Deal Reached Over Troubled LICH

John Mitty Sunday, February 23, 2014

The Long Island College Hospital (LICH) in Brooklyn employs healthcare workers throughout the area and serves patients not only from Brooklyn, but from nearby Nassau Countyas well.  For the past year, healthcare workers’ unions and community interest groups have struggled to keep the hospital open while SUNY has fought to close it for budgetary reasons.  According to the university, it costs around $13 million a month to keep the hospital open, and SUNY cannot afford that.  On Thursday, officials announced that a settlement has at last been reached.

SUNY will be required to solicit new bids for the LICH property.  Previous bids which SUNY considered were geared toward development and not toward keeping the hospital open.  The settlement will force SUNY to give heavier consideration to proposals which would retain the hospital in its full service capacity.  SUNY will be able to pull out of LICH in May, saving their budget.  While this settlement serves the interests of both the university and the community, it is not yet clear whether the jobs of the hospital workers will be protected.  Furthermore, there is nothing which stipulates the hospital must remain open.  If no proposals are received, or all proposals to keep the hospital open fall through, the hospital still might close.  Community interest groups fear the overflow this could create for other area hospitals.  

jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com

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