REMARKS
Assembly member González-Rojas addresses inequity in hospital bed distribution across NYC boroughs
1:05:29
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3 min
Assembly member Jessica González-Rojas highlights the significant disparity in hospital bed distribution between Queens and Manhattan. She expresses concern about the lack of lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and the trend of hospital closures in New York City.
- Queens has only 1.65 hospital beds per 1,000 people, while Manhattan has 5.7 beds per 1,000 people
- Since 2000, 40 hospitals have closed in New York State, resulting in a loss of 21,000 hospital beds
- González-Rojas calls for increased hospital capacity in Queens and support for the New York Health Act
Jessica González-Rojas
1:05:29
Yes.
1:05:29
Thank you so much for having me, and I'm sorry to interrupt, but I wanna thank chairperson Schulman, chairperson Narciss, and the members of the council's committee on health and hospitals.
1:05:41
My name is Assembly member Jessica Gonzales Rojas.
1:05:44
I proudly represent 34th Assembly District in Queens.
1:05:48
I testified today as a member of the Assembly's Committee on Health and as a public health activist and advocate.
1:05:56
My testimony today can be summed up in a simple question and one that I've been asking myself for quite some time.
1:06:02
Why does the borough Queens, the largest borough, the 2nd most populated borough in our city have only 1.65 hospital beds for every thousand people, while Manhattan has 5.7 hospital beds for every thousand people.
1:06:17
And obviously, I don't wanna start tensions between the bureau, but I'm deeply concerned that we have not learned our lessons from the COVID-nineteen pandemic.
1:06:26
As many of you know, corona queens, which I represent, was the epicenter of the epicenter.
1:06:31
And while Elmhurst Hospital serves my constituents in the larger community, it's not enough.
1:06:37
Our safety net hospitals need more support and we're urgently fighting for that, but we also need to build more capacity equitably across our city.
1:06:47
According to the New York Health Foundations since 2040 hospitals have closed in our state, including more than a dozen in the city, which accounted for a loss of new 21,000 hospital beds statewide during that time.
1:07:00
And this downward trend is dangerous and leaves our most vulnerable New Yorkers in a very precarious situation.
1:07:06
The cumulative impact on our healthcare system is also difficult.
1:07:11
The closure of any one hospital impacts the capacity of our neighboring hospitals.
1:07:16
In 2012, city limits reported that after Mary immaculate and Saint John's hospitals and Queens closed their doors in 2009, Elmhurst Hospital saw a staggering uptick in patients.
1:07:29
A 2018 Merger Watch Report found that the 12 largest systems then controlled half of all the acute healthcare hospitals in New York and 70 percent of the inpatient acute care beds, and that situation is even worse now.
1:07:46
The truth is that we have allowed the corporatization of health care result in mega systems that have accumulated multiple health rules and assets.
1:07:55
They, in turn, have only continued to shift the healthcare delivery system in their favor.
1:07:59
So as a state legislator, thank you again for having me here.
1:08:02
I'm ready to work with the city council, our fabulous chairwomen, and hopefully a new city hall.
1:08:09
To write this wrong, to turn this tide, to increase hospital capacity in Queens, a borough of working class in immigrant communities, and, ultimately, I look forward to the day that I can cast my vote in favor passing the New York Health Act, which is carried by Senator Lucero Rivera, who I see his name here as well.
1:08:27
So really thank you, and grateful to have me say a few words, and thank you for your work on the health committee and hospitals.
1:08:35
Thank you.
