Medical Center Director Appointed - Medical Center Director Selected for VA Hudson Valley Health Care System. (05/26/2020)

New York/New Jersey VA Health Care Network Announces New Health Care System Director
Ms. Dawn M. Schaal Brings Leadership, Proven Experience to VA Hudson Valley Health Care System

Montrose, NY — The Department of Veterans Affairs is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Dawn M. Schaal as the new director of VA Hudson Valley Health Care System (Castle Point and Montrose Campuses). VA Hudson Valley Health Care System has been serving Veterans within the greater Hudson Valley since the 1930s. It provides comprehensive health care through a variety of services including primary, specialty, mental health, home and community-based care, long term care and residential treatment programs. The Montrose campus is home to extensive mental health programs, which include mental health residential rehab comprised of a nationally recognized PTSD treatment program, substance abuse, and homeless programs; it also houses inpatient mental health units for acute treatment and long-term care homes. The Castle Point campus contains a Community Living Centers (CLC) unit and acute medicine inpatient unit. The campus serves Veterans primarily from the New York counties of Westchester, Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, Rockland, and Sullivan.

“We are excited to bring Ms. Schaal on board as the new director of VA Hudson Valley Health Care System,” said Dr. Joan E. McInerney, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 2 Director. “Her sound leadership qualities and proven experience will be valuable assets for the facility, the employees and volunteers, and most importantly, for the Veterans we are honored to serve. Ms. Schaal has been serving as the acting director for the Hudson Valley Health Care System since October 2019.

Ms. Schaal joined the VA more than 20 years ago and has held progressive leadership positions at VA Hudson Valley Health Care System (VA HVHCS). Most recently, she has been serving as the Associate Director at VA Hudson Valley Health Care System, a complexity level 3 facility that employs 1400 staff and operates 35 inpatient beds, 104 domiciliary beds (to include Substance Use, PTSD, and Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans), and 127 CLC beds. VA HVHCS boasts one of the country's first Long Stay Mental Health Recovery CLCs, transitioned from a chronic inpatient psychiatry unit.

Ms. Schaal graduated from Tufts University, Boston School of Occupational Therapy with a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy and the State University of New York at Binghamton with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.