MONTICELLO, NY — Dozens of local businesses sent representatives to hear reports by managers of local public and private health care organizations in a panel discussion hosted on December 13, 2022 at the Kartrite’s conference center. The event was sponsored by the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce and Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development.

Marc Baez, president/CEO of the partnership, said access to quality healthcare is one factor that industries consider when deciding whether to locate in Sullivan County.

Baez introduced NYS Assemblymember Aileen Gunther, who prefaced her comments by sharing that “being an R.N. has been one of my greatest privileges,” adding that she has “never forgotten where I started.”

Gunther was the only legislator on the panel’s agenda. Any county legislators, if present, were apparently quiet.

Gunther commented on how Sullivan County maintained low health rankings, compared to the state. This, she pointed out, correlates with high need in the county for mental health and substance-use treatment. She also made note of a bill she is sponsoring in the upcoming Assembly term to tightly regulate the private possession of pill presses, which are used to make counterfeit medications that are often cut with fentanyl and sold on the street.

Jerry Dunleavy, chief operating officer of Garnet Health, began his remarks by asking that he be called by anyone who is concerned with rumors that they might hear about the future of Garnet in Sullivan County.

Refuting a rumor of Harris hospital closure

Garnet issued a press release recently, refuting a rumor of the closure of the hospital, located in Harris, a rumor said to have been started by an individual on Facebook. The health network emphasized that the hospital in Harris was not being closed. Dunleavy did not mention the false “closing” rumor. He also made no mention in his remarks of the recent elimination by Garnet Health Doctors (a primary care and multispecialty practice that is part of Garnet Health’s network) of medical specialties in obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and rheumatology, leaving patients in Sullivan and Orange counties searching for new doctors.

Dunleavy commended direct health care providers in Sullivan County, who continually provided excellent clinical care throughout the  pandemic, working to the best of their ability while under great stress. “It’s time for us to start charting a new path forward,” he said, noting that Garnet Health recently hired a new general surgeon in Harris (making two now on staff), plus a gastroenterologist, and replaced a psychiatrist who left for a position in Orange County.

In August, Dunleavy noted, he met with NYS Department of Health managers regarding an application for a $2.9 million bioaccess provider grant that he said would “stabilize operations” at Garnet. He also mentioned seeking a transformation grant to allow planning for a new hospital facility in Sullivan County.

Steven Kelley, Ellenville Regional Hospital president/CEO, said his organization is the largest employer in Ulster County, but currently sees a “smaller pool of candidates.” Due to the size of his hospital’s host community, Kelley said that the Ellenville hospital’s goal is to be “the finest small hospital in America.”

Of the impact of the opioid epidemic, Kelley said it is the leading cause of death among Americans under the age of 50.

John Liddle, commissioner of the Sullivan County Division of Health and Family Services, introduced himself as a retired career Navy officer specializing in hostage negotiation, crisis response and managing a naval base.

“A healthy county is one that prevents illness, and where people feel good about where they are living,” Liddle said. Social determinants of health that he mentioned include providing safe and stable housing to those who are homeless, which he said “can include wraparound services, rather than motels.”

Wendy Brown, coordinator of the Sullivan Drug Task Force, said that “out of every $100 spent on health care in the U.S., $95 goes to care and $5 to prevention.” Brown listed private treatment providers who have opened outpatient treatment sites in Sullivan County, including Restorative Management; Lexington Center for Recovery, with a federally regulated methadone maintenance-treatment program; and Bridge Back to Life, which travels the county meeting patients in need of addiction medications such as suboxone and Vivitrol.

Other panelists included Ashima Butler, chief operating officer at Ellenville Regional Hospital; Keith Edwards, director of human resources and marketing at Ellenville Regional Hospital; and Karen Russell, chief operating officer of New Hope Community in Loch Sheldrake.

For a video of the program, visit bit.ly/3vxknd0.

What are the County Health Rankings?

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute annual county health rankings pushes counties to examine what’s controllable, suggests effective policies, and offers actions for communities and lawmakers to take.

Their model looks at health outcomes, based on length of life and quality of life (some of that data is self-reported), and at health factors, like access to medical care, health behaviors, socio-economic data and effect of the environment.

The graph above, which compares April 2019 figures with July 2022 figures, shows an increase in the average medium household income, coupled with an increase in the percentage of families that are living in poverty. Additionally, figures indicate a slight decrease in the number of students graduating from high school and an increase for those graduating from higher education.

[Editor's note: This article was updated on January 4 to correct the affiliations of the presenters.]