Orange County to Develop Master Plan for New Aging Campus

Valley View Center for Nursing Care and Rehabilitation in Goshen, N.Y., on Nov. 18, 2022. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

The Orange County Health and Mental Health Committee on Aug. 22 adopted a resolution to seek a professional firm to develop a master plan for a continuing care campus on the property of the county-owned nursing home Valley View.

The vision of the campus was developed by the Valley View Advisory Committee through years of discussions to better serve residents and financially sustain Valley View, according to Michael Amo, a legislator and the advisory committee chair.

Housing is considered a major part of the future campus, which can include senior housing that accommodates different age groups and health conditions as well as veteran housing, Mr. Amo said at the health committee meeting.

In addition to housing and infrastructure, services are a major component, and the advisory committee recommends a new welcome center where residents can get a comprehensive review of aging options in Orange County and the Hudson Valley region.

The campus is also expected to benefit Valley View, which has been struggling to boost occupancy rates and make ends meet in recent years.

The occupancy rates at Valley View began to drop below the 90 percent level in 2019 and tanked during the pandemic; currently, they hover around 60 percent.

Last year, Valley View had an operating loss of $16 million.

Most Valley View residents are on Medicaid.

Valley View Center for Nursing Care and Rehabilitation buildings in Goshen, N.Y., on Nov. 18, 2022. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

“If you think about this for a minute, the concept is that you have an active intergenerational aging community that is staying within walking distance to the skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers at Valley View,” Mr. Amo said.

“This will support the growth of Valley View.

“That is one key thing—the campus is not to compete with Valley View in any way.”

Mr. Amo said he hopes that after a professional firm creates a master plan, a private developer will step forward to take on the job of developing and running the new campus.

The Valley View Advisory Committee was created in 2019 to develop a plan to put the 100-plus acres of vacant space at Valley View to use to sustain the nursing home; legislator James O’Donnell was the founding chair.

In April 2022, the committee’s mission was amended to focus on a specific task: studying the feasibility of building a long-term care services campus next to Valley View, all the while addressing issues affecting veterans, pharmaceutical distribution, and senior housing.

Current committee members are Mr. Amo, county legislators Michael Paduch and Peter Tuohy, county Director of Operations Alicia D’Amico, Valley View Commissioner Laurence LaDue, county Director of Real Property Tax Services Paul Wiley, and Civil Service Employee Association representative Rosemarie Kukys.