Archive photo: Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, 2008. Photo: Jim.henderson, public domain. Cropped.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Seven Brooklyn elected officials are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to pause the proposed transfer of Maimonides Medical Center to NYC Health + Hospitals while an independent review examines the hospital’s finances and alternatives for its future.
In an October 15 letter, the lawmakers backed a proposal from the Maimonides Community Coalition and Healthcare Management Partners that would use existing state support to fund an assessment, an operational turnaround and a search for a permanent partner.
The letter was signed by state Sens. Sam Sutton and Stephen Chan; Assemblymembers Simcha Eichenstein, Lester Chang and Kalman Yeger; and City Councilmembers Simcha Felder and Susan Zhuang.
The officials said they were not asking Hochul to approve or reject the transfer. They asked her to hold its closing until the independent review was complete.
Assessment, turnaround and a choice of partner
The coalition’s plan proposes a 90- to 120-day assessment by outside hospital experts covering finances, billing and collections, staffing, facilities and the hospital’s market position. It calls for publishing the findings, a turnaround plan, an operating budget and benchmarks to measure progress.
A second stage would last one to two years and seek to improve operations, with the goal of producing positive cash flow after debt service without continuing state operating subsidies. The plan would then invite competing partnership proposals, considering NYC Health + Hospitals on the same terms as other systems.
Under the proposal, Maimonides would retain its ownership, assets and workforce during the process. The coalition says the work could be funded from the state’s existing commitment, with money released against published milestones. Those are the plan’s proposals, not approved changes to the transaction.
Health system says partnership protects Brooklyn care
In a September 17 statement, NYC Health + Hospitals and Maimonides said the partnership would bring more than $2.2 billion in state grant funding over five years, support a unified electronic health record and allow care at Maimonides facilities to receive a higher Medicaid reimbursement rate.
The statement said the state Public Health and Health Planning Council had approved the proposal, while additional approval under state law was still needed at that time. Health + Hospitals also pledged to preserve Maimonides’ cultural identity and practices.
The lawmakers’ letter stresses continuity of care for Brooklyn’s diverse communities, including Orthodox Jewish and Hasidic families, Black, Latino, Caribbean, Muslim, Asian, Russian-speaking and immigrant patients. It argues that residents should be able to see an independent comparison of the available options before a permanent decision.
JBizNews Desk | Brooklyn
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