Q&A
Discussion on the impact of hospital closures on trauma services and patient access
2:01:41
·
164 sec
Council Member Brooks-Powers inquires about the city's assessment of potential hospital closures on trauma services and critical care access, particularly in underserved areas. Dr. Michelle Morse responds, explaining the health department's limited role and the state's primary responsibility in these matters.
- Dr. Morse mentions the city's hospital violence intervention programs and their partnership with 11 hospitals.
- She clarifies that the state health department is responsible for mapping capacity for trauma care and designating trauma center levels.
- Dr. Morse reveals that the NYC Health Department sent a letter to the state expressing concerns about the potential closure of SUNY Downstate and its impact on health equity in Brooklyn.
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
2:01:41
And first, in terms of the impact on trauma services and patient access, how does the city access the potential impact of hospital closures on trauma services and critical care access, particularly in underserved areas, Brooklyn, very similar to Southeast Queens.
2:02:00
And I know earlier in your remarks, you spoke about the states role in that and not necessarily communicating that.
2:02:07
But I'm curious, is there any level of communication, and is there any space where the city can say, wait.
2:02:13
No.
2:02:13
We actually need this as critical services that are needed here.
2:02:17
And what are the plans to in place to ensure that surrounding hospitals are equipped to handle the increased patient load when a hospital is closed or downsized?
2:02:28
Because that in itself could have an impact on city hospitals, if it is if you're fortunate to have one nearby.
Dr. Michelle Morse
2:02:38
Thank you so much for the question.
2:02:40
I'll start with the question around access to trauma services.
2:02:45
That is something that we can follow-up with more details around and are happy to share something more specific.
2:02:52
The health department does run the cities, hospital violence, intervention programs, where we partner with all the hospitals across the city.
2:02:59
11 hospitals total that see the highest number of violence related injuries, and we work with them to do violence interruption services.
2:03:09
So we do have some engagement with hospitals around violence prevention services and trauma services.
2:03:17
However, it is still the state health department that is most involved in mapping capacity around things like trauma care, and it's a a different kind of designation for the type or level of complexity that the trauma center can handle, which is also not within the New York City Health Department's realm of control.
2:03:38
But your point about the impacts of hospital closures on surrounding hospitals, again, is something that we are also concerned about.
2:03:45
Even though it is not within New York City Health Department's realm of regulation or control, we did send a letter to our colleagues in the New York State Health Department, Commissioner McDonald and his team, just stating some of the data that we looked at around the impacts of potential closure of Suni Downstate and some recommendations to partner with them.
2:04:08
To continue the conversation.
2:04:09
And even though we don't have any decision making authority, we do, you know, appreciate the opportunity that we had to send that letter stating our position in the New York City Health Department on what the SUNY Downstate closure could mean in terms of health equity and outcomes in Brooklyn.
