Financially beleaguered Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., has sent layoff notices to all 1,544 of its employees and asked a bankruptcy court to approve its closing, reported The New York Times. The 287-bed hospital, which serves an African-American and Caribbean section of central Brooklyn, has been in and out of financial trouble for decades and told the bankruptcy court it has no choice but to close because the State Department of Health rejected its restructuring plan and refused any financial help until the shutdown begins, according to the article. A hearing on the closing motion is scheduled for Aug. 15 in United States Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of New York, but the NYT reports officials anticipate approval. Article