[Update below]
Earlier this month Harlem Hospital held a meeting to remind everyone that it is not closing. And it still isn't. It just might not have any of its doctors for a bit? But don't worry! Like the Cylons, they have a plan.
The Hospital recently discontinued its long-standing relationship with Columbia University—the school used to hire the doctors under a contract with the city, which included some nice tuition and pension benefits—and that seems to be at the heart of the doctor's gripes. More than 75% of the hospital's 200 doctors have authorized their union to strike.
A meeting is planned for today to decide if and when a strike would occur, but if it does the Hospital says it will be ready. And by ready we mean they will be reducing services down to essentials (babies, kids, intensive and emergency care) while having doctors in management positions, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and part-time doctors from elsewhere crossing the picket line to replace the strikers. Just in case, patients might want to get their prescriptions filled earlier though, the hospital suggests.
UPDATE: Well, no need to get those prescriptions filled early, the doctors have decided not to strike. Whew!
