By Michael V. Cusenza
Over a decade after several busy borough hospitals were shuttered, the City Council held an oversight hearing on the impacts of such closures on Gotham residents.
Officially, Tuesday’s inquiry focused on the potential closure of Mount Sinai Beth Israel in Manhattan and SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn. During the hearing, the council advanced a resolution urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to pass legislation that would require additional levels of public notice and engagement when a general hospital seeks to close entirely or reduce maternity, mental health or substance use care, according to an amNewYork report.
“New York City needs a robust, inclusive approach to healthcare planning that prioritizes equitable access and reinforces our hospitals’ ability to serve our growing population. Today, we are here to send a clear message: healthcare is not optional, and every New Yorker deserves access to the medical care they need close to home,” said Councilwoman Lynn Schulman (D-Forest Hills), chairwoman of the Health Committee.
Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park), who took part in Tuesday’s proceedings, said the predicament sheds light on a city already bursting at the seams.
“What I am getting from listening to the testimonies here is proof that we simply cannot pile more people into this city, as the City of Yes plans to do. We are already lacking in hospital beds here in the outer boroughs. The plans to force new housing through in every nook-and-cranny of this city is only going to make this problem exponentially worse,” she wrote on Twitter.
The infamous Queens hospital closures left the borough reeling—and the 2020 pandemic brought the issue back to the fore. St. John’s Queens Hospital and Mary Immaculate Hospital ceased operating in 2009. Peninsula Hospital Center closed in 2012.