SCHUMER DEMANDS VA RE-OPEN CASTLE POINT VETS MEDICAL CENTER UNIT AFTER ABRUPT CLOSURE; SENATOR SAYS VA MUST IMMEDIATELY BEGIN WORK WITH LOCAL LEADERS TO INCREASE COMMUNICATION TO IMPACTED PATIENTS & ENSURE NO GAPS IN HEALTHCARE COVERAGE FOR 7,000+ HUDSON VALLEY VETS WHO RELY ON FACILITY
Castle Point VA’s Acute Inpatient Care Unit Abruptly Closed Medical Unit Temporarily For Veterans Suffering From Substance Use Disorder This Month, Prompting Concern And Outrage From Vets Across The Hudson Valley Schumer Said Center Failed to Adequately Publicize Closing And Alternative Treatment Options For Vets And Must Promptly Re-Open With Adequate Staffing
Senator Says We Cannot Risk Leaving Our Hudson Valley Vets Without Proper Access To The Care They Need And Is Demanding The VA Take Immediate Action To Re-Open The Unit, Increase Communication, And Ensure Vets Receive Care They Need
Schumer: VA Must Quickly Reopen Castle Point VA’s Acute Inpatient Care Unit And Continue Vital Healthcare Services For Hudson Valley Veterans
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today slammed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for, “Unacceptably poor communication with Hudson Valley vets regarding the sudden closure of the Castle Point VA acute inpatient care unit,” and called on the VA to immediately re-open the unit with adequate staffing, which abruptly closed earlier this month for an anticipated 120 days.
The Castle Point VA Medical Center (VAMC), located in Dutchess County, plays a vital role in providing care for 7,000 Hudson Valley veterans. The acute inpatient care unit provides care to those who are dealing with substance use disorder. As part of the VA system, VAMC enhances patient outcomes by offering continuous care within the same system, resulting in more timely treatment compared to cases where patients are referred to non-VA facilities.
“Earlier this month, without warning, the Castle Point VA Medical Center left Hudson Valley veterans without access to potentially life-saving medical care when the center shut down its acute inpatient care unit. The lack of communication with veterans who rely on the unit for substance use disorder services is tremendously concerning. The Department of Veterans Affairs needs to re-open this unit as soon as possible with adequate staffing – and do a much, much better job of communicating what it is doing to our Hudson Valley vets – or our New York veterans could be left in the lurch and in the dark without access to vital health care,” said Senator Schumer. “Our veterans deserve access to the highest quality of care at VA facilities, including Castle Point. I will fight tooth and nail against any efforts to permanently limit access to care to New York veterans. In the meantime, the center must ensure adequate communications with its patients to ensure they can continue to access medical care during this closure, and they need to reopen the Castle Point acute inpatient care unit ASAP. Hudson Valley’s veterans deserve nothing less.”
“The closure of the E2 Unit at Castle Point VA Hospital is absolutely unacceptable. Worse yet is the closure was done without even letting veterans know it was happening,” said Adam Roche, Director of Dutchess County Office of Veteran Affairs. “I’ve witnessed firsthand the unbelievable care the nurses and doctors provide and how much they truly care about our veterans. This unit serves as a lifeline for our veterans between Albany and the Bronx, and it is incredibly important for our Dutchess County veterans. To yank away this lifeline is an injustice to those who have risked so much for our country. This decision must be reversed.”
“The inpatient ward at Castle Point provides an integral service to the Veterans of the Hudson Valley,” said Alyssa Carrion, Director of Veterans Programs at Mental Health America of Dutchess County. “When Veterans come to us at rock bottom ready for treatment, we immediately transport them to Castle Point and stay with them until they are admitted. Then we have the ability to visit with the Veteran at E-2 until they are transferred to Montrose. Closing E-2 has left us in a very difficult situation. Where do we take a Veteran who is ready NOW for treatment when the detox ward is closed? When there are no beds available at Montrose for them to go right to, the VA connection will be lost if we send them to the community. While the VA states this was an under-utilized resource and is not needed, there are an average of 3-5 Veterans each month that this closure will affect care for – potentially resulting in gaps in care, increased suicide rates, and overdoses. This ward provides an important service to our Veteran community, and should be reopened. “
Schumer has a long history of fighting for Hudson Valley veterans and protecting services at the Castle Point VA. In March 2022, after the VA released a preliminary proposed as a part of the Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission process, which recommended closing the Castle Point VA Medical Center in Dutchess County. Schumer stood shoulder to shoulder with Hudson Valley veterans outside the facility to fight this proposal and prevent them from losing critical local care access. Later that year, after months of Schumer’s advocacy, the bipartisan Senate members announced their formal opposition to the VA AIR Commission Process, signifying the end of the AIR Commission, and thus preserving the Castle Point VA from full closure.
Schumer’s letter to VA Secretary Collins below:
Dear Secretary Collins:
I am writing to express deep concerns surrounding the sudden announcement of the closure of the Castle Point VA Medical Center (VAMC) acute inpatient care unit. This closure will reduce access to substance use disorder services for the 7,000 veterans who receive care at the Castle Point VAMC for at least 120 days. We cannot risk the healthcare of our veterans and I strongly request you immediately take all steps to reopen this critical unit and ensure its services can continue on a permanent basis.
In the interim, it is crucial that the Castle Point VAMC continuously inform veterans of alternative sites of care, ensure that non-VA care providers can administer the care provided by the VAMC, arrange transportation services for patients, and work to quickly reopen this unit with adequate staffing levels. Anything else would be an abdication of responsibility to those who have served our country most honorably.
No veteran should have to travel farther than necessary for life-saving medical care. The closure of the acute inpatient care unit leaves Hudson Valley veterans without a vital resource that administers lifesaving care at necessary points in their lives. Local providers and veterans can attest to the importance of the acute inpatient care unit in the region, and are disturbed by the development of its closure. Our nation’s veterans experience a wide range of mental health disorders due to trauma experienced during their military service, all of which require accessible, continuous care. It is critical that existing inpatient care units remain functional and efforts are made to return to appropriate staffing levels.
It is especially troubling that this closure, mainly caused by inadequate staffing levels, was announced during the federal agency hiring freeze ordered by President Trump on January 20, 2025. This reckless directive exacerbates challenges already experienced at VA facilities, and will prevent veterans from receiving continuous, adequate care all across the country. I strongly encourage the Castle Point VAMC to utilize any exemptions to this hiring freeze, explicitly listed out by the Department of Veterans Affairs, in order to bolster staff levels to ensure the Castle Point VAMC acute inpatient care unit can quickly reopen.
There has been a tremendously concerning lack of communication with veterans who rely on health services at Castle Point VAMC. Due to the abrupt nature of this closure, Castle Point failed to notify veterans in advance that the unit was closing. This undermined veterans’ continuity of care and created the burden of extra measures, including travel coordination, to access care at other VA facilities or community hospitals. Therefore, it is imperative that the Castle Point VAMC notify veterans and caretakers of potential closures in advance of the expected closure date. Additionally, veterans should be notified of what steps the VAMC will take to ensure there is no disruption in care during this current closure, including how transportation services will be coordinated and which alternative sites of care patients will be able to access.
Our nation’s veterans deserve access to the highest quality of care at VA facilities. I strongly oppose any efforts to permanently limit access to care to New York veterans, and urge the Castle Point VAMC to reopen its acute inpatient care unit as soon as possible with appropriate staffing levels. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
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