The JULY 2013
Red Hook StarªRevue SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
FREE
SUNY SPITS IN THE FACE OF NY STATE SUPREME COURT AS IT CONTINUES IT’S SHUTDOWN OF LICH by Kimberly Gail Price “They are not taking anymore ambulances at the emergency room at LICH. If that’s the case, that’s a violation – that’s a clear violation of my order,” Kings County Supreme Judge Johnny Lee Baynes commented during the June 19 court hearing for a lawsuit filed against the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center (SUNY) and the NY Department of Health (DOH). “That is shameful - on the day they are coming to see the judge. Does it get any worse than that?”
“A dire situation is developing at LICH […] We have almost daily resignations.” Julie Semente, a LICH registered nurse and NYSNA member, wrote, “I can tell you first hand that NO NURSES are fleeing LICH […] The emergency room manager did leave. However, there is a qualified candidate ready and willing to take the job, but Downstate won’t fill the position. It serves their purpose to leave it empty. “There is no ‘exodus’ of physicians either. SUNY Downstate is trying to give the impression that these doctors left LICH of their own choice when in fact SUNY Downstate forced the interns and residents out of LICH in defiance of a court order, and without implementing a plan to replace them with other qualified professionals to continue services.”
Since that time, SUNY continues to do everything in their power to halt all services at Long Island College Hospital (LICH), despite multiple court orders. After setting an initial date of July 15 for the contempt hearing, Judge Baynes set a conference date for the following Monday, June 24 to ensure that SUNY did not discontinued ambulatory services at LICH. The hospital was to be restaffed and running as it had been the day he originally issued the temporary restraining order (TRO) on February 20, 2013.
By 9 pm Thursday night, Brooklyn Hospital, Lutheran Medical Center and Methodist hospital were cracking under the weight. According to the admissions department at Brooklyn Hospital, all ER rooms were full and one or two patients were waiting on stretchers outside of every room. Patients at Lutheran Medical Center reportedly had 8-9 hour wait times. The ER staffs were describing the conditions as “total chaos,” disorganized,” and “overcrowded.” One ambulance picked up a 60 year old male in critical condition in Coney Island who needed a bed in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The patient was transported to Richmond County
Some of the empty beds that litter the hallways of LICH since SUNY has closed the hospital to new admissions.
Hospital in Staten Island because every available ICU bed in Brooklyn was filled – except LICH.
to take ICU and emergency patients across bridges and through tunnels into Manhattan, Staten Island and Queens.
Downstate’s claims untrue
Several Brooklyn hospitals requested temporary diversions because their patient loads were too large. But 911 services refused to grant the diversions because all of the hospitals were under the same duress. In less than 24 hours, the LICH diversion had created crises at nearly every Brooklyn hospital.
SUNY claims the move to divert ambulatory services and discontinue admissions at LICH was due to inadequate staffing. DOH requires one nurse for every two ICU patients. While ambulances were overcrowding other Brooklyn hospitals, seven ICU nurses and two resident doctors were working at LICH with only ten ICU patients. The fifteen bed unit could have taken up to four more patients. But because of the diversion, ambulances were forced
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Contrary to the court’s order, SUNY not only diverted ambulatory services, but also discontinued all admissions to the hospital effective at 6 am Thursday morning. Walk-ins to the emergency room (ER) would be treated and stabilized. If patients needed to be admitted, they would be transported to other nearby hospitals. According to a letter released from SUNY on June 20, “The diversion is indefinite.”
DOH confirmed what doctors and nurses have been saying all along. They reported back to the Kings County Supreme Court that LICH is staffed up to appropriate levels and should resume all services. They have been assessing staffing levels on a daily basis since June 19. LICH continues to be fully staffed – with the exception of the residents SUNY pulled back to their downstate campus late last week. In fact, the ICU unit was staffed with five nurses for only three patients.
In addition, SUNY also began transferring patients out of LICH. In another letter also dated June 20 from George Caralis, Interim Chief Executive Officer from SUNY, stated, “Effective immediately, patients will be transferred out of the critical care units (ICU/CCU) and for the foreseeable future, no further patients will be admitted to those units.” Critical Care patients were being transported as far away as New York Presbyterian at Columbia University – nearly 15 miles away. The first patient was relocated Thursday afternoon. SUNY released a public statement to the public on Thursday, June 20 citing,
That same Thursday, James Karkenny, acting COO of LICH and representative from Pitts Management, tried to give ICU nurses and award they had won in March for exemplary care – the same day SUNY told the nursing staff, “we’re emptying the place out.” The Vice President of the nursing staff warned him that his timing was inappropriate. ICU nurses described Karkenny’s presence as being “like an abusive husband” and “belligerent.” Nurses were forced to have their picture taken with the banner. One nurse was in tears. Karkenny told them to “remove yourself if you can’t understand that you are employees first and union members [NYSNA] last.” The ICU charge nurse eventually told Karkenny to leave, saying, “Take your plaque. Take your coffee and donuts, and get out.” This was not the first year LICH nurses had won this award. ICU nurses told stories about a fancy dinner wearing corsages, and the pride they felt in earning the recognition. A banner and plaque were awarded for the nurses to proudly display. But this year’s award was an insult to injury. By Saturday evening, only three patients remained in ICU, while CCU had completely been dissolved. The (continued on page 3)
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