QUEENS HOSPITALS IN CRISIS

THOMPSON CALLS ON CITY AND STATE TO TAKE ACTION REGARDING QUEENS HOSPITAL CRISIS

New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. is calling on the State Department of Health and Mayor Michael Bloomberg to address the concerns facing hospitals in Queens due to the H1N1 virus and recent hospital closures.

In February, Mary Immaculate and St. John's Hospitals closed. These closures, coupled with the recent H1N1 virus, have resulted in an overflow of patients at nearby Queens hospitals.

In his letter to State Department of Health Commissioner Richard Daines, Thompson wrote: "Even before the impact of the H1N1 virus, these closures created serious operational pressures for nearby hospital facilities. With the widespread emergence of the H1N1 virus, these pressures have escalated into what legitimately can be considered a crisis. Indeed, the lack of hospital surge capacity could have deadly consequences in the event of another wide-scale public health crisis."

"I urge the Department of Health to take a more proactive approach to the immediate concerns in Queens and to immediately commence a much needed comprehensive, transparent, and inclusive planning process so that the crisis in Queens will not be repeated elsewhere," he wrote.

Thompson's letter to Mayor Bloomberg blasts the administration for failing to address the hospital emergency room closures in Queens.

Noting that he had urged the FDNY-EMS to evaluate the impact of the closures of Mary Immaculate and St. John's Hospitals, Thompson wrote: "Your administration thereafter provided assurances to my office that all of the ambulance tours previously operated by these two hospitals would continue to be covered. Incredibly, and according to the Fire Department's own subsequent presentation to the Office of the Queens Borough President, ambulance turnaround times have increased significantly from mid-February to the end of March at Jamaica Hospital, Queens Hospital Center and North Shore University-Forest Hills Hospital."

"I once again urge your office and the Fire Department to evaluate the adequacy of EMS services in Queens, taking into account the recent hospital closures, the effects of the H1N1 virus, imminent budget reductions and other relevant factors," Thompson wrote to the Mayor. "I also must renew my unanswered request of Commissioner Scoppetta to publish data regarding ambulance response and turnaround times for the Queens communities affected by these hospital closures."

He continued: "Beyond my concerns with EMS response times, it is imperative that the City take a more affirmative role to ensure that our hospitals meet the health care needs of all New Yorkers."

Yesterday, Thompson released a Policy Alert, Closures of St. John's and Mary Immaculate Hospitals Are Overwhelming Remaining Emergency Rooms; Emergence of H1N1 Virus Causing ER Crisis in Queens, which revealed that emergency rooms are being flooded with patients, ambulance turnaround times are rising, and medical professionals are facing extraordinary challenges in their ability to provide care.

Thompson released his Policy Alert at a news conference in front of Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, one of the hospitals most affected by recent closures. 

In his Policy Alert - available at www.comptroller.nyc.gov - Thompson noted that there had not been any public or inclusive discussion concerning transition plans or how the closures would affect area residents.

"What we are seeing now is a crisis in the hospital and healthcare system in Queens, a version of which may very well spread to other boroughs if H1N1 virus outbreaks appear in other neighborhoods," Thompson said. "To be sure, while the timing of the H1N1 virus itself was not foreseeable, the likelihood of some event of a similar nature causing a sudden surge in demand was both foreseeable and inevitable." 

Thompson offered a number of recommendations. Among his priority items: individuals with flu symptoms should be triaged at ambulatory care facilities; the necessary resources to deal with emergencies should be activated; loans and working capital should be provided to cover expansion costs; data on emergency room utilization should be made public; hospitals should be staffed-up to meet increased demand; and, gaps in services created by the closures must be identified.

Thompson has consistently warned about the impact of hospital closures in the region on remaining facilities. In December 2006, he issued Emergency Room Care: Will It Be There?, a report that assessed the impact of five city emergency room closures proposed by the Berger Commission. Earlier this year, he spoke out repeatedly about the need to better prepare for the closures of St. John's and Mary Immaculate Hospitals.

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