Long Island College Hosptal

What we hope to do is inform the community that it is not too late to revive LICH's greatness but not if all decisions regarding it's direction come from a Manhattan based Board the vast majority of whom have never set foot in our venerable institution.
We need local involvement and control.
The quality of the medical care remains excellent but as our distant 'masters' encumber us with debt and sell off our real estate we worry about LICH's ability to survive.

As the majority of LICH's medical staff live in Brownstone Brooklyn it is also our neighborhood
hospital. Try to imagine the Heights, Hill and Garden without LICH in a family emergency.

Posted by: localdoc at May 9, 2008 12:28 PM in response to Long Island College Hosptal

Every experience I have ever had at LICH has been one of the worst medical experiences in my entire life.

Posted by: guest at May 9, 2008 1:56 PM in response to Long Island College Hosptal

Ditto to 1:56. Not only is the current medical care poor (after 2 experiences i no longer even try to go there), LICH makes for a ROTTEN neighbor. Nothing but Double parking hosptial workers, non-emergency speeding from "emergency vehicles", loud groups of workers leaving when the 4 PM - midnight shift ends, wierd medical waste (bandages etc) that end up in the sidewalk and gutters, wandering wierdos who escape the ER.. the list goes on.

I've only been here in the neighborhood for 4 years, so maybe I never knew the "greatness" that was once LICH. But today it isn't worth much to the community. I'd rather have some nice new condos there, to be honest.

Posted by: guest at May 10, 2008 11:26 PM in response to Long Island College Hosptal

What were LICH's finances like before?

Posted by: slick at May 12, 2008 3:35 AM in response to Long Island College Hosptal

My experience with the urology dept. (once-vaulted) sounded like an SNL skit whe I described it to my PCP. And the ER was a joke. Also, LICH ambulances are always parked with engines running in the evenings on Boerum Place between Atlantic and pacific with the guys sleeping in them!

Posted by: guest at May 13, 2008 12:34 PM in response to Long Island College Hosptal

As an EMS worker for LICH, i hope to start educating the masses about the ambulances and the so called "problems" we have with the community.
First, the ambulances are on constant idle due to the fact that the amount of electrical equipment we carry are a heavy strain on the batteries. Yes, some of our newer ambulances can be shut off for periods of time, but that is not true with the majority of our ambulances, especially the ones that run 24 hours.
Second, in reference to the comment about seeing some of our workers sleeping, all i can say is, really? Please walk in our shoes and realize that we do lead a stressful shift, ranging from pedestrian strucks to our personal favorites, abusive intoxicated individuals. i do not know if you realize, but the majority of the time we are forced to bite our tounges and pick up the most ridiculous of calls and the constant flow of paperwork, lifting of obese patients, and constant attacks we receive from those we are trying to help tend to physically and emotional drain us.
Back to the engine idling. For those that feel we are a disruption to the community and the environment, my only advice is to call 311 and put in the request with the FDNY. I cannot tell you the number of times people have come up to my window and demanded i move. I am speaking with direct honesty, we have absolutely no control over where we park, this isn't an excuse or a lie, we have no control. Though our ambulances say LICH on the side, the 911 ambulance system is controlled by the FDNY, and they are the ones that designate where we must park. We do not have the luxury of sitting in a base like the volunteers do out in long island. Instead, we are forced to sit in a cramped vehicle, doing what we can to kill dead time (which we do not get a lot of), and inhale the diesel fumes which we are well aware are not good for the environment. it is not that we voluntarily leave the ambulances on to be malicious, it is because we have no choice. If the ambulance is shut off, the battery dies, and a call comes over for a child choking a few blocks away, will you come to our defense when we are brought in front of the press and courts to explain why we could not respond?
And this is my final point to this rant. i have not seen much support from the community for our hospital. It's standards slip because we have no one defending us. Once the hospital closes will the community realize what they have lost, when they are forced to go to brooklyn hospital where i have seen first hand their atrocious staffing or they are forced to go to methodist which will now be overcrowded from the flow of extra patients.
people, there is a benefit to a community hospital. show your support, realize that we are only as strong as the community that supports it. And please, give us ambulances a break. come and talk to us once in a while, we have no problem explaining the workings of the system.
thank you
your neighborhood ems

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 4:29 AM in response to Long Island College Hosptal

I was born and raised in the area of LICH in the 40-50's, the area was much the same as it was 3 years ago when I last visited. My close friends Dad was hospitalized and had his leg amputated some years back, because the attending nurses just let him lie there. His older brother died at 17 from cancer there in 1960, I still remember the smells and the gloomy wall colors.
We used Lutheran, Maimonides, Victory, or Coney Island Hospitals
In place of an Ikea the area could use a hospital/med center on that size piece of property.

Posted by: guest at June 9, 2008 8:29 AM in response to Long Island College Hosptal