Save Glen Cove Hospital Hearing

Hearing scheduled for March 5th at 2 PM at the Supreme Court of Nassau County 100 Supreme Ct Dr, Mineola, NY 11501?

Background

Over the past few months, several members of the medical community have mounted a little-publicized campaign to preserve Glen Cove Hospital. Assemblyman Charles Lavine and Senator Carl Marcellino have introduced legislation in Albany to prevent NSLIJ from “downsizing” GCH, initially by moving the world-renowned Orthopedic program to Syosset Hospital. This will set off a chain of events that many of us fear may ultimately lead to the closure of the Hospital entirely. A renowned legal firm has been procured that is willing to assist us in obtaining an injunction to prevent the NSLIJ from reducing services in Glen Cove Hospital, until the legislative process has a chance to unfold.

Unfortunately, the community has no “war chest” and substantial legal costs are inevitable. It is our understanding that obtaining the injunction ASAP will be essential. A Temporary Restraining Order was rejected by the Judge on January 31st but a follow-up hearing is scheduled for March 5th at the Supreme Court of Nassau County. As a result of the legal action the Hospital has agreed to continue 24 hour anesthesia and surgical services. This is a HUGE concession. Funds are needed to continue the legal process and coordinate direct negotiations with NSLIJ to maximize services that can be preserved in Glen Cove Hospital.

Many local physicians have already generously donated to the legal fund. No denominations are considered too small but it is quite possible that legal costs may exceed $100,000.

Checks should be made out to Davidoff Hutcher& Citron LLP with “On behalf of Dr. Holm-Andersen” written in the memo section. and send to: 
Davidoff Hutcher& Citron LLP, 200 Garden City Plaza suite 315, Garden City, N.Y. 11530
Why does the North Shore-LIJ Health System want to downsize Glen Cove Hospital?

1. US News and World Report just voted Glen Cove Hospital 31st out of 248 hospitals in New York State: “Glen Cove Hospital is a general medical and surgical hospital in Glen Cove, NY. It performed nearly at the level of nationally ranked U.S. News Best Hospitals in 2 adult specialties: Geriatrics and Orthopedics. It scored high in patient safety, demonstrating commitment to reducing accidents and medical mistakes. Glen Cove Hospital has 265 beds. The hospital had 9,490 admissions in the latest year for which data are available. It performed 2,041 annual inpatient and 3,861 outpatient surgeries. Its emergency room had 21,565 visits.” 
http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/ny?page=42. Glen Cove scores amongst the highest in the North Shore-LIJ system in Patient Satisfaction and Quality of Care Measurements. 3. Glen Cove Hospital earned over $600,000 in 2012 and is financially sound. The “new” hospital model has not been tested in the New York region, and there is no evidence that it will be fiscally viable.4. Glen Cove Hospital was established over 90 years ago because there was a need in this GEOGRAPHICALLY-ISOLATED community for a full service hospital. The population of the community has increased substantially over time. There are many excellent nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the Glen Cove community because of the presence of the hospital. 5. The inability to admit patients to a hospital in the community may lead to physician migration away from Glen Cove and would dissuade new, young physicians from relocating to the area. 6. Glen Cove has a renowned rehabilitation unit and an only months-old traumatic brain injury center. The world-class Orthopedics department is without parallel on Long Island. 7. 700 workers will be immediately displaced from the community. This will have a devastating effect to the local economy. 8. The main reason that there are plans to downsize Glen Cove Hospital is of course, financial. Because Syosset Hospital is licensed under the North Shore Manhasset charter, the Health System has the ability to bill insurers at a significantly higher rate for the IDENTICAL SERVICES currently being performed more economically at Glen Cove Hospital. Similarly, the Psychiatry and Rehabilitative services can yield higher reimbursement levels elsewhere. 9. These changes will reduce the quality of care and INCREASE the health care costs across Long Island!
Best Hospitals in New York - US News Best Hospitals
health.usnews.com
New York has nearly 250 hospitals, 14 of which are nationally ranked. Thirty-three other hospitals met standards for strong performance within the state. U.S. News also ranks hospitals in the Buffalo, New York, and Rochester metro areas.