Editor’s Note: At the invitation of BHB, Zephyr Teachout, Democratic candidate for the office of Governor of New York State, agreed to the following opinion piece about why Long Island College Hospital was closed this past May.
In May, the owner of Brooklyn’s Long Island College Hospital shut down the full-service facility, ignoring deep opposition from community groups, patients, and hospital staff. The loss of this vital facility has put the health and lives of residents at risk, endangering communities from Red Hook to Williamsburg and downtown Brooklyn.
The decision has huge ramifications. At LICH itself, 1,400 health care workers lost their jobs. The closure of LICH has overwhelmed other Brooklyn hospitals with emergencies and patients that need procedures no longer available to them. Residents have suffered long waits, diversions, and even deaths. In addition to increasing medical risk, LICH’s shuttering has destroyed long-term relationships between residents and trusted physicians.
Together with the Brooklyn residents who have fought so hard for their hospital, I oppose SUNY-Downstate’s closure and impending sale of LICH. If I am elected governor, I will order an investigation into SUNY’s handling of the situation, and ensure that Brooklyn residents don’t pay the heavy cost of its bad decisions. More broadly, I will push for a full assessment of local needs and ensure we don’t shutter vital services unless we can guarantee citizens safe and reliable alternatives.
SUNY Downstate Medical Center – the most recent owner of LICH – has failed to take responsibility for these foreseeable outcomes. SUNY says it was driven to close LICH because the facility was bleeding money. What SUNY doesn’t mention is that its own financial mismanagement may have played a role: as the Brooklyn Eagle recently uncovered, after buying the facility SUNY officials failed to file routine paperwork, which may have cost LICH up to $106 million.
SUNY has entered into a $240 million contract to sell the former hospital to Fortis Property Group, a developer that will build luxury condos in its place. SUNY chose the developer over higher-ranked bidders that had agreed to continue more extensive hospital services. A number of Brooklyn officials have called for a state investigation into SUNY’s sale to Fortis, which was conducted in an opaque and unaccountable manner.
Governor Andrew Cuomo, who appointed 15 of the 18 SUNY Board members that voted to close LICH, has remained largely silent throughout this process. His refusal to stand up for the community comes in the face of hospital staff and community residents gathering 50,000 signatures asking him to intervene.
Together with the Brooklyn residents who have fought so hard for their hospital, I oppose SUNY-Downstate’s closure and impending sale of LICH. If I am elected governor, I will order an investigation into SUNY’s handling of the situation, and ensure that Brooklyn residents don’t pay the heavy cost of its bad decisions. More broadly, I will push for a full assessment of local needs and ensure we don’t shutter vital services unless we can guarantee citizens safe and reliable alternatives.
Hospitals are essential, and allowing their wide-scale closure puts entire communities – and sometimes the least financially able – at massive risk. As property values around New York City soar, we cannot allow owners to trade hospitals for luxury condos. Ironing out the economic predicaments of these hospitals will not be easy – but it must not come at the expense of the health and safety of New Yorkers.
Zephyr Teachout, a professor of constitutional law at Fordham University as well as a commmunity organizer, is running for the office of Governor of the great state of New York along with Tim Wu, who is running for Lt Governor. The Teachout/Wu ticket is challenging incumbent Governor Cuomo and Kathy Hochul in the Democratic Primary on September 9, 2014.
According to the Teachout/Wu website: “The system is rigged, and Andrew Cuomo is part of the broken system. We are running to lay out a bold vision and provide a real choice for voters. New York can have an economy that works for all of us — not one which works only for the wealthy and well connected. We believe in a New York where wages are rising, small businesses are thriving and our public schools are the best in the nation.”
PHOTO Credit: Teachout/Wu Campaign
