Flu floods ERs as hospitals go up for sale

As H1N1 claimed its second Queens victim this past weekend, and two former hospitals are up for sale, Borough President Helen Marshall has one thing to say: “I told you, I told you, I told you.”
It was revealed last week that “CB Richard Ellis has been retained on an exclusive basis by Caritas Health Care to solicit proposals for the sale of St. John’s Hospital Campus in Elmhurst and St. Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica,” according to Philip Heilpern of CB Richard Ellis’ Long Island office.
The two facilities were shuttered on February 28 after Caritas went into bankruptcy. Thousands were left jobless, and the surrounding hospitals were forced to accept the patient load.
Repeated calls to Proskauer Rose LLP, reportedly representing Caritas in its bankruptcy proceeding, went unanswered as of press time.
“We warned about the capacity of the surrounding hospitals,” said Dan Andrews, spokesperson for Marshall. “Jamaica Hospital, Elmhurst are bursting at the seams, and one out of five people in the emergency room will be admitted.”
St. John’s and Mary Immaculate hospitals provided health care services to approximately 200,000 Queens residents annually, and employed nearly 3,000 medical professionals and health services workers.
Andrews continued, “The Borough President felt that from the time of closing [St. John’s and Mary Immaculate] that a [new] hospital would not be built [on the sites] – her fears are heightened now.”
According to reports, sealed bids from developers, investors and other potential buyers are due by June 15.
“We believe both assets are a great investment opportunity,” said Heilpern.