Potential Closure Of Hospital Will Stretch Boro Medical Services Thin

The expected closing of the Far Rockaway's Peninsula Hospital Center will add to the list of borough hospitals that flat-lined over the last three years. While some area hospital centers are prepared for the influx of patients, some are wondering which borough hospital will pull its own plug next.

As of Monday, the hospital has submitted a draft closure plan to the State Dept. of Health for their review and approval. Each hospital employee received a Warn Act notice on July 29, which contained an outline of employee rights, contact information, job retraining options and benefits employees are entitled to in the event of a closure. The hospital could shut its doors as early as 90 days after approval is granted.

"Peninsula has been struggling financially for several years prior to its sponsorship by MediSys, the Queens and Brooklyn based network that has attempted to make Peninsula financially viable in the current difficult economic market," the hospital said in a statement. It declined requests for further comment.

The news about the potential closure came the day before the trial of former MediSys CEO David Rosen. Rosen is accused of bribing State Sen. Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) and the late Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio for preferential treatment towards MediSys, which operates several hospitals in the area, including the at-risk Peninsula Hospital Center, Flushing Hospital Medical Center and Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.

Queens has already lost hospitals in Forest Hills, Elmhurst and Jamaica since 2008, leaving thousands without care close to home. Should Peninsula be shuttered, the borough's already overburdened hospitals will face another influx of patients, and further cripple a healthcare system many claim is already unable to handle disasters.

Woefully Unprepared

President of the Queens Medical Society Dr. Jay Tartell said freestanding hospitals, such as Peninsula Hospital Center, have trouble staying open because they are unable to negotiate reasonable compensation from Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance companies, causing hospitals to accrue overwhelming debt. He warned if this trend does not change, hospitals in the City will continue to struggle. Tartell said bordering Brooklyn is facing its own hospital crisis, with at least five hospitals pending closure.

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NLN guide to undergraduate RN education

The American journal of nursing

Careers in Nursing

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