Finger-Pointing as Summit Park Sale Sours

The head of Sympaticare, the company that was going to take the Summit Park Hospital and Nursing Care Center private, apparently told Rockland County lawmakers that he still wanted the operation but that county officials had refused to put off the closing.

However, Sympaticare’s lawyers stated that pending litigation was the reason the agreement with the county was terminated, according to The Journal News.

Both the CSEA and a competitor have sued to block the deal.

The attorneys also said the county had failed to meet certain conditions, and that they had offered to negotiate but the county refused.

But County Executive Ed Day said at a press conference yesterday that the county had negotiated, offering to delay the handover for a month as long as Sympaticare closed on the sale by Sept. 30. The deal has been in the works for more than a year.

The union remained defiant, saying according to The Journal News that the administration hadn’t followed the proper procedures laid out in the county charter.

The deal was unpopular with the Rockland County Legislature. But Its chairman said yesterday that all the lawmakers received an email from Sympaticare’s owner, Shalom Braunstein, insisting that he wasn’t terminating the agreement.

Alden Wolfe issued this statement, which illuminated still another issue with the sale:

There is no reason the sale of the Summit Park Hospital and Nursing Care Center cannot proceed to conclusion.

Shully Braunstein, who heads the efforts by Sympaticare to purchase and operate Summit Park, has stated in an email to all County Legislators that he remains committed to the transaction but needs more time in order to safely take over operations. Braunstein stated he is still willing to negotiate a new closing date but that the County refused to negotiate.

I also point out that the Purchase and Sale Agreement does not require the delivery of a Deed to the purchaser, only a Long-Term Lease. We were told by both the County Attorney and the Counsel to the LDC that failure to pass a resolution by a two-thirds vote would not prevent transfer of the leasehold interest in accordance with the Purchase and Sale Agreement. There is no legal impediment to closing the deal.

The Legislature’s 11-5 vote on Sept. 16 ratified a prior resolution approving the delivery of a long-term lease.

The Executive and Legislative Branches need to present a united front and work collaboratively on this matter and see to it that the transaction is completed. The patients, residents and workers at Summit Park, as well as Rockland County’s taxpayers, deserve to see this transaction brought to its conclusion.

But Day said county administrators had no choice but to proceed with closing Summit Park so that the county’s involvement with it is over by Dec. 31.

The county is in dire financial straits and not only was looking forward to the infusion of $32 million but also getting out from under the cost of operating the nursing home.

According to The Journal News, county officials are working with state health officials, looking for places to move the nursing home residents, and the county’s personnel department will work with staffers.