Assemblywoman Michele Titus (D-Queens), chair of the Assembly Social Services Committee, blasted the mismanagement that resulted in the closing of Peninsula Hospital on Tuesday.
The assemblywoman called on the State Department of Health to reevaluate the closure and ensure that Peninsula will reopen.
As a result of the shut-down, more than 1,000 jobs will be lost and countless families on the Rockaway Peninsula will be affected.
“The news that Peninsula Hospital is closing is devastating to Far Rockaway families and hospital employees,” Assemblywoman Titus said. “It leaves many dedicated workers without a job and hardworking families with even fewer options for vital medical attention – it’s simply unacceptable.”
Last month, the hospital failed a state inspection of its lab, suspending most of its patient care and forcing ambulances to divert to other local hospitals. With the influx of additional patients, wait times in emergency rooms will soar and doctors and nurses will be stretched even thinner, Assemblywoman Titus noted.
“Flooding nearby hospitals with more and more patients could cost lives,” Assemblywoman Titus said. “We can’t allow that to happen – we need a more viable option. And to that end, I hope the State Department of Health steps in, reevaluates and Peninsula can be up and running again.”
Peninsula Hospital has been in operation for 104 years with more than 170 hospital beds at its facility. Because of the closure, more than 100,000 residents of the Rockaways will be left with only St. John’s Episcopal Hospital to serve them in case of emergencies.
“Careless mismanagement at Peninsula Hospital now means that Rockaway families will be without an important healthcare option,” Assemblywoman Titus said. “Our community is reeling and I hope we can address this situation quickly,” she added.
