Federal report recommends closing Veterans Affairs hospitals in Manhattan and Brooklyn
NEW YORK -- Federal recommendations for Veterans Affairs hospitals could leave veterans in our area scrambling to find care. Hospitals in Manhattan and Brooklyn are on the chopping block.
As CBS2's Aundrea Cline-Thomas reported Monday, local veterans are expressing their outrage.
Every week, Army veteran Rudolpho Rosa passes many health care facilities during his trip from the Bronx to specifically be treated at the VA hospital in Manhattan.
"The doctors here are, to me, they're sympathetic to a lot of the veterans," Rosa said.
Rosa joined others in their outrage as the federal government recommends closing the facilities in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
"We fight for this country and this country wants to turn around and close our VA and won't take care of veterans," one person said.
Details of the plan were outlined in a federal report explaining the hospitals are old and will cost hundreds of millions to update while treating fewer patients. The report favored partnering with academic institutions like NYU or Mount Sinai to provide care.
"This is nothing but another attempt at privatization. Many of our employees are veterans. Closing this facility puts veterans out of work," said Kevin Lapham of AFGE Local 2094.
Now, veterans are rallying the troops for a new mission: to block hospital closures. They're getting support from U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney.
"You have a good hospital. Where are they gonna go? You know and I know they're not gonna build another one," Maloney said.
The report highlighted the Manhattan VA "sits on a desirable piece of land that could be valuable to a development partner."
In a statement, the interim medical director stressed the closures are recommendations and "any potential changes ... is dependent on Commissioner, Presidential and Congressional decisions."
But to the patients:
"This is also a place of refuge for veterans," said Steven Faria, a veteran and VA employee. "A lot of people are alone."
The care goes beyond their physical ailments. Veterans said it's a community where they're understood.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said demand for services is already declining at the Manhattan and Brooklyn hospitals. It projects demand to drop more than 20 percent over the next decade.
