The New York State Department of Health has approved the closure plan of Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, in which the hospital will tentatively shut its doors July 29, according to a New York Times report.
LICH, part of State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, has teetered on the brink of closure for the past couple months. The hospital is losing millions every month, and its patient occupancy rate is hovering around 5 percent. An audit from New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli earlier this year found that LICH and SUNY Downstate were on the brink of insolvency.
However, many physicians, nurses and community members are still fighting to keep the hospital open. According to a New York Daily News report, mayoral hopeful Bill de Blasio received a court order to halt the closure of LICH temporarily. Although SUNY Downstate said it still plans to empty the hospital of patients by July 28, Mr. de Blasio will ask a judge to keep the hospital open.
Jill Furillo, executive director of the New York State Nurses Association, told the Times LICH still has a shot to stay open if SUNY can interest another provider through the request for proposal process.
More Articles on Hospital Closures:
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