Queens Hospitals Resemble "Third-World Country"

New data from the American Hospital Association shows that Queens' hospitals are some of the most overcrowded in the country. A combination of hospital closings, a growing population and a high percentage of elderly residents have put the 10 remaining hospitals in the borough in a dangerous position. Kenneth E. Raske, president of Greater New York Hospital Association, told the Wall Street Journal, "They have the lowest bed-to-population ratio of any of the boroughs. It could precipitate a public-health crisis if one of them were to go down."

The recent closing of St. Vincent's hospital has brought to attention the risks of hospital closing, with other downtown Manhattan hospitals becoming crowded after picking up ex-St Vincent's patients, but Manhattan still has the highest bed to resident ratio of any borough, with almost 6 beds per 1,000 residents. Queens has the lowest, with only 1.7 beds per 1,000 residents. Queens has lost almost 700 beds in the past two years with the closings of Parkway Hospital, St. John's Hospital and Mary Immaculate Hospital. The closings have put an unnecessary strain on hospitals like Elmhurst Hospital, and many residents prefer schlepping to Long Island for treatment. Emil Silberman of Jamaica Hospital said, "We were designed for tops 60,000 patients a year. We're seeing 135,000. So unfortunately, it's challenging."

However, the Department of Health claims this is the first they've heard of any problems in the past few years, with spokeswoman Claire T. Pospisil saying, "We don't feel that there are not enough beds. We're in contact with many of the hospitals on a regular basis. I'm not aware that there's an issue here." Many of the borough's hospitals are in the process of adding new beds, with New York Hospital Queens adding 80 beds next month. But emergency medicine Diane M. Sixsmith said it would only be an "adequate" addition.

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By Jaya Saxena in News on May 24, 2010 1:10 PM

Comments [rss]

carolyost

I'm glad they were mentioning St. Vincent's. The closing of St. Vincent's in bankruptcy--and under suspicious circumstances--on April 30, 2010, will reverberate for years to come. Now 450 luxury condominia are planned in its place. This is shameful. There are hospital shortages all over the 5 boros, it's clear, and people are scared. Why should hospitals have to compete with money-making enterprises? A hospital is a success if it saves lives or at least makes lives better. St. Vincent's, of course, didn't have perfect personnel but it did plenty of lifesaving and did benefit many, many lives over the course of its 161 years. It was the first hospital of resource for the survivors of the Titanic, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, and 9/11. It was the first hospital to give comprehensive and compassionate treatment to AIDS victims, many of whom were stigmatized and abandoned by their families.

People need to wake up. They need to care. Fight, fight, fight! Don't let the Rudin family, the developers who stand to make about $1.5 billion out of this condo project, get away with this. We don't have a hospital on the West Side of Manhattan from 57th Street down to the Bowery. Fight to win, the way some other communities have won. If you live in another community, stand by your hospital, too.

Lisa G

Does any one know this. St Vincents was in stage 3 of a brand new state of the art Emergency Room. Till the day its doors where shut, construction crews where working in the new Emergency Room. Smells fishy

Lisa G

Thats because you have politicians trying to run health care. Mr. Richard Danes closed all 3 Queens Hospitals in Feb.2009. And now he closed St. Vincents. Who is greasing his palm. All these politicians get VIP treatment so what do they care. SO much for the average New Yorker we are not to be cared for.

John L

I'm upset that an institution like St. Vincent's Hospital was allowed to close and the Mayor of NYC did absolutely nothing to at least TRY to save it. I was obviously being sarcastic in my last post but they could've tried to save it. This was a fully furnished medical facility, it's not like another one is just going to pop up. More effort has been put into trying to save OTB than our hospitals, it's ridiculous. I'm upset that this Mayor rather focus on pedestrian walkways, extended sidewalks, and bike lanes while laying off teachers, cops, closing firehouses, senior citizen centers, etc. The same week St. Vincent's announced it was closing Bloomberg announced another pedestrian walkway for $30 million at Herald Square, another one at Union Square but no dollar amount was released and he paid the state close to $50 million for Governor's Island. Bloomberg is completely out of touch with NYers needs.

JacqueMehoff

the more you visit hospitals, the more they all seem the same. wait till you get older or care for someone with a chronic illness.

tell me, what really is the difference at 3am in any ward or ICU. you'll still get patients screaming and you'll still get the same people at the nurses station.

John L

Here's on idea Mr.Bloomberg that'll earn you the legacy you desperately need and be beneficial to New York. Use your money to save St. Vincent's Hospital. I heard they were $800 million dollars in the hole but that's small change to you, right? I mean you've wasted close to that "buying" NYC in your re-election campaigns. We can rename it "Bloomberg City Hospital" and have a huge neon sign and even a statue of you by the entrance so everyone will remember what a great man you were and how you saved the city. Now that's a legacy!

Other than your legacy will be faded bike lanes and silly pet projects that the next mayor will undoubtedly cut in his/her first term.

longacre

Yawn. The city's problems, including this one, have nothing to do with the wealth of the mayor, so stop asking him to pay for stuff.

hotstepper

i'll only agree to said statue if its a rendering of Bloomie in his sweet khaki shorts and ped socks. deal?

John L

LOL. Agreed. That would be fitting since he spends half the week in Bermuda anyway.

LaborUnionGuy

The queens center mall Is a refugee camp.

NannyState

It's like Goma...with a food court.

longacre

The fact that Queens is being overrun by people from third world countries has a lot to do with it.

FJF

I'm pretty sure it's the overpopulation of Elmhurst that's contributing to the strains at Elmhurst hospital.

hotstepper

this is sensationalist drivel. i recently visited an emergency room in Queens and found the service fast, professional, and thorough. the emergency room had nurses waiting to begin my paperwork immediately and the wait room was clean with no overflow at all.

souffle

Oh, well then the American Hospital Association must be misinformed. I suppose we can take a match to their findings because one dude, in one hospital visit, in his tiny sampling has experienced fast and professional service and then just applied it to the majority! They shouldn't have even wasted their time when they could have come to you.

hotstepper

yeah that's right chump. one badass mofo and the Department of Health who concur that there is no problem.

this story is sensationalist drivel to agitate the burghers (true to WSJ form: "fear Obamacare!") and editorially tie in with the closing of St. Vincents.

oh and BTW the Greater New York Hospital Association is a trade association, of course they are going to draw alarm after St. Vincents, they are lobbyists protecting their special interest.