Mount Sinai Beth Israel in East Village officially closes after judge dismisses bid to stay open
LOWER MANHATTAN (WABC) -- Mount Sinai Beth Israel has officially closed its doors Wednesday morning, after 135 years, after an appeals court rejected a community group's bid to keep the hospital open.
Mount Sinai has been attempting to close the hospital since September 2023 and had stopped providing inpatient services. Only its emergency department accepted walk-ins.
The hospital said "closing the emergency department at MSBI at 8 a.m.... is the final step in the execution of our comprehensive closure plan that was approved by the DOH in July 2024 and that we began carrying out in February after the court case was dismissed."
Officials say the hospital was hemorrhaging money -- roughly $100 million each year.
They say over the years the patient count has decreased significantly. It was originally designed as a 600-bed facility but in recent years has dropped to about 100.
Community members have been battling the closure in court.
The most recent ruling was handed down by the state Supreme Court's Appellate Division on Tuesday. Nevertheless, the coalition plans to attempt to keep it open and filed an emergency motion with state's Court of Appeals.
The state Department of Health granted the hospital approval to close last July, on the condition that it ensures patients still have access to care.
Mount Sinai says it opened the Mount Sinai-Urgent Care center on East 14th Street, two blocks away from Beth Israel on the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai campus, at 8 p.m. Tuesday night.
The hospital began diverting ambulances from Mount Sinai Beth Israel on Tuesday after the court dismissed the appeal, and it will maintain an ambulance and security at the closed hospital emergency room for at least a month, in case anyone arrives at that campus after the closure.
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