Manhattan residents on Dec. 14 rallied against Mount Sinai's plan to close its Beth Israel campus in July, according to a PIX II report.
Community members argue that if Beth Israel closes there will be only one hospital south of 23rd Street in an area that has a population of more than 400,000 people.
"They closed Cabrini, they closed St. Vincent's, they cannot close another hospital in this area," a community member at the rally told the news outlet. St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan closed in 2010, while Cabrini Medical Center shut down in 2008, according to ABC7. Both organizations, which were not associated with Mount Sinai, cited financial difficulties as reasons for their closures.
Beth Israel, a 799-bed teaching hospital, has served the Lower East Side since 1889. However, it has been hemorrhaging money, losing more than $1 billion in the last 10 years. The hospital's financial losses are affecting the performance of the entire Mount Sinai system, Elizabeth Sellman, president and COO of Beth Israel and Mount Sinai Downtown, said at a Nov. 28 town hall meeting, according to The Spirit,
Mount Sinai officials also said that the Beth Israel campus is under-utilized, running at only 20% to 25% capacity, and is on track to lose $150 million in 2023 alone.
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine argued that forcing people to visit another hospital will cause a significant problem for downtown residents. There are also concerns that other hospitals in the borough will have to deal with an influx of patients at a time when staff shortages are plaguing hospitals nationwide.
"There's just no substitute for a standalone hospital," Mr. Levine said at the town hall. "Beth Israel is also notable in that it serves lower income people in downtown. For people who live in [NYC Housing Authority] developments and [who] are on Medicare, this really is a critical hospital."
Elected officials are seeking funding to save the hospital and exploring legal options to potentially delay its planned closure, according to PIX II. The New York Department of Health is reviewing the closure plan submitted by Mount Sinai and is expected to make a decision soon.