Interfaith Medical Center may be the second Brooklyn hospital to shutter its doors in the next few weeks, as a state official rejected a restructuring plan and instead asked for a closure plan, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Interfaith's restructuring plan involves $4 million of state funds per year to maintain inpatient and outpatient behavioral health operations, along with $24 million in state funds to transition out of bankruptcy. State Department of Health Deputy Commissioner Karen Westervelt said Interfaith's plan did not identify any organizations with which it could partner to increase efficiency, according to the report.
Ninety percent of patients at Interfaith, which is in bankruptcy proceedings, have government insurance. The hospital is losing roughly $1.5 million a month, due in part to bankruptcy fees, according to the report.
After rejecting the restructuring plan, Ms. Westervelt told Interfaith trustees to resubmit a modified plan this week to close the hospital. Once that plan is approved, Interfaith would begin the process of transferring patients to other facilities and shutting down its services, which could take weeks, according to the report.
Interfaith officials aren't convinced the hospital will close, though. President and CEO Patrick Sullivan said hospital trustees have requested a meeting with the Department of Health and are submitting a letter responding to the department's criticisms of Interfaith's restructuring plan.
"We're waiting with bated breath to see if they would look at it with this additional information," Mr. Sullivan told The Wall Street Journal.
More Articles on Hospital Closures:
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Long Island College Hospital Preps for Possible Closure
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