FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, April 03, 2014
Contact:
- NYSNA - Eliza Bates, 917-565-2976, eliza.bates@nysna.org
- 1199SEIU - Amanda Torres Price, 917-886-9311, amandatorresprice@1199.org
(New York, NY) SUNY announced today that they will enter into negotiations on transferring ownership of LICH to Brooklyn Health Partners, a bidder proposing to maintain the facility as a full-service hospital.
The decision results from a new bidding process agreed to by SUNY, 1199SEIU, NYSNA, Concerned Physicians for LICH, and community groups that prioritized health services and which gave the community a voice in determining the new operator for LICH.
“1199 caregivers are cautiously optimistic about this proposal for a full-service hospital, which the community and patients have been fighting for throughout the process of keeping LICH open,” said Kevin Finnegan, 1199’s Director of Politics and Legislation. “We hope that Brooklyn Health Partners will work cooperatively with the community, the state and healthcare workers toward continuity and enhancement of care for the patients that depend on LICH. We will continue to stand with our coalition of patients, NYSNA nurses, doctors and elected officials for the best possible outcome.”
“NYSNA nurses have stood strong and rallied alongside patients, 1199SEIU caregivers, doctors, and elected leaders for the past year to save LICH,” said NYSNA Executive Director Jill Furillo, RN. “Our coalition has fought tirelessly to preserve LICH as the full-service hospital that Brooklyn patients need – but our work is not done. We must ensure that LICH patients have a seamless transfer of care, LICH does not close for any period of time, and that the Brooklyn Health Partners team treats LICH employees and their collective bargaining representatives with respect. We will continue to work with all parties, including the state, to guarantee continuity of care and the right outcome for the community served by LICH.”
Brooklyn Health Partners proposes to build a “Brooklyn Medical District” which will include a 300 to 400 bed hospital, utilizing and reconstructing Fuller and Othmer buildings for inpatient services, including medical/surgical, pediatrics, intensive care, coronary care, maternity, pediatric ICU, physical medicine and rehabilitation, adult inpatient psychiatry as well as outpatient services, including emergency, ambulance, prenatal and family Planning, primary and specialty care, rehabilitation therapy, ambulatory, and mental health.
The bidder proposes to maintain continuous operations at LICH in the form of a “bridge facility” that will include a 100-bed hospital, emergency room, ambulatory care, intensive care, surgery, acute care, and supported medical services immediately upon transfer, and to begin construction on a renovated hospital facility within 24-36 months.
Brooklyn Health Partners has also promised to continue to employ at least 300 healthcare workers to provide care during the "bridge" operation of the hospital, and an additional 2,000 when the new hospital opens.
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The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for more than a hundred thousand frontline nurses. We are New York's largest union and professional association for registered nurses.
1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. We represent over 400,000 nurses and caregivers throughout Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Florida. Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all.
