OBSERVER Photo Brooks Memorial Hospital.

Wednesday began what is likely to be one of the most important years in the history of the Brooks Memorial Hospital. Thinking the Brooks-TLC Hospital System is in better shape financially now because of the impending closure of the Lakeshore Hospital campus in Irving would be an outright mistake.

Brooks’ future — whether it be in Dunkirk or at a new $70 million state-of-the-art building in Fredonia — is very much in doubt. Happenings over the last decade make that very clear.

Unfor-tunately, community concern or disgust has been nearly invisible. It seems the only time people in this region can find the energy to care is when the epitaph has already been written.

At that point it is too late. Decisions have been made that cannot be reversed.

Since Lakeshore’s sudden announced closing on Dec. 3 there has been only one rally to promote better care and services to our region. It was held the morning of Dec. 17 in front of the Irving campus.

Maybe that gathering made us feel better, but it did nothing to solve the problem. Both the Brooks and Lakeshore campuses have been losing tens of millions of dollars for more than 10 years.

Has anyone on the county level said anything about this in recent years? Of course not. How about the local municipalities? Well they’re counting on the state.

Really? The same New York state that is consistently blamed by local leaders for adding unfunded mandates is going to help us with our failing hospitals?

Talk about being delusional.

Here’s the bottom line when it comes to these two failing hospitals. Board leadership has been derelict in its duties to the community and residents from Silver Creek to Dunkirk have sat back and allowed it to happen.

What a shame.

For the record, Chautauqua County has two other hospitals in operation that face the same obstacles in a changing health-care landscape as Brooks and Lakeshore. Believe it or not, both are maintaining and showing fewer signs of distress.

UPMC Chautauqua, formerly WCA Hospital in Jamestown, has seen more than its share of tumult since 1997. However, its board of directors have been open and honest with the public during these trying times during annual meetings. The institution first teamed with Hamot Hospital in Erie, Pa., and is now part of the larger University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Much smaller Westfield Memorial Hospital also is an engine that can. It has teamed with the Allegheny Health Network and has plenty of support from its local base. Why? Because its board of directors is open and honest about what the institution is doing and the direction it is heading.

In fact, Westfield added a new emergency room that was funded by local and outside sources to its institution. Not only was this effort driven by the board and its Foundation, it also was a source of community pride.

By the way, in recent years, Westfield Memorial has actually recorded a surplus in regard to its bottom line. Brooks-TLC, which continues to be bailed out by New York state to the tune of more than $15 million in 2019 alone, cannot say the same thing.

Kaleida Health, it must be noted, also has a role in the continued decline of Brooks and TLC. Western New York’s major health-care player appears to be calling a lot of the shots behind the scenes while almost carelessly viewing the financial distress from afar.

Kaleida has little skin in the game in terms of any monetary investment, but it stands to benefit if Brooks’ fiscal hole gets deeper. That, for all intents and purposes, appears to be what Kaleida is banking on.

John D’Agostino is the OBSERVER publisher. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 366-3000, ext. 401.