Caritas, the health care company that runs Mary Immaculate Hospital and St. John's Queens Hospital, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The closure plan aims to board up both hospitals by the end of February 2009. This is bad news for our Jamaica and Elmhurst, and most of central Queens.
The two Queens hospitals see around 100,000 people in their emergency rooms every year. Their closings means those people will overfill the emergency rooms at other Queens hospitals.
Caritas was formerly part of the Saint Vincent's Health Network. There's little hope of state intervention. Meanwhile, Taxpayer Field Citi Field continues to rise in Flushing.
- Two Queens Hospitals To Close Within A Month (NY 1)
- List of hospitals in Queens
Comments
this is very sad, already don’t have enough hospitals in Queens, especially in the Jamaica area.
Yes, and I blame Patterson for this as well! Say what you will regarding allowing the market forces to play out as they may. The simple fact of the matter is that this is not just another one of the financial institutions seeking a taxpayer bailout. This is a matter of life and death, literally, for potentially thousands of Queens residents. Shame on each and everyone of our elected officials for failing us. This is an absolute and utter disgrace.
I understand that MIH has a methodon clinic of some sort.
If true, does this mean that addicts will have to wait longer and possibly not get their medicine ?
If true, will the crime rate increase ?
I believe that people living in Queens deserve great medical care. While the loss of these hospitals is tragic, we have to hope that something better will come along. The government shouldn’t perpetuate mediocre medical care.
I don’t know the stimulus package from Washington will offer some money that might save these hospitals. It is unbelievable that we can tear down a baseball stadium, build a new one and not have enough $ for the hospitals. I believe I have been to Mary Immaculate at least 10 times in my 54 year life span and living in the Kew Gardens area. I don’t know if we can ‘pin’ this on Patterson but it seems that someone somewhere is not telling the truth. It just doesn’t make sense that we can ‘bail out’ Wall Street and not help out the hospitals. By the way, if the ball park were used in some sort of PUBLIC WAY – for kids or adult games (for physical exercise) building a stadium might make SOME SENSE. The METS are a FOR PROFIT OUTFIT, ARE THEY NOT?
This is horrible. I’ve been to Van Wyk Hospital… All I can say is someone is going to die in that waiting room. I saw this young girl crying her heart out, and the nurse was talking to the security guard, she completly ignored the girl in the waiting room. Her mother took her to Mary Immaculate Hospital because no one would put her in priority. I have to still pay my bill from Van Wyk Hospital and I have yet to find someone who can talk to me in English… I can only speak English, and yet the people who work there in the billing department only speak Spanish. I need to get in touch with Jaco so I can pay my bill.
I grew up in Elmhurst, volunteered in St. John’s as a teen.I worked there as an RN in the 80′s and also gave birth to 2 of my children there in the 90′s. My dad still lives in the area, and perfers St. John’s over Elmhurst Hosp. The ER’s are very over crowded and it takes days to get a bed. I don’t know what the community will do with even less hospitals! This is horrific, I pray that it can be saved.
Government is Pouring Billions and Trillions into Banks and Financial Companies
They dont have Money to Save Hospitals and People Health
Whatever the Hospital Management did is Correct ,it’s corect decision
these 2 hospitals have a total of 11 fulltime 911 responding ambulances, most of which are 24 hours.. WHO WILL ANSWER THE CALLS FOR HELP????
this is very sad, where all the patient will go for treatment. Jamaica and queens hospital are already crowded. Threre are already shortage of hospital in this are ( queens) . Government must take some action to keep these hospital open.
thank you
Since Mary Immaculate and St. John’s Hospitals have filed or will be filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, wouldn’t declaring bankruptcy allow them to stay open?!? I thought Chapter 11 bankruptcies allowed businesses to stay open afterward. But if I’m wrong, it would be horrific if these hospitals are forced to close! Queens county NEEDS St. John’s and Mary Immaculate hospitals and I cannot believe that the state or city government did not intervene to save them from closing. It is truly an outrage and shows the “true colors” of our government; they do not care about the American people unless the people are RICH.
I’m speechless that the city/state would allow MIH to close–what a disaster!! I don’t understand–a baseball player is paid MILLIONS to hit a ball–and yet there is no money to keep a needed hospital in business!!
It doesn’t make sense!! Hopefully a last-minute bailout will happen….MIH, you are in my prayers!!
Where is everyone in the area going to go for medical help?
This is all WRONG !!!
We need these Hospitals.
I thought LIJ was going to work something out with St. Johns.
Both Mary Immaculate and St John’s Queens Hospitals are vital to Queens NY. The ER’s are always full. Mayor Bloomberg seems to feel these are small community hospitals, and the pt popualtion can be absorbed. In truth, Queens needs all the beds available.
Both these hospitals have a mission statment to treat all regardless of ability to pay. Both have a large majority of non payng pts.
Also, this will put 2500-3000 people out of work and onto the unemployment lines.
Something underhanded has been going on for years- and nobody has discovered what!!
AS I STATED TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY, QUEENS IS A DYING BOROUGH!! IN MY AREA WE HAVE ABOUT 10-20 HOUSES PEOPLE HAVE LOST!! NOW, WE HAVE TO TRAVEL 1-2 HOURS TO GET TO A HOSPITAL!! YOU MIGHT AS WELL DIE IN YOUR HOUSE, BEACAUSE THERE WILL BE NO HOSPITAL TO TAKE YOU TO!!!
Welcome to decades of importing poverty into the United States. Oh, excuse me … I mean “progressive” politics!!!!!!
