Another NYC Hospital to Disappear: Mount Sinai Beth Israel

Beth Israel's fate has been uncertain since it became part of the Mount Sinai Health System in 2013.

With patients increasingly directed to other facilities and overall hospitalization down everywhere, Mount Sinai officials say less than 60 percent of Beth Israel's 856 beds are usually occupied.

“For several years, we have been transforming the Mount Sinai Health System toward a new model of care, where we focus on keeping entire communities healthy and out of the hospital,” said Dr. Kenneth Davis, President and CEO of the Mount Sinai Health System, in a news release.

Mount Sinai will invest $500 million to bolster outpatient care at other locations nearby and to create a new, 70-bed hospital and emergency room two blocks from the current hospital.

George Gresham, President of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, which represents over 4,000 nurses and caregivers at Beth Israel Hospital, said the "transformation" will serve union members well.

“As the healthcare industry continues to shift to outpatient clinics and homecare, more and more hospital beds have been left empty and Beth Israel has struggled with substantial financial losses," he sai, in the news release. "We are proud of the agreement we have been able to reach with Mount Sinai, which will ‎preserve access to quality healthcare, fulfill the need for additional community services and protect good jobs."