Plans To Close Mount Vernon Hospital On Hold: Montefiore CEO

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital officials have rescinded lay-offs for their Intensive Care Unit nurses after heated protests by community members and elected officials.

In a meeting Monday, Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard met with Montefiore Health Systems CEO Dr. Philip Ozuah. She was joined by local, county, state and federal elected representatives, and clergy.

"Dr. Ozuah noted that there are no plans to close Mount Vernon Hospital and that he’s willing to re-imagine healthcare within the city," the mayor wrote on Medium.com. "He also reiterated that he’s not tethered to the original plan to close the hospital, which was scheduled to close on June 30th, 2020."

Everyone in Mount Vernon was surprised when Montefiore Health System announced Oct. 15 that the hospital would be closed and a new emergency department and urgent care center would be built in the city instead. SEE: Closing Mount Vernon Hospital Becomes Election Issue.

The city has the third-highest number of COVID-19 cases in Westchester County as of July 14.

A recent protest about lay-offs brought together Rep. Eliot Engel and his opponent who held a commanding lead in in-person votes in the June 23 primary, Jamaal Bowman.

It also included nurses, community members and elected officials including State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey, State Assemblymember J. Gary Pretlow, Mayor of Mount Vernon Shawyn Patterson-Howard, Mount Vernon City Council President Lisa A. Copeland, Greater Centennial Reverend Dr. Stephen W. Pogue, Reverend Lyndon Williams, and members of the coalition to Save & Transform Mt. Vernon Hospital.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has increasingly devastated communities of color. Laying off nurses and closing down the intensive care unit at this time isn’t just a budget cut. It’s a death sentence," said Bowman.