Two hospitals saved from closing

After seven months of negotiations, St. John’s Queens Hospital and Mary Immaculate Hospital have been saved from closing as first reported in The Queens Courier.
St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers announced on Wednesday, May 10, it signed a purchase agreement with Wyckoff Heights Medical Center’s affiliate Caritas Health Care Planning, Inc. for its two Queens facilities.
“We are extremely pleased to have reached an agreement after a thorough process to identify a potential new sponsor of our Queens hospitals,” said Guy Sansone, President and CEO of St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers. “While we must still go through a bankruptcy auction, the agreement represents a firm commitment to the residents of Queens, as well as our physicians and employers.”
The agreement is still subject to a higher or better proposal and needs to be approved by the bankruptcy court overseeing St. Vincent’s chapter 11 case before the deal can be finalized.
Wyckoff will allow the two hospitals to retain their names and Catholic identity, and it is currently working closely with the Diocese of Brooklyn on these issues. Wyckoff has already agreed to name representatives from St. Vincent’s sponsors to the Governing Board for the two hospitals as part of its commitment to maintain the Catholic identity.
Furthermore, Wyckoff expects to continue the existing graduate medical education programs at the two hospitals that are run with New York Medical College and has agreed to assume all collective bargaining agreements with covered employees. It will also continue several clinical relationships with St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers, including behavioral health management services and sponsorship of the cardiac catheterization lab at St. John’s Queens Hospital.
“With this agreement, we set forth today to continue the long tradition of care provided by St. John’s Queens and Mary Immaculate Hospitals to the residents of Queens,” said Dominic Gio, President and CEO of Wyckoff Heights Medical Center. “We have a vision and plan for these two hospitals that will ensure their long term future and enhance the services available.”