Mount Sinai ordered to halt Beth Israel hospital closure by NY state
NEW YORK - New York's Health Department has opened a new front in the fight to keep Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in Gramercy Park open.
The Health Department issued a cease and desist order to the hospital to immediately stop closing inpatient beds, calling the move unlawful because the changes were made without getting approval from the state.
This comes after the hospital submitted a proposal to the state health department to close by July 2024.
Ever since, community leaders and city, state, and federal officials have been fighting to keep the hospital on East 16th Street open.
Fight to save Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan
New Yorkers gathered in Gramercy Park Thursday to push back on the upcoming closure of the Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in Lower Manhattan. FOX 5 NY's Chris Welch looks at why people who live there say losing the hospital would be dangerous for their neighborhood.
"This is a really important moment for us in our fight to try to prevent the closure of Beth Israel because it puts the whole entire process on hold," said City Council Member Keith Powers.
In its arguments for closing the location, the hospital claimed it was bleeding money, losing over $1B with only 20% of the beds occupied.
In response to the cease and desist, the hospital said in a statement: "We have received the letter and are reviewing it. As we have always said, the health and safety of our patients are - and must remain - our top priorities."
But those who want the hospital to remain open say the hospital has created a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"What we've been saying is that if you reduce services and close down part of the hospital, of course it's going to look like it's losing money and that there aren't services that people want there," Powers said.
The cease and desist order is unlikely to save the hospital from closing next July.