BP MARKOWITZ COMMENDS COURT DECISION TO
STOP THE CLOCK ON HOSPITAL CLOSINGS

"I commend Judge Mary Ann Brigantti-Hughes for the concerns of Brooklynites and New Yorkers throughout the state and including my request to ‘stop the clock’ on the Berger Commission’s recommendations that would shutter hospitals. Hospital closures do little to address the larger problems of our health care delivery system.

Underutilization of hospitals is not Brooklyn’s biggest problem, —it is the fact that many of our lower income residents cannot afford the care they need or lack adequate access to quality diagnostic screenings and primary care. Any reforms enacted should be preceded by thorough study and a detailed account of a community’s health care challenges. Brooklyn needs immediate strategies to provide affordable access to quality health care for all our residents, regardless of their income level or insurance status, not quick-fix hospital closures that may put residents at risk.

I look forward to continuing the thoughtful discussion and implementation of plans that work to address the health care needs of our borough’s residents, with the new governor and Congress, so they can live happy, healthful lives in Brooklyn."

-Borough President Marty Markowitz