(DUNKIRK, NEW YORK) – Unionized Brooks Memorial Hospital Workers represented by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Community Allies, patients and Elected Officials rallied outside Brooks Memorial Hospital on Thursday (October 5th) to publicly call on New York State to release funds allocated to build a new facility in the Chautauqua County Region.

Currently, Brooks Memorial Hospital is the only Health Care Facility available in this Western New York County.

Those speaking at the event said those dedicated Health Care Workers at Brooks continue to provide care in the aging and outdated Dunkirk facility and all were in agreeance that the Dunkirk Community and the County deserve better.

Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Incorporated - Brooks Memorial Hospital’s parent company, has been awarded a $57 million grant from Essential Healthcare Provider Support Program (EHCPSP) to build a new and modern hospital and to convert TLC Lakeshore to an Ambulatory Destination Center specializing in chemical dependency.

In addition, the 2017 New York State Budget also included a $17 million Health Care Facility Transformation Grant to help build a modern hospital.

But the community has been waiting for more than six years for the State Department of Health to release the funds needed to construct a new facility.

1199 SEIU Member and Environmental Services Aide Karen Sommers said: “I live twenty-five minutes away in rural Chautauqua County.  We have to wait longer for EMTs to help in case of an emergency and lives depend on it.”

Kenny Long, a Registered Nurse (RN) at Brooks Hospital and a NYSNA Member, said: “As an Emergency Department Nurse, I know minutes make the difference between life and death and access to local health care matters.  We’re tired of being an afterthought.  We call on New York’s Department of Health to invest in our health, invest in our community and build the new Brooks Hospital our community was promised over six years ago.”

Carrie Fearman, an RN at Brooks Hospital and NYSNA Member, said: “I take pride in my job, I take pride in practicing at a community hospital because this is where I grew up and it’s a privilege to be able to care for my neighbors.  But let’s be honest, our current hospital needs major updates - from updated computer systems to new vital signs machines, to basic infrastructure.  It’s time for our state to prioritize rural health care and provide our patients with the state-of-the art facility they deserve.”

Assembly Member Andy Goodell, Chautauqua County Legislator Susan Parker, Seneca Nation Cattaraugus Councilor Presley Redeye, Fredonia Mayor Doug Essek and Dunkirk Mayor Willie Rosas also participated in the event.

Mayor Rosas said: "As Mayor of Dunkirk, I worked hard to keep Brooks Hospital here in our City.  That work is done - the work is behind me.  The challenge now is to raise a new hospital that will continue to serve the residents of Northern Chautauqua County.  It is essential that we have a new hospital funded by the State.  A hospital that continues the quality of care that is everyday care of our Brooks Hospital Employees and especially our Professional Nurses.  The time is now.  We must build a new Brooks now and for the future health of our community and to retain our essential health care." 

Photos Courtesy Of NYSNA & 1199 SEIU.