Mount Sinai Beth Israel hopes to maintain its position closing date mid-July.
What you need to know
- Officials said Mount Sinani Beth Israel has lost $1 billion over the past decade and has only $29 million in cash reserves left.
- The hospital was recently required to submit a more detailed closure plan to the Ministry of Health, including the impact the closure will have on the community
- Officials want to ensure a potential closure doesn't overwhelm other hospitals
But it's seeing resistance from community members like Victor Medina.
'I should look elsewhere. And it's hard for me to make ends meet,” Medina said.
The hospital tried to phase out the services, but this was stopped by the Ministry of Health. The department's seal of approval is required to close.
'The next thing is to try [to] negotiate with the Ministry of Health to try it [to] Make sure whatever happens here respects the needs of our community, and work with them to ensure that we lose this hospital in July, and that we have long-term services for our neighborhood,” said Assembly Member Harvey Epstein.
The hospital was recently required to submit a more detailed closure plan to the DOH, including the impact the closure will have on the community.
Officials like Epstein want to ensure a closure doesn't overwhelm other hospitals.
“We want to make sure our neighbors are served, not just close and say, 'Oh, good luck,'” Epstein said.
However, the hospital said its financial outlook is bleak.
Officials say Beth Israel has lost $1 billion over the past decade and has only $29 million in cash reserves left.
“We are in the midst of a tipping point for healthcare in the US, and Mount Sinai Beth Israel is in the middle of it. Sandwiched between agile and adaptable outpatient care and world-class referral centers,” said Dr. Brenden Carr, CEO of Mount Saint.
Carr said closing Beth Israel does not mean turning away from their obligations, pointing to investments the hospital has made in other neighborhoods.
“We are working with the state and the courts to ensure that patient safety remains the guiding principle as we approach the closure,” Carr said.
But now that the hospital is on the verge of closing, the 400,000 people it serves remain in limbo.
“It's going to be hard for a lot of people, elderly people, who can't make ends meet,” Medina said. The closest hospital to Beth Israel is Bellevue Hospital, which is about a half mile away.
