Update: City Council Votes Unanimously In Support of LICH Resolution

Update, 3:33 pm: According to the New York State Nurses Association, the City Council has voted unanimously in favor of the resolution to work with stakeholders to find a new operator for Long Island College Hospital.

The decision ensures that all LICH assets are used to preserve care, and authorizes the Speaker "to file or join amicus briefs on behalf of the Council in support of preserving services," according to a release from New York State Nurses Association.

“The loss of Long Island College Hospital would be a tremendous blow to the Downtown Brooklyn community and our entire city,” said City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn in a statement. “The Council Resolution sends the message that preserving access to vital health care in Downtown Brooklyn is a top priority for us.” 

Council Members Brad Lander and Stephen Levin, who both were responsible for drafting the resolution released similar statements.

“We need to save LICH because LICH saves lives. I appreciate Speaker Quinn lending her support for our community’s efforts, and I am very glad that that the City Council will be providing an amicus brief in the lawsuit,” said City Council Member Brad Lander. “The community stands ready to work with all stakeholders to preserve critical health services at LICH.”

City Council Member Stephen Levin said, “If you ask doctors, nurses, patients, or community members, they will all tell you the same thing – LICH saves lives. LICH plays a critical role in the communities of Brooklyn by providing medical care for over 100,000 patients each year and employing more than 2,000 people. Together with Speaker Quinn and Council Member Lander we are calling on SUNY and the state Department of Health to work towards the acquisition of LICH by another health care institution so that the people of Brooklyn can continue to receive health care they depend on.”
 
***
They're half way there.

After a unanimous vote by the Health Committee on Wednesday to support a resolution to help preserve care at Long Island College Hospital, the entire City Council will put the issue to a vote on Thursday afternoon.

Not wasting any time to rally any still-wavering voters, a press conference is planned for 9 a.m. this morning on the steps of City Hall with nurses, doctors, caregivers, patients, community members, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and other City Council members speaking out in support.  

Or, put another way, "keeping the pressure on!" as District Manager Craig Hammerman wrote in an e-mail.    

The official language of the resolution, which was drafted by Council members Brad Lander and Stephen Levin, calls

"...on the State University of New York and the New York State Department of Health to work with stakeholders to pursue the acquisition of Long Island College Hospital (LICH) by another health care institution to preserve critical health care services for the community, and to ensure that all resources gained from any sale or transfer of LICH assets are used exclusively for the preservation of these services; and authorizing the Speaker to file or join amicus briefs on behalf of the Council in support of the preservation of such services."

In the meantime, SUNY officials have already begun to publicly backpedal from their previous stance, according to the New York Daily News. Administrators have "vowed to go statewide or possibly nationwide with their hunt for a hospital to take over LICH," reads the article, attributing the shift to increasing political tension.

Stay with Patch for updates.