Peninsula closing – St John’s to step up

The same day that MediSys announced that “the management of Peninsula Hospital Center is engaged in a program to close the hospital over a period of several months;” St. John’s Episcopal Hospital said that it “is ready to meet the community’s needs.”
However, as The Courier went to press, the staff of Peninsula – along with residents, politicians and leaders – were staging a candlelight vigil to save the facility.
“The closure of Peninsula Hospital is even more troubling since it is located on a peninsula which is geographically isolated with very limited access by either private vehicle or mass transit,” wrote Borough President Helen Marshall in a letter to Dr. Nirav R. Shah, commissioner of the New York State Department of Health.
“The closure of Peninsula Hospital comes at a time when there is a plethora of new housing and retail business development in the Rockaways,” Marshall pointed out. “The loss of this hospital represents the loss of more than 650 jobs of which approximately 65 percent are held by residents of the Rockaways. In addition, there are three distinct services provided by Peninsula Hospital that are not provided by St. John’s Episcopal Hospital and they are: Traumatic Brain Injury, Radiation Oncology and Hospice. In addition, there is great concern that St. John’s will not be able to handle the demands in an overcrowded emergency department.”
On July 27, MediSys distributed the federally required Warn Act Notices to all of the medical center’s employees, outlining employee’s rights, job retraining options and other benefits to which they may be entitled, as well as contact phone numbers and other assistance resources.
“We all share in the sadness of this very difficult decision, and extend our heartfelt sympathy to the hard-working and dedicated employees of this hospital,” said Robert Levine, president of Peninsula Hospital Center.
Reports claim the DOH has not yet received the notice of closure; once plans have been submitted, they would have to be approved by state regulators before the hospital could close and it is not immediately known how long that process would take.
Pending state approval for expansion, St. John’s said it will take immediate steps to begin increasing the capacity of its emergency room, ambulatory care, surgery, intensive care and in-patient facilities.
Part of St. John’s plan to increase capacity is to hire some Peninsula employees. The number hired will depend on how St. John’s patient volumes are affected, but may be as many as 250 employees, particularly nursing staff. Most physicians in the community already practice at both Peninsula and St. John’s.
“We will do our best to be sensitive to the needs of Peninsula employees,” said Nelson Toebbe, CEO of St. John’s. “But we have to strike a balance between our anticipated operational expansion, growth of resources, demand for services and our own financial position long-term. It is vital to the health care of this community that St. John’s remains healthy and strong.”
Marshall is calling for an “emergency meeting” with Shah and the elected officials who represent the Rockaways.