Peninsula Hospital In Queens Lays Off 200 Employees
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A struggling hospital in Queens that was partially shut down by the state is laying off more than 200 employees.
Peninsula Hospital reportedly informed employees of the job cuts on Friday.
Last week, the New York State Health Department ordered the hospital to stop admitting new patients and end all surgeries for 30 days and develop a plan to transfer current patients.
The decision came after inspectors found "problems that failed to meet the accepted standards of care" with Peninsula's clinical lab which the state said put patients at risk.
A spokeswoman for the 173-bed hospital in the Far Rockaways says it is following the directive. Patients have been transferred out and ambulances have been diverted to other facilities.
Peninsula nearly closed in 2011 when it filed for bankruptcy. It was the only hospital in the Rockaways and South Queens with the New York State Department of Health Stroke Center designation.
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