-the art facility they deserve.”
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The New York State Nurses Association represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. NYSNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United, AFL-CIO, the country's largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses, with more than 225,000 members nationwide.
