From the Wall Street Journal:At Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, the emergency room has expanded into a former café and conference area as hospital officials cope with double their patient capacity.
At New York Hospital Queens, patients in March waited an average of 17 hours to be placed in beds, sometimes being held in hallways, waiting rooms or sunrooms.
"If you want to think you're in a war-torn third-world country, just go to the ER at New York Hospital Queens on a Friday afternoon," said Dr. Paul Aaronson, president of the Queens County Medical Society.
As the closure of St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan sparks fear about the impact on the remaining hospitals, hospital employees and advocates in Queens say they continue to struggle with the effects of three hospital closures—two last year, and one the previous fall. The overcrowding problem, they say, is exacerbated by a growing elderly and immigrant population, and state cuts in hospital funding.
"Queens going in was significantly underbedded," said Kenneth E. Raske, president of Greater New York Hospital Association. "They have the lowest bed-to-population ratio of any of the boroughs."
With a potential state budget cuts on the way, Mr. Raske said it is imperative that the 10 remaining hospitals remain financially stable. "It could precipitate a public-health crisis if one of them were to go down," he said.
16 comments:
I was hospitalized at North Shore/Forest Hills in 2006. Spent about 4 hours on a guerney in the hallway It was kinda nice watching the hustle & bustle go by until they found me a bed "upstairs".
Just don't get sick, problem solved
32% decrease in beds for Queens Hospitals is a calamity - Bloomberg refuses to acknowledge this nor NYS who let 3 hospitals close. You cannot grow a city without essential services including hospitals. Live here and die - should be on our license plates!
I spent the better part of a day in a gurney in the hall, even though I was awaiting major surgery--and this was ten years ago when several now-closed institutions were still open.
Bloomberg refuses to acknowledge this nor NYS who let 3 hospitals close.
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Naw, its not his fault.
He steps into a vacuum made by our politicans who not only don't discuss these things, but always plan for more growth.
AND THEY STEP INTO THE VACUUM BY YOU POLITE QUEENS DOORMATS THAT LET THEM WALK ALL OVER YOU AND SAY NOTHING.
WANT TO CELEBRATE THE 'BUSTLING DIVERSITY'? HAPPY TO MOVE TO A DIVERSE COMMUNITY LIKE ALL THE NEWSPAPERS AND POLITICANS TELL YOU THAT YOU LIKE? WANT TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE ENCOURAGING?
JUST SEE THE LEVEL OF MEDICAL CARE IN THE 3RD WORLD AND GET SOME IDEA ON HOW BAD IT CAN GET.
Once again, things that could've been brought to my attention YESTERDAY!
Hey people, don't believe what your eyes are seeing, but believe in what your elected officials are telling you: "The USA has the best healthcare system in the world. New York City's hospitals are among the best in the nation."
Don't forget to fill out your census form so they know how many hospitals we need -- not that we'd get the funding to construct new ones or keep the failing ones from closing.
Amazing to think, i'm paying 6 weeks salary a month to have insurance to get this kind of treatment in the event of an emergency. Well one thing, Bloomie could tear down all the hospitals build more housing and charge to have triage in the parking lots.
Why not build a hospital in Flushing where the RKO Theatre is? That property has been vacant for years. It is accessable by train, bus and car. A hospital there would take the burden of NY Hospital of Queens and Elmhurst Hospital.
Sue the federal, state and city if someone you love dies as a result of this neglect caused by overcrowding of illegal immigrants deemed acceptable by these assholes!
"Amazing to think, i'm paying 6 weeks salary a month to have insurance to get this kind of treatment in the event of an emergency."
Paying 6 weeks salary every month? How is that even possible?
What does QCC say about this?
Bloomberg should be impeached for his incompetency. He's supposed to have a grip on city planning. There is none. His main objective is to help his developer friends line their pockets with our cash. He wants to add another million people, but doesn't give a crap if they have adequate hospitals or schools. He needs to go -- Yesterday.
This makes me sick. Oops. I better not need a health care facility in Queens.
Bloomberg should be impeached for his incompetency. He's supposed to have a grip on city planning. There is none. His main objective is to help his developer friends line their pockets with our cash. He wants to add another million people, but doesn't give a crap if they have adequate hospitals or schools. He needs to go -- Yesterday.
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He is doing this to us because the leadership of Queens lets him do it - and says nothing about this as the add more and more people to the boro.
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