ROCK HILL, N.Y. – Crystal Run Healthcare in Rock Hill, New York will be closing its OB-GYN practice starting July 1, leaving Sullivan County with just one routine OB-GYN practice to serve the county.
Sun River Health in Monticello – the county’s only Title X clinic – will continue to provide OB-GYN practice in Sullivan County.
New York Assemblymember Paula Kay, whose district spans Sullivan and Orange counties, said she was shocked when she heard about the closure.
“It’s devastating. It’s absolutely devastating,” Kay told Radio Catskill. “My office and I [are] committed to making sure that we find other healthcare systems to take care of women across Sullivan County.”
She said patients were abruptly notified earlier this week about the news. “Our phones were ringing all day yesterday from patients who had received letters, and I immediately called Crystal Run to say, ‘What is going on here?’” said Kay, who represents the 100th Assembly District.
Crystal Run Healthcare has four physicians at the Rock Hill location offering gynecological care, including routine exams, Pap smears, and prenatal and obstetrical care.
Two of its providers will be relocated to the Crystal Run Middletown location. The other two providers will remain in Sullivan County – one at Sun River Health in Monticello and one at Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills in Harris. A spokesperson from Garnet Health confirmed that it will re-establish its OB-GYN practices starting July 1.
Dr. Patrina Phillip-King, Sun River Health’s OB-GYN provider, says that Sun River Health is dedicated to keep services local. Still, she’s worried about alarming closures of healthcare facilities across the country, especially in rural and underserved areas in upstate New York.
“We do know that when we see healthcare facilities close, there’s a direct correlation with increased maternal mortality,” said Phillip-King.
A spokesperson from Crystal Run Healthcare said that the relocation is about integrated care.
“The relocation supports integrated care for patients in the area, allowing OB-GYN services to be delivered in closer connection with hospital-based services and the broader care teams patients rely on,” said the Crystal Run Healthcare spokesperson.
The spokesperson added that “patients are receiving clear communication and support throughout the transition, which isn’t scheduled to happen until July.”
Shrinking healthcare services leave the county shocked and uneasy
The Catskills and Mid-Hudson Valley regions have faced a steady decline in women’s healthcare services over the years.
In 2020, the only Planned Parenthood in Sullivan County closed. The next closest Planned Parenthood clinic in Goshen closed years later in 2024. Garnet Health announced it would phase out its outpatient routine OB-GYN care in Middletown and Harris in 2022.
Optum Health, a subsidiary of the UnitedHealth Group, acquired Crystal Run Healthcare in 2023. Since then, Crystal Run has laid off at least 100 workers as part of an effort to outsource services overseas. U.S. Representative Pat Ryan also reported patient concerns at Optum-owned medical practices in 2025 related to declining quality of care and access to providers and called on the federal government to further investigate.
READ: Women’s Health Services Are Growing Farther Away. So Where Are Patients Turning?
Sullivan County Legislator Cat Scott said rural patients will be most affected by the clinic closure. “ If you have the privilege where you can travel a distance for a doctor, that’s great, but remember that there are people who live in this community who either don’t have the resources or just simply can’t travel.”
Dr. Phillip-King of Sun River Health says having access to women’s health services can quickly become dire, especially in rural communities with limited EMT services and transportation.
“ Imagine that you have a high-risk pregnancy, and you have to travel out of county at least 45 minutes, an hour, to your nearest labor and delivery. In the middle of an acute situation, you’re risking not only the survival of [the] mom, there’s risk in survival of [the] baby as well,” said Phillip-King.
Assemblymember Kay said that patient numbers at Crystal Run’s Rock Hill practice had dwindled over the years and was not the most accessible location for residents along the western corridor of Sullivan County. Still, she’s worried about what this means for healthcare more broadly for the region.
“It’s very important for every woman who is a patient of that practice to make sure that they get ahold of their medical records as soon as possible so that they can transfer to a provider of their choice and have all of their records with them when they do so,” said Kay.
Crystal Run Healthcare serves more than 350,000 patients throughout New York state’s Hudson Valley and Lower Catskill region.
Image: Crystal Run Medical Center in Rock Hill, New York (Photo Credit: Crystal Run Healthcare)
Update: This article was updated to add comments from Sun River Health, Sullivan County Legislator Scott, and Garnet Health. It also includes more information on rural healthcare in Sullivan County.
Does this mean we won’t be able to get our mammograms and dexiscans in Rock Hill?
This is a terrible blow to women. I’ve been going to my doctor there for years and now she’s going to Middletown and I cannot go there. Who is the Doctor at Garnet? Is that in Harris?
Please help me understand
Thank you
Nothing new here. The worst thing that happened is Optum bought them a few years ago. This is a for profit corporation that only cares about their bottom line. As the article states, less patients at this facility means get rid of the service. I have also heard a lot of staff have left since Optum and pressure on doctors to be streamline conscious.
I have heard rumors coming from a doctor that they want to close the Rock Hill crystal run permanently to save money and move everything to Middletown
I hope the women of Sullivan County are glad they voted for Trump. His policies deplete accessability and affordability of health care for everyone in Sullivan County, where the poverty level is approaching 20%.Obviously, Trump does not believe healthcare is a right – to Trump healthcare is a commodity to be sold to those who can afford it. You gals voted for him – are you happy? Wait until you see what is coming.
And this comes in the midst of demands that women have more babies. Disgusting and scary. People not profits!