By Jack Jones
Staff Writer

(August 16, 2003) — CANANDAIGUA — A cheering crowd of more than 500 veterans, community leaders and Canandaigua V.A. hospital employees Friday applauded U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton when she promised she would join a fight to keep Department of Veterans Affairs officials in Washington from closing the 70-year-old hospital.

During a campaign-style visit and speech, Clinton decried recommendations by senior V.A. administrators in Washington to shut down Canandaigua and six other V.A. facilities nationwide, including downsizing two in the New York City area.

Clinton also criticized a decision by a 15-member CARES (Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services) Commission to hold a Sept. 19 hearing on the Canandaigua closing plan 70 miles away, in Syracuse.

“ I don’t know how it can be called a ‘ CARES’ Commission when they have demonstrated such a lack of caring,” said Clinton, praising the “ family-like atmosphere” of the hospital, which recently was ranked No. 1 in patient satisfaction among all 162 V.A. hospitals nationwide.

If any hospitals should be closed, “ they should start with those at the bottom of the list that aren’t doing the job for veterans,” she said.

Clinton also criticized V.A. officials for making a closing recommendation just to save money, she said — and without consulting with local veterans organizations, V.A. hospital officials, community leaders, congressional or state representatives on the impact of closing a hospital that is one of the area’s largest employers, with almost 800 full-and part-time workers.

The announcement about two weeks ago came “ out of the blue ... at a time when this region of the state is just beginning to take off again” economically, she said.

Local community and business leaders — who have said closing the V.A. would drain at least $30 million a year from the local economy — met privately with Clinton before she spoke from a stage in a tree-shaded courtyard on the 150-acre, garden-studded veterans campus.

Clinton “ reassured us that the things we are doing to protest the closing of this hospital are the right things to do,” said Canandaigua Mayor Ellen Polimeni. “ But she was very frank. She said it will be a difficult task.”

“ My own gut feeling is that it’s going to be difficult because the decision to close this hospital has already been made,” said Earle Gleason, a Vietnam veteran and director of the Veterans Service Agency in nearby Yates County. “ Those hearings are just window dressing to make it look better. But we’re certainly going to stand together and fight it.”

Gladys Stapleton, an ex-Marine and former patient at the hospital who now works as a behavioral health aide with mentally ill veterans, warned Clinton that many veterans would suffer if the hospital is closed.

“ Some of us will go back to the streets and become dope fiends again,” said Stapleton. “ Some of us will die.”

Clinton said that she and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., have joined forces with at least four area Republicans in Congress, including Rep. Amo Houghton of Corning, a World War II veteran, to try to thwart the closing plan.

“ They have made a dreadful miscalculation to close this facility,” said Clinton, warning that keeping the hospital open “ is going to be a tough fight. ...

“ But if you know one thing about me, it’s that I don’t give up easily.”

JJONES@DemocratandChronicle.com