According to Health Department officials, Mount Sinai must operate a new 24/7 urgent care center near the hospital on First Avenue at 16th Street for at least three months and reach an agreement with New York City Health + Hospitals to invest in expanding Bellevue Hospital's emergency room and psychiatric emergency department.
Politico's Maya Kaufman first reported on the latest development here:
"The conditional approval of the closure plan submitted by Mt. Sinai Beth Israel Hospital is based on careful and extensive review of the plan and delineates several conditions to help ensure that patients receive quality care at nearby hospitals and other primary care providers," Department of Health spokesperson Erin Clary said in a statement to Politico.
A Mount Sinai spokesperson did not provide a new tentative closure date for Beth Israel, saying the hospital will "remain open and accepting patients" for the time being, per NY1.
Mount Sinai's plan to close on July 12 was previously postponed.
The Community Coalition to Save Beth Israel Hospital and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary's lawsuit is still pending. A Mount Sinai spokesperson said they hope for an expedited review of the case.
Crain's reported that Mount Sinai "has spent at least $72,000 in the last year to lobby state health officials about its plans" to shutter the facility.
Community activists pointed to the lobbying behind Mount Sinai's closing push in a statement.
We are shocked and deeply dismayed that New York State Health Commissioner James McDonald has succumbed to a high-pressure lobby campaign by Mount Sinai Health System to approve the closure of Beth Israel Medical Center without even agreeing to meet with community leaders and members and our local elected public officials, despite long-standing requests.Commissioner McDonald's action will now turn much of Lower Manhattan into yet another hospital desert in our city, leaving tens of thousands of people without access to hospital care. We call on him to immediately rescind and reconsider his decision and then sit down with us to hear our concerns, something he has so far refused to do.The "conditions" Commissioner McDonald has attached to his approval provide meaningless protections for Lower Manhattan residents and workers — they would be laughable were the results not so serious.
Meanwhile, on Friday evening, local elected officials spoke out about the decision to allow Beth Israel to close, saying the conditions fall well short of providing the assurances "our communities need and deserve"...
In the spring, The New York Times reported that patient care was suffering at Beth Israel, where cuts have meant the hospital can't care for critically ill new arrivals.My colleagues and I reviewed the State Department of Health's conditional approval of the Mount Sinai Beth Israel closure. Here is our statement on the Department's decision: pic.twitter.com/XtcpGsraTU
— NYS Senator Brian Kavanagh 卡范納 (@BrianKavanaghNY) July 26, 2024
Mount Sinai officials have previously said Beth Israel lost $1 billion in the last decade, and only $29 million remains in cash reserves.
Beth Israel was founded 143 years ago on the Lower East Side and moved to its current location in 1929.
My Mom worked there in the 1930s. I think she hoped to snag a doctor, but instead she snagged my father, a poor student.
ReplyDeleteI'm okay with closing Beth Israel but I hope a corollary is street use modification for First Avenue between 14th and 34th Streets for faster access to the Bellevue and NYU ERs. At a minimum eliminate all street parking on First to free up extra lanes for traffic, and create a dedicated ambulance (or "public safety") lane next to the bus lane. Get rid of street parking on the side streets close to First to allow dedicated loading zones for businesses.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure actual traffic engineers have more and better ideas but with the shift in ER coverage we need to reprioritize street usage.
You don’t care about all the employees who will get displaced or even loose their jobs. When this happens to you, you will understand!
DeleteWe are in the late stages of capitalism. Shit like this is bad news for us a community.
ReplyDeleteNot having an ER in the neighborhood is a huge and dangerous loss for the neighborhood. I can't believe the city is letting this happening. And are they really losing money, or are the top execs not raking in the profits they want?
ReplyDeleteSo does this include the New York Eye and Ear infirmary or not?
ReplyDelete