New York City's ailing hospitals have become a "sleeper issue" in the city's mayoral race, as three of the top campaigns took to the streets yesterday to protest potential hospital closures, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Mayoral hopefuls Bill de Blasio, Bill Thompson and Christine Quinn made separate trips to the former St. Vincent's Hospital, which closed in 2010 and is now being turned into condominiums.
Each candidate had a different slant. Mr. de Blasio led a "Hospitals not Condos" rally, Ms. Quinn's campaign team highlighted her efforts to keep St. Vincent's open and Mr. Thompson spoke about his plans to prevent future hospital closures, according to the report.
Of those contenders, Mr. de Blasio has "seized the hospital issue with more vigor than his opponents," according to the WSJ, as he got himself arrested in July at a demonstration against the closure of Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn. Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn also asked a bankruptcy court to approve its closure earlier this month.
Last week, Ms. Quinn, who is city council speaker, also amped up her rhetoric against hospital closures. She formed a commission tasked to create a plan that would overhaul healthcare delivery in NYC.
New York City's mayoral election is scheduled to occur Nov. 5.
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