Submitted by Greg, Sep 1, 2008 21:52

Letter sent to NY Governor Honorable Governor:

I am concerned to learn that Continuum Health Partners, the Manhattan-based management of Long Island College Hospital (LICH), is trying to close its maternity ward. For Brooklynites, that shows us that they have no commitment to Brooklyn and no sympathy for Brooklyn women. All the other hospitals with maternity in Brooklyn, would it be Woodhull Hospital, Brooklyn Hospital, Downstate Hospital, Kings County Hospital, Brookdale Hospital, Methodist Hospital, Lutheran Hospital, Maimonides Hospital and Coney Island are oversaturated. It is easy for people sitting in Manhattan, with no commitment to Brooklyn, to just try to close a maternity ward and ultimately close a whole hospital in order to allegedly gain from the sale of its real estate.

Please see http://lichmedicalstaff.org I went to the website of the New York State Department of Health to write a note to the NY State Health Commissioner in reference to the request submitted to NY State to close the Maternity at LICH. I was surprised to learn that he is a former President and CEO of St-Lukes Roosevelt, one of the leading hospitals of Continuum Health Partners, also known as the "owner" of Long Island College Hospital. Is there some kind of "buddy-buddy" relationship between the commissioner and Continuum (also known as the "owner" of Long Island College Hospital. They have been selling the real estate assets of LICH everyday now. After closing the maternity, their ultimate goal is to close the entire hospital, sell its prime real estate overlooking the water and take the money generated to revamp hospitals in rich midtown and lower Manhattan. As a prime example, while they are trying to close the Maternity at Long Island college Hospital, they just opened a $40 million maternity ward at Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan.

Dear Governor, in the name of people of Brooklyn, I am urging you to investigate the matter. Please use all the means available to you to get accurate information about what is beeing done to one of the oldest hospital in Brooklyn. It is easy to destroy a Maternity over night. It would take years to rebuild it. Brooklynites want to deliver in Brooklyn - not in Manhattan. The hospitals in Brooklyn are saturated and we cannot afford to loose the Maternity at Long Island College Hospital.

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