NYC's St. Vincent Hospital to close

The New York Times is reporting St. Vincent's Hospital, a staple for health care in the West Village and haven for early AIDS/HIV care in the 80's, will close in a few weeks because of mounting financial debt.  The question floating around the city is whether any of the larger medical systems that dominate Hospital Row on the East Side or in the northern part of Manhattan will see an opportunity to buy into a prime location for a presence in the West Village.  An earlier partnership deal with Mt. Sinai fell through last week though it seems the door is open now for an outright purchase of the system.

I never worked or had services at St. Vinny's but don't think many of my friends and co-workers at some time have not been directly a part of either providing or receiving care there.  It's a historic hospital that had its mission of care to New Yorkers, regardless of their ability to pay, is etched in the foundations of the hospital.

The great concern now is where will all those people who have used St. Vinny's to get both their acute and long-term care can go for help and whether the other hospital systems in the city can absorb the impact.