The
Red Hook StarªRevue
April 1 - 15 2013
SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
FREE
Is LICH being sabatoged? by Kimberly Gail Price
We saw this sign on a door at Pier 11 next to the Atlantic Basin. (photo by Fiala)
Project Hope in Red Hook by Kimberly Gail Price n the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the damage was obvious. Many people were affected - not just physical repercussions of with themselves and personal assets - but also mentally and emotionally. Following the hurricane, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) saw the need for a program to address these issues. Using funding from federal grants, they set up a program called Project HOPE in November. In time, they realized the effort would be much longer-term than previously thought. They set up a permanent program at the Catholic Charities of Queens and Brooklyn in downtown Brooklyn. Their services are ministered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Clinical Supervisor for Project HOPE, Mike Phillips was hired to lead and operate the new organization. “The hurricane was a stress factor +1,” he said. “Everybody has a reaction to this; some people need to talk about it.” David Rood-Ojalvo, Mental Health Counselor, said there are issues that people still need to talk about because they are “still feeling effects.” Just after the storm, many were “feeling good about just surviving.” Later they were left with a new feeling of “how do we get back to normal?” he said. “People need to sort
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Early in the year, the Comptroller’s office released their annual audit of State University of New York (SUNY), revealing that the state’s largest medical institution was in dire financial straits. For several weeks, SUNY in turn has been faulting Long Island College Hospital (LICH) and immediately took steps to shut down the 150 year old hospital. Local media quickly picked up on the story, faulting LICH’s overwhelming financial troubles since splitting with Continuum Health Partners in 2008. In recent weeks, however, the true nature of SUNY’s own debt has been revealed, suggesting that LICH may in fact be their scapegoat. In addition, SUNY’s partnerships and past decisions are littered with the same suspicious behavior as their most recent curveballs. The Comptroller’s audit, released in midJanuary showed that, even before acquiring LICH in 2011, SUNY was operating at a loss every year from 2007-2010. In 2010, operating losses totaled $49.3 million. The audit reports that SUNY is currently “facing potential insolvency within a matter of months,” and will be forced to make choices about which financial obligations it will honor.” In addition, the report states “while the hospital has hired a consultant to help identify solutions, a full complement of recommendations has not been formulated.” SUNY’s financial statements show a loss of more than $275 million in 2011. “In fact, the financial condition of the hospital has been deteriorating appreciably in recent years,” the audit reveals. Within 90 days of the release of the audit,
(January 17, 2013), SUNY is required to submit steps taken to “implement the recommendations contained herein” to the governor, comptroller and legislature. H. Carl McCall, president of SUNY’s Board of Trustees was appointed by Governor Cuomo, as were many on the board. In fact all members of the Board of Trustees were appointed by the governor, except one - the student representative. The New York State budget went into effect on Monday, March 25. The revised budget excluding additional funds for SUNY, despite the financial crisis that could shut down the medical institution. The budget agreement requires SUNY to submit a restructuring plan by June of this year. Prior to the Comptroller’s audit, SUNY had already initiated an appraisal of LICH’s assets, originally valued at up to $500 million. The hospital is on prime real estate with waterfront views and is currently estimated at $1 billion if the property were completely liquidated. Selling LICH would completely eliminate SUNY’s debt, leaving more than $300 million in unused funds. Despite all of their financial woes SUNY is already revealing plans to open a brand new hospital elsewhere in Brooklyn. Phase 3 of SUNY’s Power Point presentation entitled A Future for Downstate Medical Center states, “Explore the potential of the consortium to develop a new hospital for central/northern Brooklyn.” The initial ground work, of course, involves closing LICH. Meanwhile, the state was considering a bill to allow for-profit a corporation to operate hospitals specifically in Brooklyn. (continued on page 4)
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