State Senator George Borrello holds Town Hall in Dunkirk (June 14, 2022)
Concerns about the future of Brooks Memorial Hospital were a top issue from the over 40 people who turned out for a town hall meeting by State Senator George Borrello held Tuesday night in the city of Dunkirk.
Assemblyman Andy Goodell also attended the event at the Kosciuszko Polish Home Association.
The first question right out of the gate for Borrello was about his position on Brooks Hospital and what he’s doing to secure the new building.
The Senator said, as a business person, negotiating out in the open is never successful, “We have been, for a long time, months, if not longer been in direct discussions – myself and Andy Goodell with the Governor’s office and the Department of Health. It’s a very sensitive situation. There’s a lot of things going on. And I know there is this cry, ‘Let’s just release the money and move forward.’ It’s not that simple. And while I want to give you all more details, until I have something firm that I can say then it’s going to be difficult for me to speak openly because it is a sensitive situation.”
According to the Dunkirk Observer, New York State set aside $56 million in 2016 and then another $18 million in 2017 for a new state-of-the-art hospital. Delays in finding the right property by the Brooks-TLC administration and board, as well as COVID-19, have hampered the project that has led to recent fears of the current facility closing.
Borrello said he’s committed to a new hospital that can attract new talent, “Where people can be assured that whether you’re having a pain in your chest or someone is having a mental health crisis that there will be someone there. There will be someone there when you need that and not to drive to Buffalo, or Erie, or Jamestown. It has to be here. We’ve made that very clear, crystal clear.”
He added that he was in discussions as recently as Friday, June 10 with Governor Kathy Hochul‘s office on the topic. Borrello emphasized he’s committed to keeping a full service hospital in Northern Chautauqua County.
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