LICH hearing continues with dueling witnesses, and a push for a ‘standstill’
DOH witness sees, knows ‘nothing’
On Friday, the contrast between two witnesses – one testifying on behalf of Long Island College Hospital (LICH), the other for SUNY Downstate Medical Center, which is seeking to shut down LICH — could not have been more dramatic.
Sworn in first before Supreme Court Justice Johnny Lee Baynes, on the third day of a hearing drawing citywide attention, was Gladys Figueroa, a health systems specialist who testified on SUNY Downstate’s side as the state Department of Health (DOH) employee “with personal knowledge” of the situation inside LICH, located in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.
Despite her status as DOH’s expert on the state of affairs at LICH, however, Figueroa swore to the judge that she spends only five minutes inside the hospital on the days she is there, and that is only to pick up data about staffing levels from the LICH staff.
Figueroa testified that she was not aware of other conditions inside the hospital. In response to Justice Baynes’ questions regarding claims of reduced staffing levels, the dismissal of the ear, nose and throat specialist from the emergency room, calls being made to the police, armed guards on site, the front door being bolted shut or potentially illegal paperwork being presented to patients, Figueroa said she was not aware of these issues.