Tuesday, September 23, 2008

N.Y. Health Officials Order Parkway Hospital to Close

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- The New York state Department of Health is denying a Queens hospital's request to continue operating as a health care facility.

Parkway Hospital was ordered to close by a commission put together by former Gov. George Pataki. The so-called Berger Commission recommended closing nine hospitals, restructuring 50 more and cutting nearly 3,000 nursing home beds.

The plan was to reduce Medicaid costs.

Parkway was first ordered to close by June 30, but was given an extension to Sept. 30.

The hospital will be ineligible for government reimbursement if it continues operating.

Dr. Robert Aquino, the hospital's owner, did not immediately return calls for comment.

While some hospitals have been granted extensions under Berger, none have been given a total reprieve.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

This stinks. They are better than St. John's!

Why not stay open as a private hospital? Medicare and Medicaid is what bankrupts the healthcare system. Too corrupt.

Anonymous said...

I am an R.N. I worked at Parkway Hospital from 1978 until 1987. Even back when I started working there, there was rumors that it would close. In later years, people cashed there paychecks at the company provided armoured car because they were afraid that the checks would bounce, and would get stuck holding the bag if the checks were bad. So I am not surprised about its clsoing. What m surprised about that it took so long.

Anonymous said...

I am an RN who worked at Parkway Hospital for 27 years. After years of being lied to and thousands of dollars owed (from 401K contributions not deposited, unused sick days not paid, medical coverage with 1199 terminated), I strongly agreed that the facility should be closed and the owners be held liable.

Anonymous said...

I know the parkway hospital in 1997
but then had an operation on may -29- 1998 the Dr was on vacation all the following days to my operation to the day of my discharge ? The care were sucks ( the performance Dr at the time was also a partowner of the hospital ) evenually he sold his share of the hospital two years later at the end of 2004 I predicted the close of parkway hospital on the base of
close friendship with the former partowner (Dr gary guarnaccia )
It should be close. is a place of abuse !!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I heard today that Parkway was given an extension to the closing date. I am sadly disappointed in this decision. This hospital should be closed, locked shut and sealed. The Quality of care is so bad at this point in time that there can be no recovery from what has happened. The sooner this hospital of death is closer the better the community will be. All the oher local hospitals(and ther are quite a few ) are superior in their care.. Parkway Hospital has made too many mistakes with people's lives. and its time that this has to stop

Anonymous said...

Very nicely said about mafia boss guarnaccia and his failed parkway hospital. He does not want to pay the employees the pay checks now he is embaressed by government closure of his little hospital. Good riddens.

Anonymous said...

I was employed at Parkway hospital and am very happy to see it close. The owner Dr. Aquino is a is a piece of shit along with his girlfriend and spokesperson Fred Stewart. They both should be jailed for the way the employees were treated.

Anonymous said...

I have never worked with a better group of people than at Parkway Hospital. In our unit we really try to give the best possible care possible and I think the people in this community will lose as a result of the closing. Patients First!!!

Anonymous said...

I worked for Parkway Hospital for 7 years until 2005. I left the hospital after seeing what type of people Dr Aquino and his team was like. The most disgusting animals to crawl on this earth. I'm so glad they are closing, so are all of my neighbors, friends, family and ex-employees.

Anonymous said...

Today was the real closure of the hospital and what a shame to see the members crying and still no Dr. Aquino or his sister to even have the nerve to show there face. They still have the top people working there and collecting top dollars and not doing SHITTTTTTTTTTTTT. We the members and some management people can agree on that. We have know been without work and all they still can't do is say SORRY TO THE MEMBER. A DAMM SHAME...

Anonymous said...

The situation is more than a shame at this point. The hospital may be closed, but employees are still being screwed out of being paid for their final hours worked. Turns out that many individuals that worked at Parkway hospital had paychecks adjusted to for deductions without their consent to take back hours that were paid out on time that they worked but was filed incorrectly under holiday pay or holiday overtime pay.

Payroll is said to have proceeded as such - deducting money from wages earner for employees for past mistakes - by order of the upper administrative staff. One employee states that their department has gone through many supervisors in the course of the past few years, leading to the present supervisor who is was brought in from the outside and incompetent at resolving such issues, in addition to refusing to compensate employees properly.

If anyone else has issues with their paycheck being adjusted for deductions that they did not authorize, and they were compensated incorrectly, they may try calling the hospital at the payroll office which is open and also used to handle the payroll of all other companies run by Dr. Aquino and his affiliates.

If that matter goes unresolved, then a small claims suit can be filed for nonpayment of wages. In addition, the matter can be brought forth with a criminal suit against the former hospital, and it's owners, to the district attorney's office and NYS Department of Labor for unauthorized deductions from wages, and nonpayment of wages. The hospital may be closed, but it's not bankrupt.

Any comments may be posted below.

Anonymous said...

What happened to Parkway is a god -awful shame. The Aquino family did all it possibly could to stay open. Unfortunately their loyalty to the wrong people brought the institution dowm. Without mentioning names we who lived and breathed Parkway know who they are! Unfortunately they are still around, and should have been the first to go. Parkway may still be standing if a couple of gentlemen named S****** & D**** were given their walking papers ages ago. The family made nice with the union, but that didn't help. 1199 is as much to blame for the destruction of Parkway as anyone else. They left their members hanging when it cane to their benefits. A union's main purpose is to look after their members. No benefits for years is looking after your members? Couldn't find them a plan? Everyone knows the union's retiremment funds would triple in value if not another dollar was added to it for the next 10 years.
The Aquino family may be easy to blame, but they kept it going and did all they could.Watch closely, it WILL BE BACK!!!

