Two hospitals officially saved

After months of preparing for the transition of Mary Immaculate and St. John's Queens Hospital to Caritas Health Care, Inc., which also runs Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, the official transfer took place when the clock struck midnight on January 1.
Now, the three hospitals have formed the Brooklyn Queens Health Care (BQHC) system, with the Caritas logo on the hospitals and ambulances, but the individual hospitals keeping their own names.
&#8220We are very excited about taking part in the turnaround of the last two remaining CMC hospitals and their rebirth as Caritas Health Care, Inc.,” said Harold E. McDonald, Executive Vice President at Wyckoff and Chief Administrative Officer of Caritas. &#8220We're also deeply appreciative of the vote of confidence by the MIH/SJQ physicians and the private attending physicians with practices in the community, and the dedication and loyalty of the employees at the two hospitals,” McDonald said.
Mary Immaculate and St. John's Queens Hospital previously belonged to St. Vincent Catholic Medical Center, and Wyckoff purchased the two facilities out of bankruptcy last year.
While the hospitals were going through the approval process, they developed a transition/turnaround plan, and began implementing parts of it during the summer of 2006. Now, it is critical for the hospitals to manage the cash needs of both facilities while the recommendations are put into place.
&#8220We are confident in this plan as it resembles in most respects the plan developed for Wyckoff when that hospital was experiencing very similar problem in the mid-1990s,” McDonald said.
Representatives from both Mary Immaculate and St. John's Queens said they are excited about being part of Caritas Health Care as well as the benefits it will have for the community.
&#8220Our vision is that of three equal hospitals joining together and supporting each other in an effort to become the preeminent healthcare entity in this market, fulfilling the healthcare needs of the communities we serve and surviving in an increasingly difficult financial environment,” said Chris Mastromano, Vice President of Mary Immaculate Hospital.