In recent months, officials at the State University of New York (SUNY) have attempted to shutter Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill. Interfaith Medical Center in Bed-Stuy, in bankruptcy, was ordered by the Department of Health to submit a closure plan rather than reorganize. These actions, if carried out, will reduce access to life-saving care for hundreds of thousands of patients, and eliminate thousands of quality jobs.

Thanks to the efforts of 1199 caregivers, patients, community members, and mayoral candidate and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, LICH and Interfaith remain open for care—for the time being. On Monday, August 26, the bankruptcy judge overseeing the future of Interfaith Medical Center granted a temporary reprieve by postponing the closure of the hospital for 16 more days.

Public Advocate de Blasio, along with 1199SEIU and the New York State Nurses’ Association, has prevailed in court to keep SUNY from unlawfully closing LICH, and has asked the bankruptcy court overseeing Interfaith to give hospital leaders more time to come up with a plan that keeps vital services available to members of one of Brooklyn’s most disadvantaged communities.

1199 caregivers will not stand by and allow Brooklyn’s patient communities to suffer without the medical care they need. The union is planning a massive rally in September month to send a message to the Department of Health and Governor Cuomo: “Stop closing our community hospitals!”

We will notify you what our next steps are, and the exact time and location of our upcoming rally.