Anonymous said...

Parkway was a disgrace. The quality of care and caregivers was way below par. My mother was a patient there for one week before we moved her to another hospital. The doctors were smug and couldn't have cared less about her. All they saw were $$$$.
I hope the owners burn in hell.

Anonymous said...

Parkway was a gangster hangout. Just ask Department of Health. This is why Parkway license was pulled. Lots of crooks there. If DOH evr gave them back their license it would be because of some sort of strange going ons.

Anonymous said...

that's funny i heard parkway hospital is reopening in june ..

Anonymous said...

Parkway is not reopening in June or ever. Stop listening to rumors and call the Department of Health

Unknown said...

"The New Parkway Hospital" will be dead but will com back under a different name. Now for the neighborhood, their are no other hospitals! For "La Guardia Airport", for an emergency situation, there is no hospital closer by! If you do not like this hospital, go to another one! This is a free country. Freedom of choice? If you have an heart attack go to another hospital! My wife worked there for more than 10 years, she did not have complaints. Dr. Aquino is not all that bad!

Anonymous said...

who did parkway pay off to open? if it opens, what curroption. keep Parkway closed and save lives. The ganstas at parkway have no shame, only care about money. who is their godfather?

Anonymous said...

Well it's July 6, and they're not open. They never will open.Why do people believe every bit of nonsense they hear?

Unknown said...

there are many cars parked, what is going on there?

Anonymous said...

Dr Aquino and his band of overweight idiots still hang out there pretending they have a future. They also continue to run a hyperbaric program.

Anonymous said...

I worked at parkway for 7 years and they were without exception the most crooked bunch on the planet...im sorry all those families lost their paycheck but glad i got out when the going was good. the only union you can rely on is yourself...

Anonymous said...

So now that fat tony seminerio has been found guilty of trying to extort parkway, and Rosen of Jamaica hospital paid more than 300,000 to get hundreds of millions of dollars from the state - who is the corrupt crook? All you people screaming about Aquino can't say he got any money from the state. While white bread Jamaica Rosen was the thief. I hear Aquino still wants to reopen. So with 4 hospitals closed, and waiting time up to 24 hours to see a doctor, you nitwits got to be kidding. The state agencies that closed Parkway did it to steal the place, not to protect the health of anyone (other than their own pockets). You anonymous naysayers contributors are a bunch of fools!

Anonymous said...

3/30/10
Ditto said:
Hold on, give sometime for the topguns to get up and dustoff themselves and they will be back. The party has to go on.

Anonymous said...

Most commentors have not a clue as to what they are talking about. Bottom line is Parkway was closed illegally by the State. Its all about money, we all know that. Parkway was the last pvt hospital in the state. If parkway didn't make a profit, they would have no choice but to close. Unlike other facilities that could do fund-raising, and grants, Parkway had to stand on its own two feet. It wasn't about Parkways beds, it was about to get rid of the competition, and prepare they way for a large healthcare system to come and take over the region.

The people who commented about bad healthcare at Parkway, should have taken their complaints to the DOH, and the DOH would have HAD to investigate by law. The FACT is, Parkway had very little complaints.

Dr. Aquino tried EXTREMELY hard to keep the doors open. He had meetings with several politician who gave empty promises to him. He made several trips to Albany to plead his case, but no one wanted to hear about it. Dr. Aquino had plans to keep Mary Imaculate, St. Johns, AND Parkway open without costing the State ONE DIME. Yet as the State kept funding those other hospitals ever month (and we as taxpayers, paid for this), they refused to listen to Dr. Aquino. As was later learned, Tony Seminerio and Sen. Kruger were both crooks. Instead of doing their job, they decided to see who would give them the most $$$ for their pull up in Albany. Needless to say, NEVER trust a politician! Dr. Aquino had very bad advisers. But he wanted to do whatever it took to keep the facility open. When he was strong-armed to close it, he sat in his office and was very distraught. His only focus for the past few yrs was to keep the hospital open, yet he was fought on every step. The owners before him were evil people, putting the hospital in severe debt while lining their pockets. Dr. Aquino assumed this debit when he took over. Dr. Aquino's only fault that he was ill-advised by crooked politicians. Queens needs this facility to be re-opened. Stop the political games with people's lives!

Lauren said...

How much was it so spend one night there? I spent 3 nights there and they charged me $35,000. They did perform tests. They performed an echo cardiogram, EKG, Blood work, an MRI, 2 CT Scans and a chest x-ray. I fainted so they were testing everything. I even received doctor bills. I did not have insurance. So, I have this huge bill. A collection agency wants payments. I have a lawyer getting involved. Does this sound right?

rolf niebergall said...

lauren why did you not go to another hospital? i guess you have a free choice in this country? what would another hospital have charged you? did you find out? do you know your rights in this country?

Lauren said...

Umm.. what?

Lauren said...

I just want to know if anyone stayed there for a night, 2 nights, 3 nights, etc... etc....etc... and how much it cost per night.