SUNY Tries to Sneak Patients Out of LICH; LICH Calls Cops

Photo: MK Metz

LICH hospital staff had to call the NYPD twice over the weekend to stop SUNY Downstate from trying to sneak patients out of LICH in defiance of Justice Bayne's court order, issued on Friday.

SUNY Downstate, desperately broke, has been trying to close LICH down so they can sell off the valuable property, worth up to a billion dollars.

Doctors, nurses and a local resident told the New York Times they twice saw SUNY Downstate representatives trying to transfer some of the hospital’s patients on Saturday, "including three critically ill patients who had been in the intensive care unit for months."

SUNY denied trying to move patients: "I’m not going to comment on falsehoods put forward by others,” SUNY spokesperson Steven Greenberg told the Times.

The Brooklyn Eagle, however, photographed an elderly patient being wheeled on a stretcher outside the hospital on Saturday afternoon. It is not known where the patient was brought, or if she lived or died after the move.

The Times also reported that a patient who was transferred to Downstate from LICH last week died at Downstate.

A funeral march will be held to mourn the death of healthcare in Brooklyn starting at Cadman Plaza Park at 4 p.m. on Wednesday and crossing Brooklyn Bridge to City Hall. People are making coffins. More here.

More LICH posts here.

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Where Is Mr. Grabby?

Sign posted in DUMBO reads "Lost Cephalopod, Answers to name of 'Mr. Grabby.'"

Anybody seen him?

Check out Twitter @whereisgrabby


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Bravo de Blasio, Squadron, Levin and Lander for Brave LICH Raid!

State Sen. Daniel Squadron, Councilman Steve Levin, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Councilman Brad Lander proved their mettle yesterday with a brave charge into Long Island College Hospital (LICH) in Cobble Hill, after SUNY Downstate administrators refused to speak to them about their plan to shut down LICH.

In their latest shameless act, the bankrupt SUNY Downstate administration told LICH doctors to transfer all their patients out by Friday so SUNY could shut down LICH by Sunday. This after shutting down ambulance service to LICH in defiance of a court order, setting off a health crisis that is spreading across Brooklyn.

Hundreds of people poured out into the street when they got the word.

Patients, staff and neighbors gathered along Hicks Street -- in the middle of the workday on the hottest day of the year. (There's another rally at noon today.)

Dr. Alice Garner, head of the neonatal unit at LICH, said, “I received verbal orders that we are to transfer all patients by tomorrow so they can shut us down by Sunday." She added that SUNY Downstate is trying to force LICH to transfer a baby out of the unit against the mother's wishes.

"We’re not standing for it. SUNY is violating the law and the public trust," de Blasio said, before leading a push to the administrative floor to attempt to meet with the SUNY's straw man, James Karkenny.

Karkenny threatened the elected officials, then hid in his office. (The meeting is described in detail in the Brooklyn Eagle.)

Exactly what you would expect from this group of crooks masquerading as hospital administrators.

The 150-year-old LICH is the centerpiece of northwestern Brooklyn's health system -- but bankrupt Downstate can't wait to get its hands on its real estate millions.

Now SUNY is crying that LICH is losing $15 million a month. Amazing -- in February they said LICH was losing $3 million a month, and it turned out $2 million of that was being paid to Continuum for billing and IT services which Continuum didn't provide. (If Continuum had actually billed for all services provided at LICH, the hospital would likely be making money every month.)

Since February, SUNY has closed down all of LICH's core departments, harassed doctors and patients, shut down the residency program, and forbid hospital admissions. All these actions were committed by SUNY, not LICH.

SUNY told the Eagle that the closing was just a "rumor." Meanwhile, LICH hospital staff report that SUNY employees were looting LICH's equipment yesterday after the rally.

Cuomo? Oh No

Brooklyn voters see who is standing with them and who isn't.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is NOT standing with the people of Brooklyn.

State Sen. Daniel Squadron, Councilman Steve Levin, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Councilman Brad Lander are. Thank you all for risking arrest to do what is right.



More LICH posts here.


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Why Would People Pay $50 to Throw Tomatoes at Each Other in Brooklyn?

Photo: Tomato Battle

The news that literally thousands of people will be throwing tons of tomatoes at each other in a field in Brooklyn this Saturday doesn't surprise us in the least.

What does surprise us is that people are paying $50 to participate! (OK, less if they snagged a discount at Living Social).

