“Despite numerous calls from the various stakeholders to prevent or delay the hospital closures, the State has failed to keep Mary Immaculate and St. John’s Queens hospitals open. Without putting a plan in place, the State has left many unanswered questions about how Queens residents will be able to get their health care needs met. The New York City Fire Department, which oversees Emergency Medical Services, also has not addressed how the closures will impact the health and safety of area residents including transition plans for ‘911’ emergency medical response and treatment services.”

Over the past several months, Thompson has been advocating to prevent or delay the hospital closures. Additionally, in 2006, Thompson issued a report “Emergency Room Care: Will It Be There?,” detailing how the proposed closure of five hospitals could overwhelm emergency rooms at neighboring hospitals, reduce ambulance availability, and require New Yorkers to travel farther to reach an emergency room. With the closures of Mary Immaculate and St. John’s hospitals, Western and Southwestern Queens have lost three hospitals within two years.

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