ALBANY - When Gerry Bochicchio learned the small hospital that saved his life was being ordered by the state to close, the 74-year-old said he would “claw and fight” to keep it open.
He had already been turned away from one hospital emergency room when he drove to Community Hospital at Dobbs Ferry and received lifesaving treatment for hemorrhaging.
Many hospitals have begun the process of adapting to state-mandated closures, but a few are still working - or suing - to keep their doors open.
The small Westchester County facility where Bochicchio went is suing the state because Ron Corti, president and CEO, said it didn't receive due process and proper notification.
The state Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century - also known as the Berger Commission - recommended nine hospitals and seven nursing homes for closure last year. Dozens more were recommended for merging or downsizing.
Corti said his hospital has proposed a plan to cut down on beds, increase the number of operating rooms and maintain an emergency room. If the hospital closes, about 30,000 people would have to travel between 20 and 45 minutes to reach the nearest hospital, he said.
“I'd have to go back to the people that turned me away and I, in no way, want to go through that again,” Bochicchio said.
The purpose of the Berger Commission was to reduce excess - and frequently empty - hospital beds and to shift health care toward community-based systems instead of emergency rooms, said Claudia Hutton, a spokeswoman for the health department.
The commission considered how much use the hospital got, its financial outlook and whether it was worth it to keep open. It also sought to eliminate duplication of services as hospitals competed with each other.
Before making its decision, the commission also considered what other hospital access was nearby, so communities would have what they need, Hutton said.
St. Joseph Hospital in Cheektowaga will remain open until court action is resolved. The hospital is suing over the constitutionality of the Berger Commission and due process, said Dennis McArthy, vice president of public relations and government affairs for Catholic Health System, which operates the hospital in western New York.
The state has won against those arguments at every level so far, Hutton said. The case has not reached the state's highest court.
“In the meantime, there's a stay in place ... until the court action is resolved,” McArthy said. “We've felt all along that St. Joseph Hospital was incorrectly named, incorrectly targeted, if you want to call it that, by the Berger Commission.”
Parkway Hospital in Forest Hills is also suing the state and rejecting a closure order. Fred Stewart, the hospital's vice president of marketing and new business development, said the Berger Commission shouldn't apply to Forest Hills because it is a private, for-profit hospital.
But the law that created the Berger Commission put for-profit hospitals within its scope, Hutton said.
“It was not about picking on one hospital's profitability over another's, but looking regionally and determining what's best for the community,” Hutton said.
Officials at the Queens hospital have said they would be willing to shrink, restructure and change services if the hospital can stay open.
Bellevue Women's Hospital in Niskayuna has also fought closure, and was taken recently by Ellis Hospital in neighboring Schenectady. It remains uncertain how the change will affect services at Bellevue and the financial picture at Ellis.
Other hospitals, like Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital in Buffalo, have made efforts to soften the blow of the mandated changes. The hospital will close its doors and relocate services and employees to other medical facilities, said Michael Hughes, vice president, public relations and government affairs for Kaleida Health.
Some services will be less than two miles away from the previous location and no staff will be fired, Hughes said.
The state Legislature, which created the commission to avoid the politically dicey decision to overhaul the costly health care system, took no action last year to stop the hospital closures.
Many hospitals have begun the process of adapting to state-mandated closures, but a few are still working - or suing - to keep their doors open.
The small Westchester County facility where Bochicchio went is suing the state because Ron Corti, president and CEO, said it didn't receive due process and proper notification.
The state Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century - also known as the Berger Commission - recommended nine hospitals and seven nursing homes for closure last year. Dozens more were recommended for merging or downsizing.
Corti said his hospital has proposed a plan to cut down on beds, increase the number of operating rooms and maintain an emergency room. If the hospital closes, about 30,000 people would have to travel between 20 and 45 minutes to reach the nearest hospital, he said.
“I'd have to go back to the people that turned me away and I, in no way, want to go through that again,” Bochicchio said.
The purpose of the Berger Commission was to reduce excess - and frequently empty - hospital beds and to shift health care toward community-based systems instead of emergency rooms, said Claudia Hutton, a spokeswoman for the health department.
The commission considered how much use the hospital got, its financial outlook and whether it was worth it to keep open. It also sought to eliminate duplication of services as hospitals competed with each other.
Before making its decision, the commission also considered what other hospital access was nearby, so communities would have what they need, Hutton said.
St. Joseph Hospital in Cheektowaga will remain open until court action is resolved. The hospital is suing over the constitutionality of the Berger Commission and due process, said Dennis McArthy, vice president of public relations and government affairs for Catholic Health System, which operates the hospital in western New York.
The state has won against those arguments at every level so far, Hutton said. The case has not reached the state's highest court.
“In the meantime, there's a stay in place ... until the court action is resolved,” McArthy said. “We've felt all along that St. Joseph Hospital was incorrectly named, incorrectly targeted, if you want to call it that, by the Berger Commission.”
Parkway Hospital in Forest Hills is also suing the state and rejecting a closure order. Fred Stewart, the hospital's vice president of marketing and new business development, said the Berger Commission shouldn't apply to Forest Hills because it is a private, for-profit hospital.
But the law that created the Berger Commission put for-profit hospitals within its scope, Hutton said.
“It was not about picking on one hospital's profitability over another's, but looking regionally and determining what's best for the community,” Hutton said.
Officials at the Queens hospital have said they would be willing to shrink, restructure and change services if the hospital can stay open.
Bellevue Women's Hospital in Niskayuna has also fought closure, and was taken recently by Ellis Hospital in neighboring Schenectady. It remains uncertain how the change will affect services at Bellevue and the financial picture at Ellis.
Other hospitals, like Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital in Buffalo, have made efforts to soften the blow of the mandated changes. The hospital will close its doors and relocate services and employees to other medical facilities, said Michael Hughes, vice president, public relations and government affairs for Kaleida Health.
Some services will be less than two miles away from the previous location and no staff will be fired, Hughes said.
The state Legislature, which created the commission to avoid the politically dicey decision to overhaul the costly health care system, took no action last year to stop the hospital closures.
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