Long Island College Hospital Set To Shut Down On May 22
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- After a lengthy battle Long Island College Hospital will officially close next week.
Mayor Bill de Blasio tried to stop the closure, and it did seem just months ago that he'd managed to save LICH, but on May 22 the SUNY Downstate facility will close it's doors for good after a deal between LICH's owner and Brooklyn Health Partners fell apart last week, 1010 WINS reported.
The hospital said on Friday that all patients will be discharged and transferred to other hospitals and long term care facilities next Thursday.
The hospital stopped accepting 911 ambulances to the its emergency room this past Thursday.
LICH is still accepting walk-in patients for medical screening and stabilizing treatment until the hospital's closure on Thursday at 7 a.m.
If a patient is in need of further care, the hospital said the patient would be transferred to another hospital in the immediate area.
SUNY said it is in talks with another bidder, but a full-service hospital is not in the plans.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was elected in part on a vow to save Long Island College Hospital, previously said he is concerned about the extra amount of time ambulances will now have to travel.
"I was concerned when this happened last year, and we fought to correct the situation," de Blasio said. "And look, I think what we have to do here is get the long-term health care provider in place immediately, and that's going to allow us then to take the other steps to secure health care for the community.
"I'm confident that there's going to be a strong plan that will provide substantial health care for the community that will be financially viable for the long term," the mayor added.
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