Money and religion appear to be the two biggest factors in the death of a deal that would have seen North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System move into St. Vincent's Hospital's old emergency room as a 24-hour urgent-care clinic. Instead, North Shore-LIJ now will move to a building just half-a-mile away, reports the New York Times.
Financially, lease terms eluded the two sides, North Shore-LIJ CEO Michael Dowling said. Initially, North Shore-LIJ was supposed to renovate the old St. Vincent's ER; according to the Wall Street Journal, the state awarded North Shore-LIJ's parent--Lenox Hill Hospital--a $9.4 million grant earlier this year to bring an urgent care clinic to Greenwich Village.
Dowling also expressed dismay with the insistence by St. Vincent officials that the clinic be operated according to Catholic guidelines; essentially, no discussions about abortion or contraception--or anything else that went against Catholic practices--would be allowed.
Currently, a health center that treats elderly and HIV/AIDS patients run by VillageCare operates in the two-story building North Shore-LIJ plans to utilize. The new plan is for North Shore-LIJ doctors to work with the doctors already in place; pediatric care and imaging services, as well as urology cardiology and neurology services all will be added, the Times reports.
The new center should open by October. Between 15,000 and 20,000 annually will be able to be treated at the facility. In a statement, Dowling said North Shore would "continue to pursue other opportunities" to bring emergency care to "residents in other neighborhoods in the St. Vincent's catchment area."
To learn more:
- read this New York Times piece
- here's the Wall Street Journal article
- read this joint press release from North Shore-LIJ and VillageCare