Below are some of the objections filed with the New York City Planning Commission in opposition to the Rudin Organization's plan to build 450 luxury condominiums at the site of the former St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan.
Included are the objections from the Coalition for a New Village Hospital, Community Board 2, and Democracy for New York City.
Community Objections to the St. Vincent's Campus Redevelopment Project
Showing posts with label Yetta Kurland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yetta Kurland. Show all posts
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Coalition for a New Village Hospital Submits 3,500 Petition Signatures, Comments in Opposition to Rudin Condo Plan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Yetta G. Kurland, Esq.
Kurland, Bonica & Associates, P.C.
(212) 253-6911
Coalition for a New Village Hospital Submits 3,500 Petition Signatures, Comments in Opposition to Rudin Condo Plan
West Village, NY. July 12, 2011. The Coalition for a New Village Hospital submitted 3,500 signatures to the New York City Planning Commission yesterday along with an 11 page position paper in opposition to the Rudin’s plan to develop St. Vincent’s Hospital into luxury condominiums. They petition called upon the CPC to deny the Rudin Organization’s plan alleging that it would violate law, deny lower Manhattan with desperately needed health care and overtax the current infrastructure in the area with the additional 450 luxury units the plan proposes.
The petition, viewable online at: http://www.change.org/petitions/a-hospital-not-condos-for-nyc, highlights that the Rudin application “does not include a hospital. As such, it does not comply with the requirements of the 2009 LPC ‘judicial hardship’ approval. Nor does it comply with the provisions of 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code in that this sale and the proposed Rudin plan does not continue the charitable mission of SVCMC as it is required to, namely to provide a full service hospital.”
Online signatories (the majority of signatures were gathered on paper) had the opportunity to comment as well. Many of the comments spoke to resident’s personal experiences at St. Vincent’s, and more recently in the absence of a hospital.
Fred Hersch wrote: “St. Vincent's saved my life three times. It should be there for others.”
Rosemary Rowley said: “What we need is health care, not more upscale housing to burden all ready overburdened services.”
The petition was supplemented by formal comments from the Coalition for a New Village Hospital’s attorney, Yetta Kurland.
Those comments, viewable at http://demandahospital.blogspot.com/2011/07/comments-on-coalitions-petition-to-cpc.html, focus on the various land use, zoning, public health and nonprofit law deficiencies in the Rudin’s application, and called upon the City Planning Commission to reject the application.
In a statement, Ms Kurland said, “The Rudin Condo plan does not comply with the law, and it does not comply with common sense. This location is clearly well suited for hospital use – and has been for 160 years. There can be no doubt that the interests and public health of the City of New York would be irrevocably damaged if this flawed, illegal plan is permitted to proceed.”
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Friday, July 1, 2011
Hospital struggle continues in the courts, and the streets…
The Coalition for a New Village Hospital has not dropped it’s lawsuit
You may have read this week about a lawsuit relating to the former St. Vincent’s Hospital being dropped. The suit in question was brought by allies of the Coalition, who lacked the resources to pursue it further.
We assure you that the Coalition for a New Village Hospital has not dropped our challenges to the Rudin Condo plan in the courts, in the streets in City Hall or at the NYC Planning Commission.
In fact, at this week’s City Planning Commission scoping meeting, community members filled the halls speaking passionately in opposition to the Rudin Condo plan and of the need for a full service hospital. The tone of the discussion and the parameters of the debate were set by our voices. The Coalition delivered over 2,500 signatures on our petition to the Planning Commission, gathered in only a few days.
Please take a moment to sign the online petition now: http://www.change.org/petitions/a-hospital-not-condos-for-nyc. Or just click the petition widget to the right.
Then, join us the rest of the Coalition for a New Village Hospital
at our big street petitioning drive tomorrow
Tomorrow, Saturday, July 2, 2011
12:00 PM– 4:00 PM
Meet at Tea & Sympathy
108-110 Greenwich Avenue
between Jane and Horatio Streets (MAP)
Friday, June 24, 2011
New Petition Drive: Tell CPC to Deny Condo application
The Rudin's Plan is not a done deal, and it is at a crucial phase. We need you to raise your voice as the Rudins try to sneak their condo plan by.