Thanks Gov. Patterson, where are we to go for emergency treatment? Elmhurst Hospital the nearest hospital to Woodside to Elmhurst area is now overcrowded for those who have no money or insurance.
Just last week, our area had a major traffic accident in the middle of a busy intersection. I was told that it took nearly 3 hours for an ambulance to respond. Now it will take probably 10 hours to respond. Thanks.
I work EMS and all I can say it that this will be a tough time. the response times of an ambulance getting to the public will be greater and waiting in the remaining hospitals will be greater due to crowding. I’m not sure who’s to blame but, i do know alot of people could have prevented this.
Mary Immaculate helped me to breathe last December when I was in the throes of an asthma attack. And i was treated with dignity and respect during my visit. Jamaica Hospital, on the other hand, treated me like less than dirt last summer when I went there, including being publicly humiliated by the ER doctor. Pray that this stimulus bill will prevent this catastrophe!
[Edited. Off topic - About.com Guide to Queens]
This is horrible. Especially for Jamaica. Immaculate was the only real hospital. You could easily die waiting for treatment at Jamaica Hospital before Immaculate closed.
It’s easy for one to dictate the lives of people, when the after math does not affect their lives or structure. When people are sceretly getting raises up to ($178,000) when there are peolple making little to nothing is pitiable! Our Governor!! you should take a pay cut to help, instead of hurting the ones that are suffering. Closing the hospitals I can not find the words to describe how I feel.
Where were the political folks? Al Sharpton did not look out for his people in the Jamaica, NY community he is too busy in Harlem with a so called cartoon gone wrong? Malcolm Smith is another freak who is not looking out for the Jamaica Community? How could we save peoples lives by being involved; I guess since no one really gave it an effort this is what had caused us not to received the necessary funding in order to continue to serve the Jamaica Community! No Elected officials = No Community improvement!
This all stems from Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC Councils constant increase in PROPERTY TAXES!
They take our money, WASTE IT then ask for more from us & then they wonder why this whole city is in trouble!
WAKE UP!
The economic crisis facing the U.S. will change many things here. We cant trust businesses, politicians, and religious leaders. America has to change. Priority should be that no one loses house, all have health insurance, college tution should be affordable, and there should be laws as to how much corporate executives can make. I can go on. IS THIS SOCIALISM? So be it. If we spend the money we spend on wars, we can cure most of the ills of the society here.
It is truly sad to see that there are bailouts for people who build bad cars… people who lie to consumers…people who steal billions of other peoples` savings…but there is no money in the coffers for 2 hospitals where lives are saved. It is truly sad to see that our leaders care more about money-people than about sick people…Well…at least they can watch the Yanks AND Mets play in new stadiums as they wither away….
I completed my residency at these hospitals. I am concerned for the people of Queens and my friends and colleagues. This is a great loss and should not be allowed. The healthcare system needs to get its act together. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. Mr. Obama we need your help.
Thank you all the illegal aliens for this, Mexicans, Chinese etc.
Welcome to the third world !
St. Johns sucked anyway, with all the Indian
doctors who gave in their hack licenses !
Thank God my family doctor Marciano is still around
I was born at Mary Immaculate Hospital in 1953. Let’s bailout bad mortgages and auto makers, but services we ALL depend on…too bad??? What a damn shame! Shame on NY and our elected leaders!
I don’t know anything about Mary Immaculate Hospital, but St. John’s had it long coming. Don’t blame Bloomberg, Patterson or poor hardworking Mexicans and Chinese. The hospital’s (mis)management can only blame themselves. They lost the ship long ago and were bleeding money left, right and center. Quite a lot of the staff were rude with attitude and no respect for their superiors or the patients. Not all of them, of course, but quite a few. I feel sorry for the residents of the area, but it was really a mediocre hospital.
I am so sorry to hear about St.Johns hospital closing, I lived in Queens for many years.
WHERE DID ALL THE MEDICAL RECORDS END UP AT?
I am still searching for my medical records from St. John’s. I don’t know who has them or who to contact. Please let me know. I hope the patients still have access to them.
It is so sad to know that the St. John Queen Hospital is closed. I worked as a medical transcriptionist in the pathogy dpt by 1988 to 1990 and two of my children were born there.
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I have some information on how to obtain your medical records from Hospitals that have closed.
DOS from: (2006 and previous)
Contact: Iron Mountain Inc. – 845-338-2131 x345
DOS from: (2007-2009)-
Contact: Metal Quest – 513-771-7103 or http://www.metalquest.com
Each record is: 75 cents (per page) to obtain information
Iron Mountain turn around time is: ~30 days
Metal Quest turn around time is: ~2 wks – 30 days
THANK GOODNESS that this hospital is closed.. They were horrible and almost killed me. If I didn’t go to another hospital, I would be dead today. If there were still open I would SUE them. A favor was done to the community by closing this hospital.
HOW CAN I FIND MEDICAL RECORD FROM THESE HOSPITALS?
How can i obtain my hospital records from MARY IMMACULATE HOAPITAL — Who is now defunct; They were locate in jamacia queens…Please give me an contact number that i can refer to?
My lawyer was about to sue St. Johns Queens Hospital, when they went Bankrupt,Can we still sue them? and when?
Can someone help me plzzzz I really need my hospital record from St. Johns hospital, plzzz tell me how can I obtain them….thx million
Yes. This is a sad fact. Where do all the records go?
I need work records from mary immaculate…how can i find them.?
whom do i contact for my work records from mary immaculate hospital?