Letters to the Editor - The Millerton News - 11-23-23

Thanking Sharon Hospital staff

As we enter the holiday season and round out the calendar year, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt thanks to Sharon Hospital’s caregivers and staff members. Their unwavering compassion and dedication to serving our community and supporting one another does not go unnoticed, and helps our rural hospital deliver high quality care to our community.

As we reflect on the past year, there are many accomplishments to celebrate. Sharon Hospital once again received a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. We also made investments to optimize our patients’ experiences and outcomes — including upgrading our helipad to create a smoother and safer experience, installing new state-of-the-art technology in our imaging department, and expanding the Virtual Health Office at Sharon Hospital to include in-demand specialties such as neurology and endocrinology. We also continued to partner with community organizations across our region to combat the behavioral health crisis and address the social determinants that have a crucial impact on our patients’ wellbeing. All of these accomplishments were made possible by our dedicated members of the Sharon Hospital family.

I am joined by Sharon Hospital and Nuvance Health’s leadership teams, our board of directors, and our patients in recognizing and applauding Sharon Hospital’s staff for their dedication in service to our hospital and community. Our combined team, no matter the role or job title, plays a vital role in our region’s health, and it is a true honor to lead this passionate, skilled team. I would also like to close by expressing gratitude for our Sharon community and their continued support for our hospital and caring staff.

Looking forward to the year ahead!

Christina McCulloch, MBA, BSN, RN

President, Sharon Hospital

Didi Barrett’s fossil fuel bill ‘sellout’

Last Friday our NYS Assembly Representative Didi Barrett visited Millerton and set up shop at a table in our local coffee shop.

New York State adopted the groundbreaking Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) in 2019 to address climate change and reach net zero. The Act sets the goals to reduce emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and then to 85% below 1990 levels by 2050. The New York Times called the CLCPA “One of the World’s Most Ambitious Climate Plans.”

But in March of 2023, Assemblymember Barrett, whose district covers a wide swath of Dutchess and Columbia Counties, sponsored A6039, a bill specifically crafted to encourage gas infrastructure and neuter the CLCPA.

Didi’s gas bill would strip climate science from the CLCPA by “accounting” for the global warming effects of methane gas over a period of 100 years rather than the 20 years specified by the CLCPA. Didi claims that this is necessary to access federal funds and to bring New York’s methodology into alignment with other frameworks, but these claims have been proven false. In reality, Didi is giving a gift to the fossil fuel industry and stealing New Yorkers’ future.

Didi Barrett has no knowledge or experience that can justify her attempt to erase the work leading of climate scientists like Dr. Robert Howarth of Cornell University. Knowledgeable constituents who’ve questioned Didi about her bill have concluded that she doesn’t understand what its language means.

Assemblymember Barrett came to Millerton looking for your support and your vote. Please tell her that she’ll have neither if she continues to sell out to big oil and gas rather than support New Yorkers’ right to a safe and healthy environment.

Bill Kish

Town of North East

Merry band still going strong

I cannot tell you how happy I was to see the photo of the Millerton Music Muses in The Millerton News, playing in front of the Millerton Farmer’s Market. Charlie Keil and his merry band played at the Farmers Market on its very first day in 2007 on the front lawn of what was then called Simmons’ Way, not long after Karen Kisslinger came to NECC to suggest we start a market.

One of the vendors on that first day was Adamah Farm, [in Falls Village] which was run then and now by Shamu Sadeh, who was also playing in the Muses last week along with his son Yonah,  who was a toddler in 2007. 

Our goal in starting the market was to build community—bring people together to buy and support our local food economy, to encounter friends and neighbors, to deepen their connection to and love for Millerton. Music, food, a beautiful day in a beautiful village—it’s everything we hoped for and more, going strong after 17 years.

Jenny Hansell

Haydenville, Mass.