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Gowanda Police concerned about Lakeshore Hospital closure

OBSERVER Photo by Natasha Matteliano Gowanda Police Chief Dennis Feldmann talks about the effects Lakeshore Hospital closing will have on his department.

GOWANDA — Hanover officials aren’t the only ones wringing their hands over Lakeshore Hospital scheduled close Jan. 1. The issue was discussed during this week’s Gowanda Village Board meeting.

“The Lakeshore Hospital’s closing is going to put a huge burden on this police department,” said Dennis Feldmann, police officer for the village of Gowanda.

According to Feldmann, the police department takes at least five people to the hospital, which is located in Irving, every two weeks for mental health issues, including mental illnesses, alcoholism or narcotics.

He said that the department has been in contact with Brooks Hospital in Dunkirk to find out whether they will accept these patients, but they have not heard anything back yet. If Brooks will not take them, they will have to travel out to ECMC in Buffalo.

Brooks-TLC announced Dec. 3 it would be closing the Lakeshore campus. The Gowanda Urgent Care and Medical Center or TLC chemical dependency clinics in Derby and Cassadaga will remain open.

The closure already has the approval of the state Health Department.

On Monday, Hanover town officials said they are working with state Sen. George Borrello to get the state Department of Health to disallow the hospital to be shut down. Supervisor Todd Johnson added that things may already be in the works for another system to take over the hospital, but added that he is not at liberty to give details.

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