New York City officials are pushing for Richmond University Medical Center to become a public hospital, but the medical center is opposing the deal, according to the Staten Island Advance.
The city presented Richmond University Medical Center a lucrative offer to become part of the public NYC Health and Hospitals system. Officials have held negotiations since March, and the deal was estimated to be worth more than $500 million over 10 years.
In late June, the hospital rejected the offer from the city, saying "it is not the right future for RUMC" and that it is "not considering it" and has "no plans to become a public hospital."
Despite the rejection, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said July 14 he remains optimistic that a deal could be reached.
"A real conversation is now happening with the RUMC board," Mr. de Blasio said at a media briefing. "We still see a path here, and I'm excited at that prospect, and we're going to find a way to work hard and make it happen."
Richmond University Medical Center emphasized that, despite the board meetings and optimism, it still is not interested in becoming a public hospital.
"We look forward to working with our government partners on exploring other opportunities for us to best work together and achieve this goal in ways that are consistent with RUMC's historic mission and service to all Staten Islanders," a Richmond University Medical Center spokesperson told the Advance.