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By Megan Riesz
The Brooklyn Paper
The state has unveiled summaries of five plans for the redevelopment of Long Island College Hospital — and none of them include a full-service hospital.
The proposals are unlikely to appease activists and Long Island College Hospital employees who have spent the last year demanding a medical center with around-the-clock care and a comprehensive set of specialized departments, but the State University of New York, which runs the hospital, says an overhaul is long overdue.
“After more than a year of extreme financial stress on SUNY and delay tactics that only deprive the community of a health care solution, it is time to end the crisis and coalesce around this process,” State University of New York chairman H. Carl McCall said in a statement, referencing the lawsuits and protests that have dogged the state’s attempts to shutter and sell the hospital, which sits on land valued at as much as $500 million.
Politicians have pushed for the state to open up the bidding process and keep the medical center at its current capacity, but on Friday state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery (D—Boerum Hill) broke ranks and openly endorsed the idea of a diminished hospital by endorsing The Brooklyn Hospital Center’s plan for a residential complex with a medical component.
Mayor DeBlasio has been tight-lipped on the subject for his first month in office, backing off of the demand, voiced in the fall by his lawyer, that the healthcare facility remain full service.
The basics of the five proposals are as follows:
The little bit of everything plan
Medical provider: North Shore–LIJ, Lutheran Medical Center, and Allure Health Care, Inc.
Developer: Brisa Builders and the Chetrit Group
Includes emergency room: Yes
Other medical facilities: Observation unit, clinics, including mental health, ambulatory surgery center, 100 long-term acute-care beds, rehabilitation facility, and trauma center.
Housing: 1,000 units, three-tenths of them designated for below-market-rate housing for veterans, senior housing, and subsidized programs
Measures to retain jobs: Unclear
Retail: Pharmacy, gym, food market, and shops
Uses existing buildings: Yes
Time to complete: Two-and-a-half years
The Brooklyn hospital-less plan
Medical company: The Brooklyn Hospital Center
Developer: Blue Wolf Capital Fund, III, L.P, and Related Companies
Emergency room: Yes
Other medical facilities: Two urgent care centers and two health care centers with primary care offices “in the community”
Housing: Some below-market-rate and/or workforce housing
Uses existing buildings: Unclear
Measures to retain jobs: Would provide preferential hiring to qualified Long Island College Hospital employees for 24 months
Retail: Unclear
Time to complete: Unclear
The Chinese democracy plan
Medical company: Chinese Community Accountable Care Organization and the Eastern Chinese American Physician IPA
Developer: John Catsimatidis, former Republican mayoral candidate, and Rudy Washington, former deputy mayor under Rudolph Giuliani
Emergency room: No
Other medical facilities: 100-bed hospital that would grow into a 250-bed hospital over three years, acute care facility, ambulatory surgery center, rehabilitation center, diagnostic and treatment center, and nursing home
Housing: Yes, but no details provided
Uses existing buildings: Yes
Measures to retain jobs: Unclear
Retail: Yes, but no details provided
Time to complete: Two years
The New York University plan (also known as “the other Lutheran plan”)
Medical company: New York University Langone Medical Center and Lutheran Family Health Centers
Developer: L&M Development Partners and KF Brock
Emergency room: No
Other medical facilities: Urgent care center
Housing: Yes: rental units, condos, and townhouses, one quarter of them below-market-rate
Uses existing buildings: Yes
Measures to retain jobs: Expected to employ 226 union healthcare workers, 200 in services sponsored by New York University and 26 with Lutheran
Retail: No
Time to complete: One year
The real estate health plan
Medical company: Institute for Family Health
Developer: Peebles Corporation
Emergency room: No
Other medical facilities: Community health center focused on preventative care, accessible regardless of insurance status
Housing: New residences that are “high quality, yet economical”
Uses existing buildings: Unclear, but 2,000 construction jobs are promised, presumably meaning a big build
Measures to retain jobs: 200 permanent jobs in healthcare, facilities management, and education (plan includes a new public school)
Time to complete: Unclear
Reach reporter Megan Riesz at mriesz@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4505. Follow her on Twitter @meganriesz.
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