Advocates press Westchester Medical Center to preserve Bruner House support services; Ulster committee adopts resolution

Jennifer O'Donnell, a former legislator representing the Save the Bruner House advocacy group, told the Ulster County Health, Human Services and Human Rights Committee on May 7 that the Bruner House'a community cancer support program adjacent to the Kingston hospital'closed abruptly and "we estimate that at least 2000 hours of cancer support programming has been lost." She said the house was donor-funded and provided a home-like setting that supported thousands of survivors and their families.

The committee heard a presentation from Westchester Medical Center Health Group officials, who described plans to consolidate oncology support services into a larger "medical village" at the Broadway campus. Alyssa Chasari, WMC Health's Northern Region executive director, told the committee that "the oncology support program is not being eliminated" and that programs are currently meeting while the new space is designed with stakeholder input.

Why it matters: Speakers said the Bruner House built community trust and volunteer expertise over decades and that its closure risks losing specialized social-work knowledge and peer-led supports. O'Donnell said the house's donors and volunteer leaders provided the program's core value; Legislator Kovacs warned that the property's conveyance for a "very specific charitable purpose" raises questions about donor intent and fiduciary responsibility.

Committee members pressed WMC Health on staffing and continuity. O'Donnell said the Bruner family donated roughly $240,000'$250,000 for the property and reported "over 10,000 survivors in Ulster County" had used program services historically; WMC representatives said they offered transition offers to staff and that no layoffs were associated with the organizational change, although some employees declined to accept new roles. WMC said volunteers can continue leading many groups and that the administration has set up a stakeholder work group to incorporate feedback into the new design.

The committee then considered Memorializing Resolution 276, sponsored by Legislators Berardi and Kovacs, which calls for recognition of the Bruner House's role and for transparency and stakeholder inclusion in any relocation or sale decisions. Berardi said supporters' attendance proved there is an outstanding communication problem between the hospital and stakeholders; Kovacs emphasized the potential donor-intent and fiduciary issues tied to the property's conveyance. Legislator Lopez moved to adopt the resolution; it was seconded and adopted by voice vote.

What happens next: The resolution is memorializing (expressing the committee's position) and does not itself compel a change in the hospital's plans. Hospital officials said the medical village design process and stakeholder consultations will continue; stakeholders said they want an accounting of donations and assurances that the home's character and volunteer-led programming will be preserved in the transition.

Ending: The committee adopted Resolution 276 by voice vote; both sides said they will continue meetings to seek a solution that preserves specialized, home-like supports while WMC Health implements its centralization plan.