NYC's Beth Israel hospital closure stalls anew as judge orders temporary stay

Mount Sinai’s plans to shut down Beth Israel Hospital have stalled again.

A New York appellate judge on Friday issued a new temporary stay blocking the move, just days after a state Supreme Court judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Manhattan hospital's long-delayed closure.

Mount Sinai announced shortly after Monday’s dismissal that it would begin the process of shutting down Beth Israel immediately, with the goal of closing completely by March 26.

But Friday’s temporary ruling puts that closure date in doubt. Justice John Higgit put the stay in place pending a determination on the case by a panel of judges.

In a statement on Friday evening, Mount Sinai spokesperson Loren Riegelhaupt said the hospital had already begun emptying its beds after the case was dismissed earlier this week.

“As of Thursday afternoon, there were no in-patients at the hospital and all in-patient services had ended,” Riegelhaupt said. “As planned, our [emergency department] remains open and will remain open until closure.”

He went on to say that the hospital “will adhere to the stay issued on Friday and not close any additional services” while fighting the case in court.

A community coalition opposed to the closure is seeking to get the court to force the state Department of Health to revoke its approval for Beth Israel's shutdown.

The coalition contends that the state’s decision was arbitrary and did not adequately assess the closure's impact on Lower Manhattan residents. A trial judge on Monday dismissed the claim, ruling he could not overrule the health department's decision.

The agency has filed a letter opposing the appeal, saying it “repeats the same inaccurate factual assertions, meritless legal arguments, and outright falsehoods that failed to persuade the [state] Supreme Court.”

The community group's lawyer Arthur Schwartz has twice successfully prevailed upon the courts to block the closure since February 2024.

Mount Sinai first announced its intention to close the 135-year-old hospital at the end of 2023, citing financial losses. The state Department of Health approved the closure plan last July, leaving the courts as the only barrier standing in Mount Sinai’s way.

This story has been updated with comment from Mount Sinai.