Letter: Foley facility is irreplaceable
Photo credit: Newsday/Bill Davis | John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility in Yaphank. (March 25, 2008)
Regarding "Foley sale worth saving" [Editorial, Nov. 12], my wife Dotty is a resident at the facility. Dotty has Huntington's disease, and has been symptomatic for over 18 years. The plan was to take care of her at home, but this past May it became too much.
Good Shepherd Hospice recommended the John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility, and I have been surprised at its cleanliness, how well it was staffed and how the residents were treated.
Dotty has been there since July, and though neither of us is happy with her being anywhere but home, the Foley facility is next best.
Since superstorm Sandy and the nor'easter, the facility has been taking in evacuees with special needs. They put cots in the dining room on my wife's floor. If the facility were privatized, do you think their doors would be so open? I think not.
I realize that the cost of running this facility is a burden on the county, but what price do we put on the lives and well-being of our citizens?
William Anthony, Lake Ronkonkoma
