According to published reports, Peninsula Hospital will shut its doors for good on Monday, April 9.
Hospital officials did not yet confirm, and local leaders could not verify the rumored sudden termination.
Peninsula has already submitted a closure plan to the state Department of Health (DOH), which as of April 3 was still under review, according to spokesperson Jeffrey Hammond.
While trustee Lori Lapin Jones determined on March 26 to shut down operations at the hospital, Hammond said there was no time frame yet as to when the hospital will close.
The community has held nightly rallies in protest of the hospital trustee and the DOH’s decision to close the hospital. According to Democratic Assembly District Leader Lew Simon, they plan to soon lead a mass demonstration outside the DOH’s headquarters in Manhattan.
Members of 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have also been spreading the word through their Facebook page, “Peninsula Hospital & Our 1199 Coverage Save Our Hospital.” The site reported several interested parties are looking to purchase the hospital.
The foundering Far Rockaway facility was pinned for critical deficiencies and failed state health inspections on February 23, which forced the hospital to temporarily halt its emergency care services and stop admitting new patients. Peninsula also laid off more than 240 employees last month.
