Q&A
Concerns about gap in hospital services due to MSPI closure
1:30:48
·
105 sec
Council Member Carlina Rivera expresses concerns about the gap in hospital services that will be created by the closure of Mount Sinai Beth Israel (MSPI). Laura Iavicoli from NYC Health and Hospitals responds, and Rivera adds her own thoughts on the matter.
- MSPI closure will affect 70,000 emergency visits per year.
- Mount Sinai and Health And Hospitals are working on supporting emergency departments and behavioral health services.
- There are challenges in expanding capacity quickly, even with available funding.
- Rivera emphasizes the need for a more transparent process and community input in future hospital closure decisions.
Carlina Rivera
1:30:48
And my last question is I I know that you're prepared to scale up.
1:30:52
I highly respect that.
1:30:53
I I've been told that by Bellevue and and by Health And Hospitals.
1:30:57
And we always appreciate the way that our public health care system steps up.
1:31:02
But with the pending closure of MSPI, what concerns are there about the gap in hospital services?
1:31:08
This will create for community members and other New York City residents who have received primary care, ED, ambulatory, and inpatient services there.
1:31:20
70,000 emergency visits a year.
Laura Iavicoli
1:31:25
Yeah.
1:31:25
The commitment that is made between Mount Sinai And Health And Hospitals, there will be support of the emergency departments of behavioral health.
1:31:37
They are actively looking to create more inpatient beds.
1:31:41
So all of this is being looked
Carlina Rivera
1:31:42
at very closely and actively being worked on?
1:31:47
Well, even if, you know, you can't expand, I know you can have the physical capacity to take on more patients.
1:31:53
However, you would have to make some infrastructure upgrades, like renovation and expansion.
1:31:59
And even if the money was there today, you wouldn't be able to do that overnight in time for the closure.
1:32:05
So, I mean, we remained deeply alarmed in my community.
1:32:10
I appreciate your support as we move towards, I think, a more transparent process and more thankful to our state colleagues for putting forward legislation that we hope will require more community input should something like this happen again.
1:32:26
I wanna thank all the advocates who are here fighting to keep services available and, of course, accessible.
1:32:32
Thank you.
