Brooks Memorial Hospital

More challenging decisions regarding health care in the northern Chautauqua County region may be coming in future months, according to officials with the Brooks-TLC Hospital System.

In a letter to the OBSERVER, Mary E. LaRowe, president and chief executive officer, and Christopher Lanski, board chairman, offer their first public comment since the abrupt closing of Lakeshore Hospital on Feb. 2. The two leaders also discussed the turmoil surrounding rural hospitals across New York state — and the nation — while also noting the need for the public’s backing of a new hospital in Fredonia.

“As we work with the state Health Department, our elected representatives, union leaders and all stakeholders to move this $67 million hospital to ground-breaking, we seek community support,” LaRowe and Lanski write. “One pillar of the new hospital funding and approval process will be to demonstrate community commitment and economic viability.”

Brooks-TLC is targeting a ground-breaking for this spring for the state-of-the-art structure that is to be built at the former Cornell Cooperative Extension location on the north side of Route 20 almost across the street from the Fredonia Central Schools. In a recent e-mail to the OBSERVER, the state again confirmed its pledge to the new build.

“The New York state Department of Health remains committed to ensuring access to care for the community and we continue to work with Brooks Memorial and others to achieve that goal,” spokesman Jeffrey Hammond said earlier this month. “Our commitment to the community has not changed as a result of the recent closure (of Lakeshore Hospital).”

Lakeshore’s closing has been a bitter pill for many in this region. Not only did the facility’s closure take place two days after a rally by the Service Employees International Union 1199, it also came after employees told of hostile working conditions while operating the emergency room and behavioral health unit during its final days.

In 2019, both the Lakeshore and Brooks facilities ran a deficit of more than $20 million. Even with significant New York state subsidies to both institutions, Brooks-TLC faces additional reductions likely for the future.

“For months, we knew that a transformation plan involved making difficult decisions,” LaRowe and Lanski said. “There will be more to be made. But all decisions are made to ensure that our communities have access to necessary care.”

Here is the complete letter to the OBSERVER:

Brooks-TLC sees need for support in new build