The Rudins have submitted their illegal plan to convert the site of the old St. Vincent’s Hospital to 450 Condominiums to the NYC City Planning Commission. The plan lacks a Certificate of Appropriateness, lacks relevant lawful permission to proceed and does not include adequate resources for the health and welfare of New York City’s population.
Tell the City Planning Commission to deny the Rudin’s Condo application by signing this online petition right now: http://www.change.org/petitions/a-hospital-not-condos-for-nyc .
The Rudins have submitted their illegal plan to convert the site of the old St. Vincent’s Hospital to 450 Condominiums to the NYC City Planning Commission. The plan lacks a Certificate of Appropriateness, lacks relevant lawful permission to proceed and does not include adequate resources for the health and welfare of New York City’s population.
Tell the City Planning Commission to deny the Rudin’s Condo application by signing this online petition right now: http://www.change.org/
Then, join the Coalition for a New Village Hospital
at our big street petitioning drive tomorrow
Tomorrow, Saturday, June 25th
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Meet at Tea & Sympathy
108-110 Greenwich Avenue
between Jane and Horatio Streets (MAP)
Then, next Tuesday, please join me and the Coalition as the City Planning Commission begins the review of the Rudin application. This meeting is an essential part of the ULURP, or Uniform Land Use Review Process, to rezone the site of our hospital for condo development. The Planning Commissioners have not yet heard the depth of our community’s opposition to the Rudin plan. It is vital that they begin this process with our voice.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 2:00PM
New York City Planning Commission,
Public Comments on Draft Scope of Work
to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement
for the Saint Vincent’s Campus Redevelopment
Spector Hall, Department of City Planning,
22 Reade Street, Between Broadway and Centre Street (MAP)
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Statement on Today's Court Decision
Statement from the
Coalition for a New Village Hospital's attorney Yetta Kurland
Coalition for a New Village Hospital's attorney Yetta Kurland
We were disappointed, but not surprised by today's Court decision. While we disagree with the Court's determination, this is just the first of a number of hurdles that the Rudins will have to overcome to purchase and develop the St. Vincent's campus.The Coalition for a New Village Hospital stays principled in our stand and unwavering in our position that this community requires nothing less than a full service hospital. We will continue to unite the community toward that objective. Our April 30th rally will be a testament to the community's desire for a hospital. At the same time, we are prepared to work wiith Rudin Management and North Shore-LIJ to achieve that goal.
Delay Approval of the Rudin, North Shore LIJ Condo Deal
For: The Coalition For A New Village Hospital
Media Contact: Steven Greene
For Immediate Release
Delay Approval of the Rudin, North Shore LIJ Condo Deal
New York, NY – April 7, 2011 – The Coalition for A New Village Hospital called on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court today to delay approval of the proposed sale of former St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center site to RSV LLC, an affiliate of Rudin Management.
Said Yetta Kurland of the 7,000 member Coalition, “While recent court decisions prevent us from filing objections to the proposed sale of the St. Vincent’s property to the Rudin Management Company, we stand firm in our conviction that this community is in urgent need of a full-service emergency room and in-patient hospital. The current plan offered by Rudin Management and North Shore-LIJ falls far short of that goal. “
On April 6, The Southern District Court reaffirmed the Bankruptcy Court’s decision to bar attorneys for the Coalition from “taking any actions and otherwise proceeding in furtherance of or in connection with” related to the allegations in their earlier state court action.
Said Dr. David Kaufman, “We are fully prepared to work with Rudin Management and North Shore-LIJ Group or any other qualified buyer toward the realization of a hospital. If necessary, it would be in the best interests of the community and the creditors to re-open bidding to additional qualified buyers committed to a new hospital.”
On March 10, the Rudin Management firm announced they had partnered with North Shore-LIJ to with plans to build a walk-in emergency facility and hundreds of luxury apartments in place of the full service in-patient hospital. Community members have protested the plans citing a number of health concerns and efforts by other jurisdictions that already offer free standing emergency rooms to introduce legislation banning them because of these concerns as well as exorbitant costs associated such facilities.
###
Friday, March 25, 2011
Update from Attorney Yetta Kurland: Moving Forward
Dear Friends,
News came out earlier this month that a deal had been made, between the Rudin development organization and the remnants of St. Vincent’s Medical Center, for Rudin to purchase the old St. Vincent’s hospital for use as a condominium site, with a section to be set aside for an urgent care center.
