Peninsula Is Revived By Orthodox Agency
By VERONICA LEWIN
Peninsula Hospital Center is one step away from being taken off the respirator and making a recovery.
The Far Rockaway hospital announced Friday that Revival Home Health Care will take over day-to-day operations, pending approval from the State Health Dept. According to Peninsula, the agreement has support from the Health Dept., in addition to the employee union 1199 SEIU.
As a result of the pending agreement, ambulances will return to Peninsula’s emergency room. On Aug. 23 the Health Dept. ordered ambulances heading for Peninsula be rerouted to other hospitals until the hospital’s financial future was certain.
A spokeswoman for the home health care company confirmed the transition was in progress, pending state approval. Revival, which specializes in providing services to the Jewish community, opened in 1994 and provides home health care service to residents in the five boroughs, Long Island and Sullivan, Rockland, Orange and Westchester Counties. Revival’s Chief Operating Officer Todd Miller will take over as Peninsula’s Chief Restructuring Officer, who will help staff members with the transition.
“Revival is very proud to be able to step in and save Peninsula Hospital Center for the Rockaway community,” Miller said in a statement.
Debt-ridden Peninsula Hospital Center has been fighting all summer to stay open. Each hospital employee received a Warn Act notice on July 29, which contained an outline of employee rights, contact information, job retraining options and benefits employees are entitled to in the event of a closure. On Aug. 1, the hospital submitted a draft closure plan to the Health Dept. for its review and approval. On Aug. 23 MediSys, which operates Flushing Hospital Medical Center and Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, ended its affiliation with the Far Rockaway hospital effective immediately. Closing the hospital would have left St. John’s Episcopal Hospital the sole remaining hospital to serve residents on the peninsula.
Last week’s announcement pleased Borough President Helen Marshall, who has been fighting to keep hospital beds in Queens for the past five years. A 2006 report by Marshall revealed that there were far fewer hospital beds per resident in Queens when compared to other boroughs. Her report suggested opening a hospital in Western Queens. Two years after the report came out, New Parkway Hospital closed its doors in November 2008, with St. John’s and Mary Immaculate following just three months later. The likely saving of Peninsula Hospital will prevent the borough from losing another 173 beds.
“Emergency care is vital for a multitude of accidents and medical conditions, and so, I applaud the Board of Directors at Peninsula and all concerned parties for their willingness to work day and night in a tireless effort to keep this hospital open and support the effort to secure State Health Department approval,” Marshall said.
Reach Reporter Veronica Lewin at vlewin@queenspress.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 123.