Report: Beth Israel closure on hold for now

Photo earlier this year by Pinch 

Mount Sinai will not be shutting down Beth Israel on Friday after all. 

As Crain's first reported yesterday, the closure has been postponed indefinitely, according to an internal memo sent to staff.

Per Crain's: 

The hospital has previously held firm on the original closure date, but two major challenges have foiled its plans for now: The state has yet to approve the closure plan, and a Manhattan judge has blocked the hospital from ceasing services after neighbors and advocates filed suit.

And! 

The hospital system did not give a new target closure date, saying that the situation now depends on state and legal forces.

Mount Sinai had been targeting July 12 since this past October. 

And from Gothamist:

In Wednesday's memo, hospital leaders said they have worked to recruit staff and hire temporary employees to keep the hospital functioning, but "have not been able to bring in all the staff that we would like to."

But community members who sued the hospital to keep it open alleged Mount Sinai officials intentionally manufactured a crisis by diminishing services and driving away staff.

Meanwhile, local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera applauded the news of the postponement.

"It is a relief that Mount Sinai’s indefinite postponement of the closure of Beth Israel will keep the hospital open for now, but their failure to make a long-term commitment puts the health care of over 400,000 Manhattan residents in jeopardy," she said in a statement. "It will take years for existing alternative health care providers to scale up their infrastructure to meet the demand that will be placed on them, and the State must intervene to halt Mount Sinai's hasty efforts to close the hospital down."

Our previous post has more background.

Mount Sinai officials have 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 on 16th Street and First Avenue in 1929.