The Coalition for a New Village Hospital stays principled in our fight for a hospital and unwavering in our position that the community needs nothing less than a full service level 1 trauma care hospital. But we see this proposal as an opportunity in that fight, and here’s why.
As New Yorkers we know that, where there’s a will, there’s a way. The defeat of the Westside Stadium, the success of Grand Central Station, and Central Park are monuments to our will as New Yorkers. There are others.
Yesterday evening, The Wall Street Journal reported that a potential buyer is seeking to block the Rudin sale in bankruptcy so it can build a full service hospital at the St. Vincent’s site.
Here on the Lower West Side, we have known since the wrongful closure of St. Vincent’s Hospital that there is a strong will among the residents of our community to have a new hospital to replace the one that was taken away from us. All of these recent developments are an acknowledgment of that will. There will be a medical facility at Seventh Avenue and 12th Street. This is the start of what can be a victory for all of us in our fight.
There remains however the critical question of what kind of a medical facility it will be.
We have been working on the political front to make clear to the Rudins, and to our elected officials, that if the Rudins and LIJ can get the building for free, and raise an additional $125 million, as they acknowledge, to build a brand new urgent care center, they can, for the same or similar cost, renovate the Coleman building to create a hospital.
We have been fighting on the legal front to force St. Vincent’s to be more transparent in their dealings, including their financials, for the New York State Department of Health to honor its responsibility to provide adequate healthcare for our community, for the Bankruptcy Court to recognize our right as members of the public for health care, and for our public officials to hold those responsible for this health crisis accountable and restore the vital resources our community needs.
To that end, I want to invite you to come on April 1st at 2pm in U.S. Southern District Court which is located at 500 Pearl Street, Room 14B (MAP) to watch oral arguments in our fight to allow the Coalition access to public records regarding the closure of St. Vincent’s hospital.
Also on April 7th at 11:00am the bankruptcy court at 1 Bowling Green, Room 701 (MAP) will hold a hearing on the request to approve the sale of the property to the Rudins. It is the Coalition’s position that such a sale would be a violation of New York State Non-Profit Corporation laws and U.S. Internal Revenue Code, both of which the bankruptcy court must recognize. In specific, a public asset, including the not for profit St. Vincent’s, cannot transfer assets to a private entity, like the Rudins, and a transfer like that proposed must continue the charitable mission of St. Vincent’s Hospital, which clearly luxury condominium units do not. You can read the letter we sent to the bankruptcy court regarding this here.
It has been and it remains the will of our people that this facility be a hospital, a real hospital -- with an emergency room, fully equipped to handle the cases that will come through its doors, with the inpatient rooms that will continue the care once the crisis has been met, and with the special services and departments that a community such as ours would require.
Built into the Rudin/St.Vincent’s/Long Island Jewish deal is the wherewithal to bring into being a New Village Hospital. If an “urgent care center” can be built, then a hospital can be built on the old site. Given the amount of money available from Federal and State funds to operate a hospital, over and above what would be available to operate an “urgent care center,” the economics of going the hospital route make more sense. Again, as always, it is a question of the will to do it.
It is now up to us as a community to transfer our will into a reality by making clear, to all the actors in this process, that we will not go away until we get what we need and deserve, a hospital.
To that end, please mark your calendars. April 30th. That’s the date when we will commemorate the one year anniversary of the wrongful closing of St. Vincent’s and redouble our efforts and resolve to demand a hospital for our community. Please download this flyer to put in your building, community center or school to let folks know. There will be a planning meeting for the rally on Wednesday March 30th at 6pm at the Church of the Village located on the corner of 7th Avenue and 13th Street (7th Ave entrance - MAP) and a fundraiser on Monday March 28th (see below or buy tickets here) at Fiddlesticks on Greenwich between 7th Avenue and 6th Avenue (MAP).
Be there. Look for me. I’ll be looking for you.
In solidarity and towards a new village hospital,
Yetta Kurland
Coalition for a New Village Hospital: One Year Rally Poster
3-22 letter in re St. Vincent's
News came out earlier this month that a deal had been made, between the Rudin development organization and the remnants of St. Vincent’s Medical Center, for Rudin to purchase the old St. Vincent’s hospital for use as a condominium site, with a section to be set aside for an urgent care center.
