MILLERTON — Save Sharon Hospital (SSH) held a community roundtable on Wednesday, Feb. 8, to present its case against Sharon Hospital’s plan to eliminate its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and replace it with a Progressive Care Unit (PCU).
Nine residents attended the hour-long discussion at the NorthEast-Millerton Library’s Annex on Century Boulevard to hear Dr. David Kurish and Nicholas Moore, president of SSH, present arguments against the hospital’s plan.
Nuvance Health, the parent of Sharon Hospital, has filed with the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy (OHS) to replace the ICU with a PCU, a request that follows a Nuvance application pending before the OHS to close labor and delivery services at the hospital.
The requested closure of labor and delivery has been the focus of a yearlong battle that has pitted residents and local politicians against the regional hospital system’s executives and board members, who state that the changes are needed to achieve financial health.
On Wednesday, Feb. 15, Nuvance’s bid to transform the ICU will be the subject of a state public hearing that will be held via Zoom.
Christopher Kennan, supervisor of the Town of North East, said he plans to testify at the Feb. 15 hearing against the hospital’s plan, also noting that the town adopted a formal resolution opposing the plan to shutter labor and delivery, and will expand it to include opposition to plans to change the ICU into a PCU.
“We’ve had a lot of younger people who’ve moved up here over the past few years and who come to us and talk about Sharon Hospital. They’re interested in having a hospital with an ICU unit nearby.”
Kurish began the meeting in the Annex with a brief history of Sharon Hospital, which today sees about 100 visitors daily — approximately two-thirds come from the New York side of the border.
Citing a steady decline in patient count, laboratory service revenue and surgical and radiology usage, Kurish pointed to an overall decline in patient income under Nuvance’s management. Kurish, who has been practicing for 44 years, also noted a decline in the nursing population at the hospital.
Besides citing a higher ratio of nurses to patients in a PCU, compared to an ICU, Kurish also said ICU nurses have a higher level of training.
“It’s one nurse for every two patients,” he said.
A general theme of SSH’s argument against closing labor and delivery and altering the ICU operation is that Nuvance’s intent is to turn the hospital into a transfer point.
Kurish asserted that ambulance services are aware of the incidence of transfer to other Nuvance Health hospitals in the region and don’t deliver patients there if they are going to have to be transferred again.
Addressing the revenue shortfall that Sharon Hospital claims in its application to Connecticut state officials, Kurish said SSH believes the hospital “doesn’t get credit for money that end up transferred elsewhere in the system.”
Kurish and Moore compared ICU operations with those at a PCU, saying that besides the difference in the number of patients per nurse, there also is less in terms of equipment such as monitors, and that the layout of the floor with separate patient rooms is ill-suited to caring for patients who need intensive care.
Christina McCulloch, Sharon Hospital president, said in an interview with The Lakeville Journal on Feb. 6 that currently the medical-surgical unit is on the second floor and has 28 beds with an average of 10 patients. The ICU on the first floor has nine beds with an average of between three and four patients.
What Nuvance wants to do, she said, is move the ICU upstairs and combine the two units into one Progressive Care Unit.
Questions were raised at the Annex meeting about the wisdom of closing labor and delivery just as the region is seeing a pickup of new families that would need such a service. In addition, those in attendance were puzzled that a region with a large aging population would lose an ICU.
“It’s aging and young people,” said Moore. “I’ve talked to parents and young people. And they’re going to take their kids and move away if the labor and delivery closes.”
The application before the quasi-public OHS regulators to close labor and delivery services was the subject of a marathon public hearing in December 2022. No decision has been made on that request. To watch the Feb. 15 hearing, the Zoom meeting ID is 828 7732 3149, and the password is 347949. To reach the meeting by phone, the number is 1 646-876-9923.
To comment, log onto Zoom at 2 p.m. to sign up. Public comments begin at 3 p.m. To submit written comment, email CONComment@ct.gov and refer to docket number 22-32504-CON by Feb. 14.
AMENIA — The first day of school on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Webutuck Elementary School went smoothly, with teachers enthusiastically greeting the eager young students disembarking from buses. Excitement was measurable, with only a few tears from parents, but school began anyway.
Ready for her first day of school on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Webutuck Elementary School, Liliana Cawley, 7, would soon join her second grade class, but first she posed for a photo to mark the occasion.Photo by Leila Hawken
AMENIA — While the courage and perseverance of Revolutionary era patriots is well understood and celebrated, the stories of the fate of British loyalists in New York are not as clear.
