NY Assembly passes ‘LICH Act’ hospital bill
Would consider public health needs before closing hospitals
A bill that would require an assessment of community health needs and more transparency when hospitals are threatened with closure passed the New York State Assembly on Wednesday.
The measure is meant to ensure that what happened to Brooklyn’s Long Island College Hospital (LICH) won’t play out at other hospitals across New York state.
The Local Input in Community Healthcare (LICH) Act – named after the now-shuttered hospital — was sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, and in the Senate by state Sen. Daniel Squadron. The bill has not yet passed in the Senate.
Both officials represent the Brooklyn neighborhoods, including Cobble Hill, Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights, which fought for two years to stop the state from selling the 155-year-old hospital to developer Fortis Property Group.