People, you can get rotten tomatoes behind any grocery or market and throw them anywhere you want for free.

And get out of our yard.

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SUNY Downstate's Residency Program on Probation

SUNY Downstate. Photo: Google Maps

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), citing an “egregious catastrophic event,” has placed SUNY Downstate Medical Center’s residency program on probation, the Brooklyn Eagle reports.

Downstate will be appealing the probationary designation.

In the meantime, Downstate is supposed to be letting potential grad students know of their probationary status. A check of Downstate's website on Wednesday finds no mention of the accreditation problem so far.

The "catastrophic event" is likely the gutting of the core departments and the resident teaching program at Long Island College Hospital (LICH) by SUNY Downstate, which is trying to shut down LICH to harvest its real estate.

SUNY's certification was linked with LICH when they took over LICH two years ago.

LICH was recently rated the number two hospital in Brooklyn by US News and World Report.

Downstate's ban on ambulance delivery to LICH continues to throw the emergency health care system of northwest Brooklyn into dangerous chaos.

All LICH posts here.

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Brooklyn: Boat Capsizes in Newtown Creek, Six People Rescued (Updated)

A boat was in distress and people were in the water just before 5 a.m. in Newtown Creek, which runs between Brooklyn and Queens.

According to NYPD dispatch, Rescue 2 water rescue unit was at the scene, a second rescue unit was being called in and divers were in the water.

More as it comes in.

UPDATE: At 5:12 a.m., rescue units reported they had fished three males and three females out of the water and were still looking for the seventh victim. The six rescued people had non-life-threatening injuries.

UPDATE: At 5:20 a.m. the six rescued victims told rescuers that the seventh victim was the driver of the boat, and he had made his way to shore and went to get help.


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Vito Lopez; B37; McGolrick Park; and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Vito Lopez is called a favorite in a Brooklyn City Council race. [Observer]

- What in the red hell is going on in McGolrick Park? [Brokelyn]

- 10 quintessentially Brooklyn stores, including Brooklyn Superhero Supply. [Brooklyn Magazine]

- 11 more parks in Brooklyn get Wi-Fi access, including Cadman Plaza and Carroll Park [Crain's].

- MTA set to restore B37 bus. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Two men carry fallen Brooklyn commuter from R train subway tracks. [NY Daily News]

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Downtown Brooklyn's Emergency Health System Crumbles

Long Island College Hospital (LICH). Photo: MK Metz

Attention folks who live, work or play in:

Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, Gowanus, Red Hook, Columbia District, Navy Yard, Williamsburg, and related areas (Tech Triangle, Brooklyn Bridge Park, BQE):

There are no emergency medical services serving these areas.

If you are sick or feel you are likely to need emergency health services in the foreseeable future, please make every attempt to relocate to an area that provides these services.

SUNY Downstate has banned ambulances from bringing patients to Long Island College Hospital (LICH) in Cobble Hill in order to hasten the closure and sale of LICH.

Brooklyn Hospital Center's ER has been on diversion for the last two days due to the heat wave.

Methodist Hospital is overcrowded, with ambulances stacked outside the ER.

Paramedics warn the system is cracking.

If you become ill and live or work near LICH, WALK into the ER if you are able. It is fully staffed and the doctors and nurses there will provide full care. (SUNY personnel will attempt to intimidate you into leaving the hospital, but you do not have to leave if you don't want to. The Dept. of Health inspects LICH daily and certifies that everything is up to snuff.)

More here.

All LICH posts here.

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Rooftop Films: Three Movies in Brooklyn This Week (July 18 - 20)

"Newlyweeds"

Rooftop Film's Summer Series presents three films in Brooklyn this week in the neighborhoods of Clinton Hill, Sunset Park, and Gowanus.

On Thursday, July 18, they are presenting at a new venue: the rooftop of the Trilok Fusion Center for the Arts in Clinton Hill with the stoner romantic comedy Newlyweeds.

Friday night takes the show to Sunset Park with the world premiere of the docu-drama i hate myself :).

In collaboration with the Oscars Outdoors Summer Series, there's a free screening of the award-winning film Short Term 12 on Saturday in Gowanus. [UPDATE: Short Term 12 is sold out.]

The entire summer schedule is here.

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Neighborhood Similar to Brooklyn Heights Manages to Afford a New AC in their Library

This is the story of a library in Andover, Massachusetts that managed to replace its HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) system for under $500,000.