The Coalition for a New Village Hospital stays principled in our fight for a hospital and unwavering in our position that the community needs nothing less than a full service level 1 trauma care hospital. But we see this proposal as an opportunity in that fight, and here’s why.
As New Yorkers we know that, where there’s a will, there’s a way. The defeat of the Westside Stadium, the success of Grand Central Station, and Central Park are monuments to our will as New Yorkers. There are others.
Yesterday evening, The Wall Street Journal reported that a potential buyer is seeking to block the Rudin sale in bankruptcy so it can build a full service hospital at the St. Vincent’s site.
Here on the Lower West Side, we have known since the wrongful closure of St. Vincent’s Hospital that there is a strong will among the residents of our community to have a new hospital to replace the one that was taken away from us. All of these recent developments are an acknowledgment of that will. There will be a medical facility at Seventh Avenue and 12th Street. This is the start of what can be a victory for all of us in our fight.
There remains however the critical question of what kind of a medical facility it will be.
We have been working on the political front to make clear to the Rudins, and to our elected officials, that if the Rudins and LIJ can get the building for free, and raise an additional $125 million, as they acknowledge, to build a brand new urgent care center, they can, for the same or similar cost, renovate the Coleman building to create a hospital.
We have been fighting on the legal front to force St. Vincent’s to be more transparent in their dealings, including their financials, for the New York State Department of Health to honor its responsibility to provide adequate healthcare for our community, for the Bankruptcy Court to recognize our right as members of the public for health care, and for our public officials to hold those responsible for this health crisis accountable and restore the vital resources our community needs.
To that end, I want to invite you to come on April 1st at 2pm in U.S. Southern District Court which is located at 500 Pearl Street, Room 14B (MAP) to watch oral arguments in our fight to allow the Coalition access to public records regarding the closure of St. Vincent’s hospital.
Also on April 7th at 11:00am the bankruptcy court at 1 Bowling Green, Room 701 (MAP) will hold a hearing on the request to approve the sale of the property to the Rudins. It is the Coalition’s position that such a sale would be a violation of New York State Non-Profit Corporation laws and U.S. Internal Revenue Code, both of which the bankruptcy court must recognize. In specific, a public asset, including the not for profit St. Vincent’s, cannot transfer assets to a private entity, like the Rudins, and a transfer like that proposed must continue the charitable mission of St. Vincent’s Hospital, which clearly luxury condominium units do not. You can read the letter we sent to the bankruptcy court regarding this here.
It has been and it remains the will of our people that this facility be a hospital, a real hospital -- with an emergency room, fully equipped to handle the cases that will come through its doors, with the inpatient rooms that will continue the care once the crisis has been met, and with the special services and departments that a community such as ours would require.
Built into the Rudin/St.Vincent’s/Long Island Jewish deal is the wherewithal to bring into being a New Village Hospital. If an “urgent care center” can be built, then a hospital can be built on the old site. Given the amount of money available from Federal and State funds to operate a hospital, over and above what would be available to operate an “urgent care center,” the economics of going the hospital route make more sense. Again, as always, it is a question of the will to do it.
It is now up to us as a community to transfer our will into a reality by making clear, to all the actors in this process, that we will not go away until we get what we need and deserve, a hospital.
To that end, please mark your calendars. April 30th. That’s the date when we will commemorate the one year anniversary of the wrongful closing of St. Vincent’s and redouble our efforts and resolve to demand a hospital for our community. Please download this flyer to put in your building, community center or school to let folks know. There will be a planning meeting for the rally on Wednesday March 30th at 6pm at the Church of the Village located on the corner of 7th Avenue and 13th Street (7th Ave entrance - MAP) and a fundraiser on Monday March 28th (see below or buy tickets here) at Fiddlesticks on Greenwich between 7th Avenue and 6th Avenue (MAP).
Be there. Look for me. I’ll be looking for you.
In solidarity and towards a new village hospital,
Yetta Kurland
Coalition for a New Village Hospital: One Year Rally Poster
3-22 letter in re St. Vincent's
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
A Community Unites...
