Mount Sinai Beth Israel (MSBI), a historic New York City hospital, remains on track to close its doors following an appeals court ruling on Tuesday in favor of the hospital. The announcement comes after years of financial struggles and a highly contested lawsuit to close the 136-year-old institution.
The hospital first announced it would close in 2023, but community advocates have fought a legal battle for almost a year to keep it open. Mount Sinai planned to shutter Beth Israel on March 26 following a judge’s ruling to dismiss the community advocate’s case to keep the hospital open. Mount Sinai does not have a revised date when all services will cease. Currently, only the emergency room is open for walk-ins.
The Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court, which is consistent with a lower court’s previous decision in February, allows the hospital system to implement its closure plan for the MSBI’s 16th Street campus “immediately,” said Loren Riegelhaupt, a spokesperson for Mount Sinai.
“There are currently no inpatient services available at 16th Street, however, the Emergency Department will remain open for walk-in patients until the hospital closes,” Riegelhaupt said. “We are working closely with the New York State Department of Health, state regulators, and other area hospitals to ensure a seamless and safe transition of care.”
Community advocates have said the closure of Mount Sinai Beth Israel will significantly impact the surrounding area, explaining that residents will need to seek care at other hospitals, which may be further away or more difficult to access.
However, Mount Sinai officials maintained throughout the arduous legal battle that closure plans approved by the NYS Department of Health (DOH) are in place.
“As part of our closing process and commitment to the community, we are opening an expanded urgent care center on 14th Street, two blocks away from MSBI, on the campus of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai,” Riegelhaupt said. “This urgent care center has already been constructed and will be ready to take patients prior to the hospital’s closing.”
Previously known as Beth Israel Medical Center, the hospital has served the community for over a century. However, the facility has faced significant financial challenges in recent years and has operated at low capacity.
Hundreds of staff members have left the troubled hospital since the closure was first announced. As services diminished, legal proceedings continued, and a closure loomed. Hospital officials became increasingly concerned about being able to provide services safely as the facility continued to operate.
Riegelhaupt said in February that the remaining staff are unionized and guaranteed jobs at the same pay in other parts of the Mount Sinai system.
