NYSNA Members Testify in Support of Protecting Continuity of Care, Staffing Levels Through Maimonides, Montefiore Mergers

On Thursday, members of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) testified before the New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council’s Establishment and Project Review Committee in support of two proposed hospital mergers, at Maimonides Medical Center and St. John’s Riverside Hospital, as a means of protecting continuity of care for patients and staffing levels for nurses.  

During the hearing, the Committee weighed the benefits of a merger between New York Health+Hospitals and Maimonides Medical Center, which would help maintain continuity of care at Maimonides. The facility has long operated with financial constraints, and the merger would provide financial stability, while also maintaining Maimonides’ commitment to caring for diverse communities. The Committee also discussed Montefiore Health System’s potential acquisition of St. John’s Riverside Hospital, which includes St. John’s Division, Park Care Pavilion and Dobbs Ferry Pavilion.

Maimonides Medical Center is the largest hospital in Kings County, New York's most populous county, and sits at the center of one of the most demographically diverse service areas in New York City, spanning Borough Park, Sunset Park, Bensonhurst, Midwood, Coney Island, and dozens of surrounding neighborhoods. The hospital’s service area includes large Orthodox Jewish, Chinese, Latino, Russian, Caribbean, South Asian, and Southeast Asian communities. Roughly 30% of residents have limited English proficiency and 44% are foreign born. Continuity of culturally competent and religiously appropriate care for these communities must remain a top priority through any change in governance.

“Eighty-three percent of our patients are on Medicare or Medicaid, and many others are low-income or uninsured. Too often, they don’t seek care until their chronic conditions have become dangerous,” said NYSNA member Megan Kuehne, a nursing float in Maimonides Medical Center’s ICU. “Merging with Health and Hospitals would provide us with access to the technology and systems needed to expand high-quality, preventive care needed to better serve some of Brooklyn’s most underserved communities.” Read more here.