More than being worried about herself, Janet DePaolo is worried about her patients.
The Registered Nurse, with 19 years at Peninsula Hospital, had to tell those receiving treatment at the facility’s ambulatory chemotherapy unit that they will have to go someplace else for care.
“To tell the patients in 24 hours [is difficult] – they are visibly upset. This is taking a huge toll on everybody,” said DePaolo.
Hospital board member Joe Mure said that there were three separate “serious” groups interested in taking over the flat lining facility.
He said the hospital, though on diversion, was still operational.
“We’ve been on the phone with the Department of Health all day,” said Mure on Tuesday, August 23, the day Peninsula was reported to possibly close, as MediSys decided to end its affiliation with the hospital. “We are trying to keep the hospital open so they can take it over. We are hoping today changes everything.”
A statement issued by the New York State Department of Health (DOH) reads, “Out of concern for patient safety and as a result of recent changes in the financial status of Peninsula Hospital Center that make it difficult for the hospital to meet minimum standards required by the State Hospital Code, on Tuesday the New York State Department of Health advised the hospital to take several actions to protect patient health and safety.”
These include diverting ambulances to other emergency departments; no new patients at Peninsula; and a plan for the safe transfer and discharge for each patient at Peninsula “as vendor actions affect supplies and services at the hospital, including the delivery of intravenous fluids, laundry supplies, operating room supplies and garbage services.”
“These measures will be ongoing until the hospital has submitted an acceptable plan to DOH that adequately addresses the hospital’s patient safety and operational issues,” the DOH said.
In the meantime, St. John’s Episcopal Hospital has received permission from the State of New York to begin expansion of its emergency room, outpatient care, surgery, intensive care and in-patient facilities, according to St. John’s CEO Nelson Toebbe. Those steps should be complete in the coming weeks and months, he said.
Despite this, “We as a board have been working until midnight for the past 14 days to keep Peninsula open,” said Mure. “It’s pretty terrible MediSys walked away from us with a 10-day notice.”
On Monday, August 22, residents rallied – again – to save Peninsula.
“Like they said at the rally,” said DePaolo, “‘If you take Peninsula Hospital away, we’re not a peninsula anymore, we’re an island.’”
“This is emotionally depleting,” she continued, hoping that efforts to save the hospital are successful. “We need this opportunity [to stay open]. This hospital closing will leave such a gap in the neighborhood – one hospital [St. John’s] won’t do it.”
The State Health Department said it “continues to work with the Peninsula Hospital board to evaluate any potential plans that could provide long term viability for the hospital.”
DePaolo also recalled the tragedy of American Airlines Flight 587 – which crashed into Belle Harbor in November 2001, killing 260 passengers aboard the plane and five on the ground.
“We were so instrumental in responding then,” she said. “Why are we waiting for a disaster to happen now?”
St. John’s has already begun seeing increased patient volumes in its emergency room and operations have worked smoothly, Toebbe said.
The plans include adding 17 additional Emergency Department bays, 51 medical/surgical beds, 10 critical care beds, and one additional pediatrics bed, which will add 62 beds, bringing the total bed count to 319 beds.
