At the march to Save Beth Israel

Photos by Daniel Efram 

On a windy and overcast Saturday afternoon, a united and determined group of some 75 people gathered to march, demonstrating their commitment to restore services at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. 

The hospital has reportedly been suspending services and moving staff out of the facility on 16th Street and First Avenue without proper approval from the New York State Department of Health.

According to Politico, hospital officials were "increasingly transferring seriously ill patients suffering potentially life-threatening emergencies to other hospitals in the city because they need procedures that are no longer being made available at Beth Israel." 

Earlier this month, the NY State DOH said the closing plans were "incomplete" — "sending hospital leaders back to the drawing board," per Gothamist. 

Friends and supporters of Beth Israel met at Abe Lebewohl Park on 10th Street and Second Avenue and marched to the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary on 14th Street and Second Avenue, where services have also reportedly been slashed.

The Community Coalition to Save Beth Israel and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, which organized the march, are asking that Mount Sinai leadership meet with elected officials and other community leaders to craft a plan to preserve hospital care for the 300,000-plus residents who live and work in Lower Manhattan.

There's a petition to save Beth Israel at this link.

Mount Sinai Beth Israel executives have stated that the closure is an unfortunate necessity due to the system's staggering financial losses, which have exceeded $1 billion in recent years. 

As previously reported, the 799-bed teaching hospital was proposed to close on July 12, 2024.