Medical staff, employees and union leaders are gaining steam with support from the local community to battle the planned closure of Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill. A group of doctors formed LICH Medical Staff to keep the public updated on what’s going on with the closure, as the courts now review the State University of New York vote in February to shutter the medical facility. And local parents are starting to think — if my young child has an emergency, where would I go if not LICH?
In early February, the State University of New York board that governs LICH voted to close the hospital, citing a bleeding budget at the hospital that, SUNY claims, is running at a $1 million a week deficit.
But a group of doctors, politicians, union reps for hospital employees and concerned citizens banded together to stop the closure. The group sued saying the Feb. 7 vote to close the hospital was done behind closed doors and violated the state’s open meetings act. A Supreme Court judge has now blocked the closure while he reviews the case.
Even if the judge says the vote was illegal and must be retaken, such a ruling may just stall the inevitable, as SUNY has indicated that even if it must revote on the matter it would likely still close the hospital.
Crain’s New York reported on the matter.
