Pols Make Deal to Save LICH

By on February 12, 2011 2:46 pm in Government, Health

According to a report on NY1, after meeting with elected officials in Brooklyn last night, Cuomo administration offficials have agreed to release the grant money that will allow the merger of Long Island College Hospital with SUNY Downstate Medical Center, thereby assuring that LICH will remain open. Addendum: The politicians involved are identified in the text of Senator Squadron’s press release, after the jump.

Thanks to BHB reader Mike for the tip.

State Senator Daniel Squadron said:

There is no doubt: Brooklyn needs LICH. The LICH-Downstate merger is vital and I am pleased that Governor Cuomo supports moving forward the HEAL grants to make it happen.

LICH is a crucial health care resource not just for the adjacent neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill, but for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. In addition to stabilizing both institutions, the merger will improve health care across Brooklyn, bolster an important teaching hospital, and provide diverse communities with stronger options.

I was pleased to work with Governor Cuomo, Borough President Markowitz, Congresswoman Velazquez, Senator Montgomery, Assemblywoman Millman, Councilmember Lander, and Councilmember Levin to save these important hospitals.

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  • Johnny

    Great news !

    That was a great & quick fix to a potentialy devasting news to our nabe

  • T.K. Small

    Congratulations everyone!

  • EHinBH

    Shame. They were not too big to fail…

  • AEB

    Excellent news! And yes, speedy. Perhaps the Egyptian revolution has established a time-table for getting things done with dispatch….

  • Buddy Holly

    I hope the people who promised to take the subway to another hospital somewhere far far away in an emergency.. will actually do it, and not bother the good people at LICH with their misery.

    Congratulations to Senator Squadron, Assemblywoman Millman, and the others who helped knock Cuomo off the fence.

  • Johnny

    Oh yes please, for those who despise this local hospital, take a cab or your car with chauffeur during traffic hours to reach your favorite hospital.

    Or better leave our city and move to GlenBeckIdiotoftheVillage.

  • George Earl

    Fabulous! LICH is part of our proverbial family–at least for those of us who live in the Heights or Cobble Hill. I’ve supported it for many years, and take care not to overuse it for the “I’ve got it coming to me” attitude. I’m afraid many do, therefore making its finances understandably tough. For those who live deeper into Brooklyn, try getting to know your closer clinics. My sincere thanks to our present Governor…and to folks much like myself who made calls and wrote letters supporting LICH’s fine history.

  • JM

    Great news to all of us who live in the hods surrounding LICH.

    EHinBH…
    May we take your previous anti-LICH comment “the really great hospitals are just a subway or cab ride away” along with your recent one above as a promise that you or your family will NOT use this facility in an emergency?

  • Big Dave

    LICH saved my life – that’s not hyperbole. I’m grateful it is still here.

  • Linda

    Four years ago I took a bad fall on Willow Street and broke my wrist in four places. I went to the emergency room at LICH and was given excellent care by one of the ER doctors. Later in the week I saw one of the LICH surgeons who specialized in hand/wrist surgery. He also did an excellent job and is now listed as one of the best doctors in a quide to a best doctors book that I refer to frequently. My husband had a severe allergic reaction after having eaten raw nuts and he too was given excellent care at LICH emergency room. I am relieved that in the future if I need excellent care, I will not have to travel beyond LICH to get it.

  • Bob Stone

    Our local electeds deserve a huge round of applause for the way they got on top of this potential disaster. Dan Squadron, Joan Millman, Steve Levin, Brad Lander and their staffs, and yes, even Marty Markowitz behaved exactly as you’d hope your elected representatives would in a crisis. Many thanks to them.

  • Code Blue

    It is hard to believe some people actually were in favor of LICH shutting down. The level of human stupidity is at times astonishing.

  • Holla

    EHibBH….you are miserable. Maybe a snob?

  • nabeguy

    I’m not going to try to defend EH, but when it comes to my personal healthcare or that of my family, the issue at hand is not snobbery. I’ve done my time at LICH and its pediatric ER on a number of occasions with my daughter. But when it came down to a real emergency (appendectomy), I can’t tell you how happy I was when our pediatrician, who previously had sent us to LICH, sent us to Columbia Presbyterian instead. What a night and day difference from the second we walked in there. No delayed “triage” examinations but immediate attention with constant updates as to what to expect, and when to expect it, nurses and doctors who introduced themselves by name, etc. All in all, a thoroughly professional experience Best of all, the total bill for all that first-class care amounted to $187 through my insurance. If expecting that kind of care in my own neighborhood qualifies me as a snob, then so be it.
    There’s no doubt that LICH is an invaluable area asset but, damn it folks, don’t accept mediocrity by virtue of its proximity.

  • william

    Dear Nabeguy,

    Nobody faults you for wanting and expecting the best. And, I’m sure you are also very polite, and pickup after your dog. You have nothing to be ashamed of. And, you are moving out of BH too. We are sorry to see you go. We need more people like you here, not less.

  • Miky

    Nabeguy – I am curious as to when you had the mediocre experiences with LICH. Over the last two years we have had superb experiences with their pediatric ER so I wonder if it has improved recently or if we just got lucky. And when I say superb, I mean that our son was seen and treated within 5 minutes of our arrival. Literally they had started treating him before we had time to complete the paperwork. And the treatment was professional, appropriate and courteous.