We mention this because a library of a similar size in Brooklyn Heights is for sale . . .  because the Brooklyn Public Library says it would cost $3.5 million to replace the HVAC, which has been broken for years.

Andover, Massachusetts is a town very much like Brooklyn Heights. Andover is a  little bigger than Brooklyn Heights, but is very similar demographically.

Andover is a wealthy community, just like Brooklyn Heights. According to a 2008 estimate, the median income for a household in Andover was $114,319. (Wikipedia) The median household income in Brooklyn Heights was $111,067. (City-Data) Things are just as expensive in Andover as they are in Brooklyn Heights.

Stevens Memorial Library

Like Brooklyn Heights, Andover residents are well-educated and love to read. Both areas have similar-sized local libraries (in Andover it's Stevens Memorial Library and in Brooklyn Heights it's the Brooklyn Heights Branch Library, part of the Brooklyn Public Library system) and both libraries have a "Friends of the Library" volunteer group.

Brooklyn Heights Branch: Google Maps

Both libraries have or had busted air conditioners. In 2010, the Stevens Memorial Library's AC failed during the hottest day in May, and the library had to operate through the summer -- one of the hottest on record -- without it. Portable air conditioners and fans were brought in, and it cost the library $5,400 for electricity in July, according to North Andover Patch. Many summer programs had to be cancelled.

In Brooklyn Heights in 2010, the situation was identical. But instead of bringing in portable ACs and fans, the library closed early or completely on many of the hottest days of summer. (The Business Library shares the building. It, too closed on hot days.)

Now here's where the two libraries went in very different directions:

Stevens Memorial:

Stevens Memorial Library carried out a Building Energy Assessment and found they needed to replace all the HVAC components with more up-to-date ones.

At a special town meeting called for another purpose, the Library Building Committee presented the town with a couple of different options that included project management and engineering as well as just the HVAC.

Quoting from North Andover Patch: "The Finance Committee reviewed the proposal and decided on the $460,000 option with project management and engineering, so as to have the project done right the first time and implement as much energy efficiency as possible."

The price tag seemed high, but there were incentives for some of the equipment through National Grid for energy efficiency, so there was a payback on that. And by replacing the technology, the library is hoping for a 40 percent savings on an annual basis. The town voted to replace the HVAC and the job was completed before the summer of 2012.

According to the Eagle Tribune, "The modern HVAC has made the library a haven from heat waves."

Brooklyn Height Branch Library:

BPL did nothing in 2010, 2011 or 2012 other than close the library early on the hottest days. Then in January of 2013, BPL dropped a bomb: Claiming a new AC would cost $3.5 million dollars and millions in other unspecified building repairs were also needed, BPL said they would sell the building to a private developer.

Their plan called for rebuilding the Heights branch inside a smaller, city-owned condo space on the first floor of the new residential development, and moving the Business Branch to a neighborhood far away from the business section of Brooklyn.

Most residents reacted with shock and dismay, protest groups formed, and many felt that yet another back room deal with a developer had been struck. BPL said the sale would proceed "at a fast trot" and though they said the public would have a voice, a group that collected 8,000 signatures on a petition to save the library was not allowed to speak at meetings.The Brooklyn Heights Association, however, said they would not oppose the plan if certain conditions were met.

Today:

The Brooklyn Heights library site is for sale and the RFP has been issued by the city. No figures were ever shown to the public about an AC system costing $3.5 million and no bids were ever sent out.Though the Brooklyn Heights Branch summer hours were cut to just mornings, recently the branch has been totally closed due to a heat wave.

Meanwhile, in Andover, Summer at the Stevens continues this week with movies, story times, book discussion groups for kids, teens and adults, and two special speakers. Knitters and other community groups meet all summer. The library has expanded the number of public computers due to a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, matched by the Friends of the Library..

The library director said that thanks to the new HVAC system, she expects the "library to continue in its present building for another 100 years." (The roof does need repairs, however.)


Previous Posts:

- Brooklyn Public Library Moving to Wrap Up Sale of Heights Branch Quickly
- Tough Crowd at Brooklyn Heights Library Meeting
- Brooklyn Heights Business Library Moving to Prospect Heights; Building May Be Sold to Developer
- Brooklyn Heights Library Closed Again
- Brooklyn Public Library Funding Restored, Bloomberg's Phony Crisis Averted


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