MONTICELLO - County legislators considered three options to lease and operate the Care Center at Sunset Lake and the Certified Home Health Agency, both based in Liberty, at an emergency meeting held yesterday in the Government Center.

The Sunset Lake Local Development Corporation (LDC) Board sent the legislature a list of three recommended companies on Tuesday.

By unanimous vote on Monday, the five-member LDC Board has recommended the following three firms: Infinite Care Management; VestraCare/The McGuire Group/Absolut; and The Grand Healthcare System.

About the companies

Infinite Care Management, headquartered in Brooklyn, is the operator of 18 nursing facilities in New York State and Florida.

VestraCare/The McGuire Group/Absolut, headquartered in Buffalo, operates 19 nursing facilities in New York State and Michigan, including the Roscoe Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

The Grand Healthcare System, headquartered in Valley Stream, operates 17 nursing facilities in New York State.

According to a press release from the county, the LDC will continue to vet the operations of these companies via personal visits in the weeks to come, and the Legislature will be scheduling public presentations from all three in the near future.

Once the Legislature chooses an operator, the LDC will enter into contract negotiations with the chosen firm.

Reaction from LDC Chair/Vice Chair

"The LDC has undertaken the appropriate due diligence in reviewing the six responses received to our request for proposals, researching the backgrounds of the applicants and the care provided by their facilities, and meeting personally with the four finalists to question them directly, ultimately selecting three firms for the Legislature to interview,” said Sunset Lake LDC Board Chairman Lowell Feldman. “I thank my fellow board members for the time and care they've devoted to this important effort.”

Sunset Lake LDC Board Vice Chair William Chellis added, “I'm hopeful that as we move forward in this process, both the Legislature and the people of Sullivan County will be confident that the Care Center has a bright future.”