Veterans Say Loyola Recovery Foundation Closure is Vital Loss

ALBANY, N.Y.- For veterans batting drug or alcohol addiction, a vital service has ended.

by Arnaldo Rodgers

The Loyola Recoery Foundation in Albany closed its doors Friday. The Foundation provided treatment and services to veterans dealing with substance abuse, including detoxification.

It’s a service Bob Starks has become familiar with due to his battle with alcoholism.

“I lost a marriage due to it,” said Starks. “I had been homeless since 1983, bouncing in and out of shelters and that’s just how I lived my life.”

Starks remembers nights he stayed at bus stops in the freezing cold.

“I have nobody in my life because of it,” said Starks.

It all started for the 58-year-old veteran in 1977. The Marine was out in Spain, when his ship was struck, causing 49 people to drown.

“The Sergeant I worked for is one of the people that died and I gave him the money to go out that night, so I’ve been blaming myself and turning to the booze, so I wouldn’t feel the pain of blaming myself for him dying,” said Starks.

It’s pain Bob Starks tried numbing for decades.

“For a long time there was no where for me to detox, until Loyola opened up. It was a godsend,” said Starks.

Bob Starks started going to Loyola Recovery Foundation about five years ago. Run through the Stratton VA, it’s one of the only places offering detoxification for vets in the Capital Region.

“We never turn anybody away, it just starts them on their road to recovery,” said nurse and former employee, Theresa Husson.

On Tuesday, employees were notified the 25 bed facility, would be closing. The VA in a statement, “VA Healthcare Network (VISN 2) which covers most of New York State, has had a long relationship with Loyola Recovery Foundation including contractual detox services. As the health care environment changes, some of those relationships also change.”

About 25 employees have been let go. They say its not so much about losing their jobs as it is about losing some very critical services.

“We’ve got patients that still call us a few times on a weekly or monthly basis to tell us that they’re still clean, they’re sober, they’re doing okay,” said Husson. “They’re going to call now and they’re not going to get an answer.”

When asked where he thinks he would be if the services at Loyola weren’t available, Starks replied, “Probably dead.”

Now six months sober, and living with a friend, he plans on focusing on his mental health.

“This place is the only place I felt cared about me,” said Starks. “Because I had a nurse that would want me to call her every week, to let her know I’m doing good. I don’t have a lot of people that care about me.”

Meantime the VA said they are “prepared to utilize all of the options available to best meet the needs of each individual veteran.”