NYS Health Dept. Approves Beth Israel Shutdown, With Conditions
No official closure date has been given, however, and a temporary restraining order against the closure remains in place. Mt. Sinai would have to support Bellevue’s emergency department, considering that it will continue to pick up traffic diverted from Beth Israel. Health advocates and elected officials expressed general dismay over the sign-off.
| 30 Jul 2024 | 11:42
Samuel Kleinplatz, a Beth Israel patient, speaking at at March rally. Beth Israel now seems more likely to close, after NYS granted conditional approval to Mt. Sinai’s latest shutdown plan. (
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On July 26, Mt. Sinai received conditional approval from the NYS Health Dept. over their latest Beth Israel closure plan. (
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Mt. Sinai has received conditional approval from the NY Department of Health to shutter Beth Israel, although an official closure date has yet to be set, pending the resolution of a restraining order. Mt. Sinai originally wanted to close the E. 16th St. hospital on July 12, but had their original application to do so rejected by the state agency.
The conditions laid out by the Health Department on July 26 include: operating a 24/7 urgent care facility in the area for a minimum of three months, working with NY Health and Hospitals to boost Bellevue’s emergency and psychiatric departments, and providing additional inpatient assistance to hospitals besides Bellevue.
The conditional approval follows a bruising saga that involved Mt. Sinai getting hit with a cease-and-desist order in December from the state agency and the aforementioned temporary restraining order in March, after community health advocates mobilized to halt the corporation from winding down the hospital’s services prematurely.
Much of Manhattan’s political establishment has supported grassroots efforts to keep the hospital open, given that its closure would leave Manhattanites living below E. 16th St. with only one major hospital outpost, a branch of NewYork-Presbyterian. Mt. Sinai has cited losses of $1 billion over the past decade–or roughly $100 million a year–as their reason for closing Beth Israel.
Community advocates are suspicious of this rationale, and have pointed out that other Mt. Sinai hospitals in northern Manhattan have similar financials to the 543-bed Beth Israel. Hospital officials have also confirmed that beds that were were operating at full capacity during the pandemic are no longer available, with nurses opposed to the hospital’s closure saying that this is due to unsanctioned service cuts.
The Community Coalition to Save Beth Israel Hospital and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, which brought the mammoth lawsuit that earned the restraining order, expressed their disappointment with the NYS Health Department’s decision.
“We are shocked and deeply dismayed that New York State Health Commissioner James McDonald has succumbed to a high-pressure lobby campaign by Mount Sinai Health System to approve closure of Beth Israel Medical Center without even agreeing to meet with community leaders and members and our local elected public officials, despite long-standing requests,” the Coalition said in a statement.
The Manhattan politicians that have supported the Coalition also took issue with the conditional approval, in a statement of their own. These included: U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, State Senator Brian Kavanagh, State Senator Liz Krueger, State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, State Assembly member Harvey Epstein, State Assembly member Deborah Glick, State Assembly member Grace Lee, State Assembly member Tony Simone, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, City Council member Erik Bottcher, Council member Keith Powers, Council member Carlina Rivera, and Council member Chris Marte.
“While the conditions reflect efforts by DOH and Mount Sinai to respond to serious concerns we have raised on behalf of our constituents, the announcement today falls well short of providing the assurances our communities need and deserve that the closure will not impede access to essential healthcare. The lack of a clear timeframe for any closure also will continue to sow uncertainty in our communities,” the representatives wrote.
A Mt. Sinai spokesperson told Straus News that they were satisfied with the state’s conditional approval, and that they were taking measures to seek a favorable outcome in the restraining order case: “We are grateful for the DOH’s careful and comprehensive review of our proposed closure plan. We have also asked the state court for an expedited review of the legal case brought by the Community Coalition to Save Beth Israel Hospital and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary seeking to compel the hospital to remain open.”
“For now, the 16th Street hospital of MSBI will remain open and accepting patients. We will provide more detailed information and updates as we continue to work closely with DOH and to present our position to the court,” the spokesperson added.
The NYS Department of Health did not return comment as of press time.