Seems LICH is Really on its Way Out This Time
The writing’s been on the wall for a long time, but now there’s no confusing the message: Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn Heights Cobble Hill is almost certainly closing, according to The New York Times. The paper reports that the hospital is likely to begin closing next month “after a decision by the Cuomo…
The writing’s been on the wall for a long time, but now there’s no confusing the message: Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn Heights Cobble Hill is almost certainly closing, according to The New York Times. The paper reports that the hospital is likely to begin closing next month “after a decision by the Cuomo administration to delay grants to help finance a merger intended to rescue the institution.” LICH was supposed to get $22 million in state grants, and if the money doesn’t come through, Stanley Brezenoff, president of Continuum Health Partners—which owns the facility—says the hospital “would run out of cash by mid-March. At that point, he said, he would be forced to begin bankruptcy proceedings and move forward with closing the hospital and laying off its 2,500 employees. Without the state money, Mr. Brezenoff said, Continuum could not complete moving the hospital under the SUNY umbrella. Mr. Brezenoff said that he was already putting together a draft closing plan and preparing to send out termination notices. He said that because the conversation with the state was so recent, he had not yet warned the employees that the merger might be called off.” Update: Thanks to the border patrol who helpfully pointed out that this is in Cobble Hill, goddammit, not Brooklyn Heights!
Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn May Close [NY Times]
I feel really bad, I do not like to see people lose their jobs. I had an operation there back in 1992, I thought it was a good hospital.
It is a shame that NY is always in a deficit, we just can’t get it together. I just don’t know why?????
There are many reasons hospitals are failing. Rising costs of healthcare coupled with rising rates of uninsured patients, extremely high cost of med mal insurance and litigation, rising employment costs etc. And you can’t omit plain ole financial mismanagement when you put a surgeon in charge of a hospital’s bank account.
I went to Brooklyn Hospital Center ER a couple years back. It was so incredibly full and chaotic, I hailed a cab and went to LICH which admitted me almost immediately. I will never go back to BHC.
By more4less on February 10, 2011 9:26 AM
Rumor was St Vincent was a back-door closing greased by developers. we shall see how true that rumor is via eying what’ll happen to the building.
Not sure if this is true or not but my dermatologist’s office is in that annex wing and he’s moving in a few months.
*rob*, I don’t get the nurse hate. I’m sure, like everything else, there are terrible nurses, but there are also great nurses. A close friend’s girlfriend is a nurse, and she’s fantastic and very dedicated and kind and hardworking and giving. So I have to take issue with your generalization.
Is Gabby ever going to fix her tags/copy? Or did LICH suddenly move across the street? : P
cgar, it’s because of nurses that hospitals are so hard to run. there really should only be orderlies and doctors (of both sexes of course). eradicate nursing and healthcare will be affordable and streamlined, way more efficient and without the nasty attitude that nurses bring with them.
*rob*
Cobble – who knows, maybe they will… If LICH declares Chapter 11, the buildings will go to auction and the baseline price will be set using appraisals approved by the bankruptcy court. From there, depending on highest and best use, another hospital, or a developer, could come in and bid at the auction and buy the properties – if it comes to that.
It just seems like such a shame – and it’s difficult to understand – that someone can’t come in and operate a hospital in such a densely populated area. I really don’t get it.
I wish NYU Medical Center would buy LICH.