PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Aixa Torres, Chairperson for Manhattan South District Council of Presidents of NYCHA, on the Closure of Beth Israel Hospital
2:58:00
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3 min
Aixa Torres, representing NYCHA's Manhattan South District, testifies against the closure of Beth Israel Hospital, emphasizing its critical importance to the community and the potential negative impact on public housing residents of color. She shares a personal experience highlighting the strain on other hospitals like Bellevue when Beth Israel redirects patients.
- Torres recounts a recent incident where her aunt was transferred from Beth Israel to an overcrowded Bellevue, demonstrating the risks of closing Beth Israel.
- She stresses that not everyone has an advocate to ensure proper care, citing a case where she had to intervene for a resident whose husband died alone due to visitation restrictions caused by overcrowding.
- Torres urges all council members, regardless of their district, to unite and oppose the closure of Beth Israel Hospital.
Aixa Torres
2:58:00
Can you hear me?
2:58:01
Yes.
2:58:01
Good afternoon to the entire council committee, the chairwomen, councilwoman Rivera.
2:58:11
I My name is Ayeset Torres, and I am the chairperson for the Manhattan South District Council of presidents for Nyingcha.
2:58:24
For the developments of Wollmaija from a 100 and 5th Street all the way to Alfredi Smith House, of which I am the President, Resident Association.
2:58:35
I am here today because the most impacted people are going to be people in public housing of color.
2:58:44
We, once more time, are being totally, totally disallowed this happened to us during a wrap.
2:58:54
We had to go fight to get money when everybody else was getting it.
2:59:00
And so this is constant, but I just wanna share a personal note of what will happen.
2:59:06
And I know counselwoman Rivera knows this because on February 1 2024 of this year, I experienced what the closing of Beth Israel means to to our community on a personal level.
2:59:21
Mike Dede?
2:59:23
Was sent to Bellevue, and her hospital is Beth Israel because she had a trauma, and they moved her to Bellevue.
2:59:34
And I am not So we're all clear, criticizing the health care that she got in Bellevue.
2:59:39
It was great.
2:59:40
However, the transferring her to Bellevue was horrible.
2:59:49
Because Bellevue did not have the capacity in terms of personnel and the overflow in that emergency room actually put all of those patients in danger At which point, I called the councilwoman to say who chairs this committee.
3:00:07
Because for the community, because this is not acceptable.
3:00:12
By the end of the day, even the governor knew whom my aunt was.
3:00:16
But that's not the point.
3:00:17
Not every, and I know him over the time, but not every ditty has a niece named Aixa who can advocate like that.
3:00:26
And I just went in in closing.
3:00:28
I had a resident that I bumped into, and I had to in intervene.
3:00:32
And her husband did die that day.
3:00:34
Right?
3:00:35
And he would have died alone, had I not interfered because Belbieu could not allow any visitors in the emergency room because people there was no space to walk in, including the medical staff.
3:00:48
And so the closing of Beth Israel cannot be done and I urge everyone on the council whether you live in the lower east side, up the upper side.
3:00:57
I don't care where you live.
3:00:59
You need to we need to unite, and we need to tell the state that they cannot close.
3:01:05
Our hospital, and I thank you.
Lynn Schulman
3:01:07
I thank you.
