Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital in Manhattan (New York) closing for good today after 135 years

Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital, which has served the Manhattan community for 135 years, permanently closed its doors at 8 a.m. Wednesday. 

For the past two years, community advocates have been fighting to keep the hospital open. But on Tuesday, a New York appeals court ruled in favor of the health system, putting an end to the legal saga. 

In a statement, Mount Sinai said it was pleased with the ruling, adding that it would move forward with its closure plan immediately.

The health system first announced plans to shutter the East Village hospital in 2023, citing financial trouble and dwindling inpatient volumes.

But patients and advocates mounted a legal challenge, worried it could take years for other health care providers to scale up their infrastructure and meet the demand that would be placed on them.

The CEO of Mount Sinai says as part of its commitment to the community, it has opened an expanded urgent care center on 14th Street, two blocks away from the hospital. That facility will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We will ensure that every patient will be taken care of—the safety and care of our patients is, and has always been, our guiding priority,” CEO Brendan G. Carr wrote in a statement. 

He also said letters have been sent to more than 55,000 patients, alerting them of the closure.

Related: Mount Sinai-Beth Israel hospital closes, emergency room shut down – NBC News 4

Source: CBS News New York