Editor’s note: Jon Berall was appointed as one of two ombudsmen at LICH to oversee SUNY Downstate’s compliance with the Kings County Supreme Court orders issued by Justice Johnny Lee Baynes. Eleven months ago, SUNY Downstate announced that Long Island College Hospital (LICH) would be shut because it was not medically needed and losing vast sums of money. These lies […]
LICH
THE STROMBERG REPORT, by Kimberly Gail Price
Another part of the LICH Saga, sidebar to our recent story. In October 2010, Cliff Stromberg was commissioned by Chancellor, Nancy Zimpher to evaluate the Research Foundation of four Health Science Centers in the SUNY system. Cliff Stromberg works for a legal firm in D.C. called Hogan Lovells. His bio on their website says “For several years, he held an […]
Meet “Skip” Williams – hospital hitman, by Kimberly Gail Price
“This community has been lied to,” said Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio. “At the same time [that] SUNY and the Governor promised everything possible was being done to save LICH, they were preparing to sell it off to the highest bidder.” “SUNY is violating a court order to keep this hospital open, and we won’t let it stand,” de Blasio said. […]
De Blasio announces newest and greatest SUNY/LICH court order yet, by George Fiala
A bit after one pm, on the 6th of September, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio stepped up to the makeshift podium across from Long Island College Hospital and greeted his LICH supporters. The group, made up of employees, former patients, local residents and politicians, and a press corps that grows bigger each week, meet across from the hospital on the […]
Carl McCall’s Ivory Tower, by George Fiala
As State Senator, H. Carl McCall led a community protest against the threatened closing of Harlem’s Sydenham Hospital. The 1976 protest was necessary, as he said at the time, because “the community would not allow the policy of ‘municipal shrinkage’ to shrink our community.” Today, McCall, as Chairman of the SUNY Board of Trustees, is leading a nasty battle to shutter […]
A legal and moral responsibility, by Hon. Carolyn Demarest
At an lAS Supreme Coheld in and fCourthouse, New York, 2013. Tenn, Part Comm-1 of the urt of the State of New York, or the County of Kings, at the at Civic Center, Brooklyn, on the 20th day of August, YRE SENT: HON. CAROLYN E. DEMAREST, Justice. ———————————–x 111 the Matter ofthe Application of Index No. 9188/11 THE LONG ISLAND […]
“A Legal and Moral Responsibility” to set LICH right, by George Fiala
August 20 – In a completely unexpected court ruling, the Judge who originally gave Long Island College Hospital to SUNY Downstate, today took it back. State Supreme Court Judge Carolyn DeMarest, appointed by governor Mario Cuomo in 1990, signed an eight page order detailing all the reasons that SUNY Downstate did not live up to their promises when she signed […]
The Beginnings of Normalcy at LICH? by George Fiala
Just back from my daily walk to LICH. I first went to the ER, where a friendly guard, sitting inside at the entranceway, smiled nicely as I walked in. There was absolutely nobody in the waiting room, at least as far as guards or patients. . There were two people at the admitting window. One was signing in a mother […]
SUNY Remains Defiant, by George Fiala
Friday evening, representatives from the nurse’s union seemed somewhat hopeful that Judge Baynes’ order regarding LICH would be taken a bit more seriously than his previous rulings. Staff was in a good mood, but wary. It seems the wariness was fully justified. As of this writing, SUNY doesn’t seem to be abiding by the direct court order at all. This […]
LICH wins in court yet again, by George Fiala
Last Friday, Judge Johnny L. Baynes ended a week of court hearings with lawyers from SUNY Downstate, The Dept of Health, the Trustees of the State University of NY, Nirav Shah, MD, in his capacity as Commission of the Board of Health, and John Williams – the defendants, and the NYS Nurses Association, 1199 SEIU, Concerned Physicians of LICH, and […]
Images from LICH
SUNY Downstate is trying everything they can think of to close LICH by Thursday’s court date. Their main tactic now is to rid LICH of patients. For a month now, they haven’t been admitting new patients, and they have transferred out hundreds. Fewer than 20 are now left, yet there is a full staff of doctors, nurses and ancillary personnel. […]
SUNY spits in the face of NY State Supreme Court, by Kimberly Gail Price
“They are not taking anymore ambulances at the emergency room at LICH. If that’s the case, that’s a violation – that’s a clear violation of my order,” Kings County Supreme Judge Johnny Lee Baynes commented during the June 19 court hearing for a lawsuit filed against the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center (SUNY) and the NY Department […]
New administrator for LICH
According to hospital employees Thursday evening, Judge William Thompson, Sr. has been appointed to oversee hospital operations at Long Island College Hospital (LICH). Judge Baynes appointed Thompson to ensure compliance with his court order to restore services and re staff the hospital as they were on February 20, 2013. By Monday, ambulatory services should be restored and LICH will once […]
