Ariél Zangla is reporting for the Daily Freeman U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced June 28, the Castle Point VA Medical Center in Dutchess County, will remain open. The independent Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission had previously called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit a proposal that recommended closing Castle Point and relocating services. Subsequently, key Senate leaders and members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee said they would not support the commission's proposal moving forward, according to a press release from Schumer's office. That decision led to the preserving healthcare services for nearly 7,000 Hudson Valley veterans, the release said. “After months of fighting, I am pleased to announce the Castle Point VA Medical Center is staying open and right where it is,” Schumer said in a statement. He said the federal government should invest further in bolstering veteran healthcare facilities in the Hudson Valley, a sentiment repeated by Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro. He said he hopes the federal government would see the value of Castle Point and build on it as a foundation for increasing veterans’ healthcare, including expanding mental health care. Democrat Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan called the decision to keep the Castle Point center open a “huge win for the Hudson Valley, and for veterans and their families across the nation.” Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.