OPINION: Could LICH cost Cuomo the election?
The growing political fallout over the closure of Long Island College Hospital (LICH), described by Brooklyn Daily Eagle reporter Mary Frost in a recent article, should be no surprise.
Personally, I don’t believe that a full-fledged hospital is coming to the former LICH complex any time in the near future, although it’s possible a new push for a hospital could emerge in a few years. Just as local community groups about 10 years ago didn’t have enough clout to stop the city from closing firehouses in Cobble Hill, Williamsburg and elsewhere, community groups and their allied elected officials in the neighborhoods served by LICH didn’t have enough clout and big bucks to stop Gov. Andrew Cuomo, his SUNY board, his New York State Health Department and what Jack Newfield called the “permanent government.” I’m not celebrating this development—I wanted LICH to survive.
Those officials who fought to keep LICH open felt obliged to make a statement, partially to reassure their political base that they haven’t “sold out.” The statement by State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblymember Joan Millman and Councilmembers Brad Lander, Steve Levin and Carlos Menchaca quoted by Frost reads, in part, “While this agreement includes some healthcare services, it falls far short of a full-service hospital. And it does not resume immediate ambulance service, nor require an independent community needs assessment. We will continue to stand with the community, and urge SUNY and all parties to work collaboratively to meet the needs of the neighborhood and all of Brooklyn.”
Brooklyn Boro
View MoreNew York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, is home to nearly 2.6 million residents. If Brooklyn were an independent city it would be the fourth largest city in the United States. While Brooklyn has become the epitome of ‘cool and hip’ in recent years, for those that were born here, raised families here and improved communities over the years, Brooklyn has never been ‘uncool’.