PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Mario Catano Henry, Member of New York Statewide Senior Action Council, on Hospital Closures in New York City
3:41:07
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102 sec
Mario Catano Henry, a member of the New York Statewide Senior Action Council, testified in opposition to the closing of another hospital in New York City. He emphasized the growing disparity in hospital beds between affluent and low-income communities and the impact on the senior citizen population.
- Highlighted that over half of the hospitals and clinics have closed in the last 25 years
- Pointed out the consequences of hospital shortages during the recent pandemic
- Stressed the importance of maintaining hospitals citywide for emergency situations
Mario Henry
3:41:07
It.
3:41:08
So let me just I have a brief statement Uh-huh.
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Chairman Narciss chairman Sherman.
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My name is Mario Catano Henry.
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I'm a member of the New York Statewide Chi Accident Council and a resident of City of New York all my life.
3:41:21
I'm attending this hearing to voice my opposition the closing of another hospital left Israel in the city of New York.
3:41:27
There was a growing disparity in the number of hospital beds between affluence and low income communities.
3:41:34
In the last 25 years, over half the hospitals and clinics have closed.
3:41:37
As a plushie resident, there's only one hospital left, New York City Hospital, Presbyterian Queen's, that I that I can quickly reach in an emergency.
3:41:45
My mother got arrested so I had access to Saint John's Parkway and Mary McLood Hospital.
3:41:51
The growing shortage of hospital beds, particularly in less affluent communities, has a devastating effect on the growing senior citizen population at a time in their lives when they need progressively more medical attention.
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During a pandemic, we saw the tragic terms.
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In tragic terms, the consequence of many hospital closings over the last 20 years, the hospital system was overwhelmed.
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We must assume that there'll be the early pandemics in the future.
3:42:17
We can't assume such events are once in a 100 years.
3:42:21
Whenever expanding world trade market, it's penetrating into ever more remote parts of the world, making contact with viruses previously isolate.
3:42:29
I realized that this realism in Manhattan, and I live in Queens.
3:42:32
I do however have reason to travel to Manhattan for various reasons.
3:42:36
I would hope that if I have a heart attack, if I have a stroke, or I get hit by a truck in Manhattan, there'll be a hospital close enough to keep me alive.
3:42:46
It's past time to stop closing hospitals in the city of New York.
3:42:49
That's my state.
