trustees of the financially struggling Maimonides Hospital,located in heavily Orthodox Jewish south Brooklyn,filed a lawsuit this week to stop a government takeover of the 80-year-old medical facility.
Maimonides’ leadership plans to merge with the city’s public hospital system – Health + Hospitals – converting the private, independent hospital into a city-run facility overseen by a board and president/CEO appointed by the mayor.
As part of the merger, Maimonides would receive a desperately needed $2.2 billion over five years through a state grant,according to a hospital spokesperson.
But trustees and nearby Borough Park residents,notably jewish locals,fear the level of care at a public Maimonides – named after 12th-century Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon,an advocate for medical training – would drastically decline.
Maimonides trustees Aaron Twerski,Peter Rebenwurzel,George Weinberger,Chaim Fisher,Yehoshua Leib Fruchthandler,Marty Waisbrod and David Spira argued in the suit filed Sunday that the sale to Health+Hospitals would violate the board’s fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of Maimonides.
Their complaint also claimed H+H’s Brooklyn-based hospitals are consistently ranked among the lowest in New York State, raising concerns about the quality of care that could result from converting Maimonides into a public hospital.
In addition, the lawsuit claimed other proposals were not seriously considered, including those from Touro College and Westchester Medical Center.
A brooklyn lawmaker who defended the hospital when its patient care came under attack three years ago said he was furious and walked out of a meeting when Maimonides executives pushed for the city takeover.
“I was born at Maimonides,” said Councilman Simcha Felder.
“What they’re doing is outrageous.”
“They are destroying a hospital that has existed for many years.”
For now, the city takeover is on hold after Brooklyn state Supreme Court Judge Aaron Maslow issued a temporary restraining order blocking any sale pending a hearing in January.”We are grateful that the Court has paused this rushed attempt to sell Maimonides and convert it into a public hospital,” the plaintiffs said.
“We look forward to a thoughtful, transparent, and well-supported process that truly considers what is best for Maimonides and the patients who rely on it.”
Maimonides is considered a safety net hospital, meaning it provides medical care regardless of patients’ ability to pay. It relies heavily on Medicaid and state subsidies to serve a large indigent caseload and stay afloat.