Time is ticking for Sapphire Nursing and Rehab at Goshen to answer to a report concering Department of Health violations at the elder care property it took over last year from Elant in Orange County last September.

Assemblyman James Skoufis (D-Woodbury) says a Department of Health report confirmed complaints and issues highlighted in an investigative report done by the Times Herald-Record, and he says those issues are disturbing.

"This is where someone pushes a call button in their room for a resident and takes half an hour for a nurse to respond," said Skoufis, "and complaints about people sitting for a half an hour in their own filth, in their own excrement."

Middletown Mayor Joseph DeStefano's father is a resident at the facility. Though he says his father has received "adequate care," he's concerned that those who don't have regular family visits may not have the same experience. DeStefano says that staff at the facility is caring and doing their best, but are overworked because of staffing issues.

In a statement, representatives from Sapphire say they have committed to hiring additional people and cite the reason for low staffing as resignations. They also say a recent visit by the Department of Health found no immediate care concerns.