Yesterday, hundreds of people protested the closing of St. Vincent's, the Greenwich Village hospital whose financial troubles have caused its downfall. They carried a coffin that said "No ER = DOA" from 25th Street and 9th Avenue to the hospital at 7th Avenue and 12th Street while demonstrators said, "Many people are going to die because of this," and "Save our hospital!" while recounting how the hospital saved their lives.
While the state plans to open an urgent care center, residents say it will not be able to replace the level one trauma center that St. Vincent's operated. Many were bitter at the hospital's administrators and state and local officials. One person said, "It's so sad it makes me cry, that they would even think of letting this hospital close. So get off their butts and do something," while others called City Council Speaker Christine Quinn a "sell-out"; the Daily News reports that Quinn said, "No one sold anybody out. We're all angry." Other hospitals are dealing with an increase of patients due to St. Vincent's closing.
Here's video of the demonstration: One woman describes how she was run over by a garbage truck and St. Vincent's helped rehabilitate her.
