Supporters demand LICH stay ‘full service hospital’
Rally on Monday to get ‘seat at the table’
Supporters of Long Island College Hospital (LICH) pushed their demands that the threatened Cobble Hill hospital be kept open and that the surrounding community have a say in its fate, at a press conference Monday morning.
“The people of this neighborhood love this hospital. They need it. They love and appreciate the people who work here. When the people are with you – you can move mountains,” said Public Advocate De Blasio. “We have to keep LICH open – and the way to do it is to bring the community in, every step of the way.”
Doctors, the New York State Nurses Association, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers and area representatives vowed to keep the pressure on SUNY and the state Department of Health to keep LICH open as a fully functioning hospital.
The nearly bankrupt SUNY Downstate, which operates LICH, issued a public Request for Information (RFI) on May 1 to signal its intent to find another operator.