Maimonides Hospital Lawsuit Against Government Takeover
The directors of Maimonides Hospital, located in a primarily Orthodox Jewish area of south Brooklyn, have initiated legal action this week to prevent the government from taking control of their 80-year-old medical facility.
The leadership of Maimonides intends to merge with the city’s public hospital system, known as Health and Hospitals, which would convert the independent hospital into one managed by the mayor, alongside a newly appointed board of directors and a president and CEO.
In this merger deal, the hospital would receive a substantial infusion of $2.2 billion in state funding over the next five years, as stated by a representative from Maimonides.
However, there are significant concerns among hospital administrators, residents of nearby Borough Park, and local Jewish community members about the potential decline in medical care quality at what would become Public Maimonides, named after Moshe ben Maimon, a rabbi from the 12th century who was an advocate for medical education.
In a lawsuit filed on Sunday, several trustees, including Aaron Twersky, Peter Lebenwurzel, and others, argue that the merger violates their fiduciary responsibility to prioritize Maimonides’ interests.
They further assert that hospitals within the Brooklyn-based H+H system don’t have a strong reputation, pointing out that New York State has some of the lowest healthcare rankings, raising doubts about the quality of care after the transformation of Maimonides into a public institution.
The complaint also mentions alternative proposals, like those from Touro University and Westchester Medical Center, which they believe were not given fair consideration.
A local lawmaker, who has defended hospitals when patient care faced scrutiny a few years ago, expressed frustration at a meeting when Maimonides executives discussed the takeover of the city’s hospitals.
“I was born in Maimonides,” said City Council member Simcha Felder, adding, “What they’re doing is outrageous. They are trying to destroy a hospital that has existed for many years.”
Currently, the city’s plan to acquire the private hospital is halted after Justice Aaron Maslow from the Brooklyn State Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order to block the sale, pending a hearing scheduled for January.
The plaintiffs expressed gratitude for the court’s decision, hoping for a more thorough and transparent process that truly considers the needs of Maimonides and its patients.
Maimonides is classified as a safety-net institution, providing care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. It heavily depends on Medicaid and state funding to support a large number of low-income patients.
The financial realities for many hospitals are grim, draining hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Meanwhile, similar mid-sized independent hospitals that remain open are partnering with larger private health systems to survive.
Several former Catholic hospitals, such as St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan, have closed in recent years, along with Long Island University Hospital, which ceased operations a decade ago.
Defending the merger plan, Maimonides officials stated that they’ve been exploring partnerships for over a decade to enhance their ability to deliver quality healthcare and improve their financial standing, which has been particularly challenging as a safety-net hospital, according to spokesman Sam Miller.
In recent months, discussions have been ongoing with leaders from New York City Health and Hospitals to join their system. Should an agreement materialize, Maimonides would benefit from significant financial assistance, especially crucial as federal budget cuts pose a risk to safety-net hospital funding.
Maimonides remains hopeful that these discussions with H+H will lead to an agreement that not only supports their current clinical collaborations but also ensures that patients receive high-quality, culturally sensitive care that they deserve.
