State orders Mount Sinai to stop closing down Beth Israel hospital in Manhattan

The New York state Department of Health sent a letter to Mount Sinai Health System Thursday ordering the hospital network to “cease and desist” closing beds and services at Beth Israel hospital in downtown Manhattan.

“Continuing to close beds without approval is unlawful and may result in civil penalties of $2,000 per day for each day that the beds or services are closed without approval,” wrote Stephanie Shulman, director of the Division of Hospitals and Diagnostic and Treatment Centers at the health department, to Elizabeth Sellman, Beth Israel’s president and CEO.

The letter also said the department would pursue other remedies, such as a court order, if the closures don’t stop.

Mount Sinai submitted a proposal to the state health department in October to close Beth Israel by July 2024. The health system then submitted an addendum last month saying it would be necessary to close some services before the end of the year because of an exodus of doctors and decreased patient volume, which it said put patient safety at risk.

Michael Fields, chief of emergency medical services at the New York City fire department, sent out a directive this week saying ambulances should no longer transport stroke patients to Beth Israel starting Dec. 31, the New York Post reported.

But state officials haven’t yet approved any closure plan. And according to the state health department, Mount Sinai has jumped the gun.

In a statement to Gothamist Friday, health department spokesperson Monica Pomeroy said, “The department expects written confirmation that the closures will stop.”

Mount Sinai spokesperson Loren Riegelhaupt said hospital administrators are reviewing the cease-and-desist letter.

“As we have always said, the health and safety of our patients are — and must remain — our top priorities,” he said.

In late November, at a public hearing on the proposed closure, Beth Israel staffers and local residents raised concerns about the hospital reducing capacity without state approval. Asked about those concerns at the time, Riegelhaupt said the health department “is aware of what we are doing and it is allowed due to safety concerns.”

But in guidance sent out to health care administrators in August, the state’s health commissioner emphasized the state’s policy on shutting down or reducing services. “Any cessation, pause or limitation of a service is a closure that requires a closure plan and requires written approval from the New York State Department of Health,” Commissioner James McDonald wrote.

Several lawmakers representing the area where Mount Sinai is located expressed concerns about the closure at that hearing last month and said they wanted Mount Sinai to work with them and the state health department to find an alternative.

City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the cease-and-desist letter Thursday, saying, “This is big news and more to come #SaveBethIsrael.”

At the public hearing, Mount Sinai administrators said it was necessary to close Beth Israel because it is losing money. But some Beth Israel staffers countered that the hospital would not be losing money if it invested in the facility and kept services in place.