Report: Closing Interfaith Medical Center could ‘overwhelm’ NYC hospitals
Biggest provider of psychiatric care in Brooklyn
A report released by Public Advocate Bill de Blasio on Friday warns of “devastating consequences” if Interfaith Medical Center closes next month.
Interfaith is Brooklyn’s largest private provider of psychiatric care, with 67,000 patients receiving out-patient care and 1,750 in-patient hospitalizations each year.
According to de Blasio’s report, “Tearing the Safety Net,” losing those services would push remaining hospitals across Brooklyn to 107 percent capacity, and leave tens of thousands of Brooklyn psychiatric patients without care.
Interfaith, serving Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights, has already sent layoff notices to its 1,544 employees. Interfaith declared bankruptcy in December and announced on August 1 it was beginning the process of shutting down. Its closure, however, has been postponed until an August 26 bankruptcy hearing.