Seen as the initial event in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Amenia Historical Society will present a talk titled, “The Plight of a Loyalist in Revolutionary New York,” examining the journal of Cadwallader Colden, Jr., spanning the period of 1777-1779. The speaker will be noted author, genealogist and historian Jay Campbell.
The talk is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. at the Smithfield Presbyterian Church in Amenia. The handicapped-accessible church is located at 656 Smithfield Valley Road. Refreshments will be served.
Colden was the son of a New York Lieutenant Governor. He was a surveyor, farmer and mercantilist, serving as a judge in Ulster County. His fortunes changed dramatically with the dawn of the Revolutionary War when he remained loyal to the British Crown. His arrest came in 1776, just before the start of his journal.
Campbell is a historian specializing in Hudson Valley history, and the regional stories of Revolutionary era families.
Erin Rollins of Millbrook in the Fashion Feed booth, open year round, at the Millbrook Antiques Mall. All proceeds from Fashion Feeds go to the Food of Life Pantry. As an interior designer by trade, Rollins designed this booth to evoke a high-end department store to align with the designer brands she carries.
MILLERTON — The Townscape 50/50 raffle drawing has collected a pot of more than $7,000.
That raffle drawing will take place this Saturday at 2 p.m. in Veteran’s Park. The moment is not just about picking a winner, but also about reflecting on how far Townscape has come since its humble beginnings in 1998, when founder Catherine Fenn — alongside Renee Vollen and Jan Gilmor — first set out to beautify her beloved village.
Fenn’s connection to Millerton runs deep. “I moved here from the Bronx when I was eight years old and fell in love with the place, even as a child,” she recalled, remembering camping trips at Rudd Pond and enjoying the quiet pace of life.
At 15, her family relocated to southern Connecticut. “My dad didn’t think there was much here for us, so we moved. I left kicking and screaming, literally, and I said, ‘Someday I’m coming back.’”
Years later, after marrying, divorcing, and raising children, Fenn kept that promise. She returned to Millerton and married a childhood friend who was very involved in the fire department. After his passing, Fenn threw herself into her own way of giving back.
“I care about this village deeply. Townscape is my way of helping Millerton be the best it can be,” she said.
What began as an informal effort to gather volunteers and plant flowers eventually blossomed into something larger. “We started with flowers up and down Main Street — barrels of them everywhere. Then it grew into benches, tables, trees and even events. It was such a fun world, a really wonderful organization with so many people involved.”
Fenn’s service to the community extends beyond beautification. She spent roughly two decades on the Planning Board, served as Town Supervisor and worked with the county housing authority. Still, her passion for flowers, trees and landscapes has left the most visible mark on Millerton — shaping not only how the village looks, but how it feels.
In 2006, Townscape became a nonprofit organization. But beautification, Fenn admits, isn’t always the easiest cause to fund. “We’re just putting flowers out — and I shouldn’t say ‘just,’ because to me it’s really important. The trees, the benches, all of it matters. But it’s not high on most people’s list when they think about charitable donations. Still, people have been wonderfully generous over the years.”
This Saturday’s raffle drawing is one way neighbors can show their support. The winner does not have to be present to claim the prize, but those who stop by can enjoy cookies, lemonade and artwork by local creators on display in the park.
MILLBROOK — Local crows should prepare to become highly spooked as planners of Millbrook Community Day, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 20, have announced that a Scarecrow Contest will be part of the festivities.
Residents are invited to get creative and devise their own renditions of a scarecrow from traditional to whatever imagination might come up with.
Judging criteria will include creativity, including originality, new ideas, or perhaps whether the scarecrow tells a story. Design criteria include the creator’s technique, materials — recycled materials are emphatically a plus — and durability.
Rules include that scarecrows be free-standing, able to stand on their own or with minimal support. No scarecrow can be store-bought. Entries must be able to fit within a 6 x 6 foot space once assembled. A stand is available upon request. Scarecrows must be non-political, family friendly, and in a good-natured spirit.
Entrants are responsible for set-up, scheduled from 9 to 10 a.m. on Sept. 20, location to be assigned the week before. Judging will begin at 1 p.m. Winners will be announced at 2 p.m.
For more information and to register to participate, email mba@millbrooknewyork.com or go to www.millbrooknewyork.com/community-day-2025
