On May 23, the Mount Sinai Health System resubmitted its revised plan to close the Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan’s Lower East Side to the New York State Department of Health, still insisting on the scheduled closure on July 12.
On April 2, the state health department deemed the closure plan for Beth Israel Hospital “incomplete” and requested Mount Sinai to come up with a new plan. Mount Sinai resubmitted the revised plan on the afternoon of May 23. The revised plan stated that during the formulation of the closure plan, Mount Sinai had actively involved the community and coordinated with nearby medical institutions such as Bellevue Hospital, NYU Langone, and Lenox Hill Hospital, discussing how to compensate for the insufficient medical resources that would result from the closure of Beth Israel Hospital.
In addition to other hospitals within the Mount Sinai system for patients to choose from, Mount Sinai also plans to open an Urgent Care Center in the community after the closure of Beth Israel Hospital, extend its operating hours to provide emergency services to patients, and assist Bellevue Hospital in renovating its emergency room, acquiring a CT scanner, and setting up temporary nursing services to offset the impact of the closure. The revised plan also noted that due to severe losses, Beth Israel Hospital currently only has $29 million in cash reserves left and would be difficult to sustain for another 12 months.
Elizabeth Sellman, the President and Chief Operating Officer of Beth Israel Hospital, in addition to submitting the revised plan, also wrote to the Department of Health insisting on the closure of the hospital on July 12 as scheduled, stating that it is now “more urgent” than when the closure plan was initially announced because the hospital has reduced staff and halted some services, making it unable to continue normal operations.
A spokesperson for the state health department stated that they have received Mount Sinai’s resubmitted revised plan and cannot comment before the review is completed. Sellman has requested a response from the health department within 30 days.