From "A Community Unites", a great photo essay about the 100 Days rally by Sarah Bures at The New School Free Press. See the full essay here.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Rally TODAY: 100 Days Without a Hospital
Come one, come all!
Join the Coalition for a New Village Hospital tomorrow for
100 Days Without a Hospital Rally,
TODAY, Sunday October 17th
2 PM
West 12th St. and 7th Avenue
If there remained any doubt as to the need for a New Village Hospital, Ruth Ford and Adrienne Day's must read article in City Lights dispelled it.
Can't make it today? Here's what you can do:
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Coalition Legal Team Argues Case
The CNVH legal team made oral arguments on Friday on our appeal of the US Bankruptcy Court decision in May. This decision denied us the right even to have our case heard. Our appeal on Friday would allow us to press our suit to compel the New York State Department of Health to continue the services provided at St. Vincent's.
It was a great opportunity to make our case for why adequate health care is a fundamental right for all New Yorkers and public health institutions cannot just collapse in a matter of days without consequence.
Below is a picture of our legal team. All of them having been working tirelessly - without a penny of pay - for months.
Below is a picture of our legal team. All of them having been working tirelessly - without a penny of pay - for months.
Please thank them for their incredible work and effort, by joining us at the '100 Days Without A Hospital' Rally on Sunday October 17th at 2pm. Below is a link to a flyer to pass around. We have already confirmed a number of organizations and celebrity Michelle Clunie from Showtime's Queer as Folk. Please let us know too if your organization would like to join.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
RALLY: 100 DAYS WITHOUT A HOSPITAL
100days_11x17spnsrs4cOP
Please print out the above flyer and let your neighbors know about this important rally. You can download an 11" X 17" poster here.
Please print out the above flyer and let your neighbors know about this important rally. You can download an 11" X 17" poster here.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Attorney General Candidate Backs Hospital, Coalition
Coalition for a
We’ve reached out to all the candidates for Attorney General and Governor, and are expecting to hear from more in the next few days.
Former St. Vincent’s Hospital Employees and Lower West Side Community Welcomes Statement of Public Support From Attorney General Candidate Kathleen Rice
New York, NY – August 19th, 2010 6 pm-– Yetta Kurland of Kurland, Bonica & Associates, P.C. a member of The Coalition For A New Village Hospital, the community organization that filed suit against the NYS Department of Health on Monday August 16th, responded to a clear statement of support today from Attorney General Candidate Kathleen Rice.
In a statement issued today, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, Democratic candidate for Attorney General, announced, “As the next Attorney General, I will work with community advocates and Department of Health to help facilitate the return of a hospital to serve the people of the Lower West Side."
In making the statement, Rice became one of the first State officials to support the Coalition’s goals.
Said Kurland, “We welcome this powerful support from District Attorney Rice and her commitment to returning a vitally needed hospital and Level One Trauma Center to the Lower West Side Community. This closure has left hundreds of thousands without vital medical care and has thrown our community into a health crisis. We look forward to working closely with Nassau’s District Attorney Kathleen Rice in realizing our goal, and look forward to the support emerging from leaders throughout the State.”
On August 16th, the attorneys petitioned Manhattan Supreme Court to obtain information concerning the closure plan of St. Vincent’s Hospital. "It is our hope that the information we are able to secure in this action will help in realizing the return of a hospital to the community,” said Kurland. The Article 78 proceeding will be heard on September 8, 2010 in NYS Supreme Court by Judge O. Peter Sherwood.
"This community needs a hospital and deserves the truth. Today’s announcement of support from Kathleen Rice opens the door to a new, positive conversation, and we look forward to sitting down with local leaders to hear their views” said Eileen Dunn, RN, and a founding member of the Coalition.
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Monday, August 16, 2010
Coalition Files Suit to Demand Release of Documents
The Coalition for a New Village Hospital filed suit in New York County Supreme Court today to demand release of documents kept secret by the New York State Dept. of Health. The suit, filed by attorneys Yetta Kurland and Thomas Shanahan on behalf of the Coalition, seeks to compel the Dept. of Health to release the hospital closure plans, transfer plans and all related documents.
While the documents are public records, the Dept. has steadfastly refused to release them despite a Freedom of Information Law request and numerous other inquiries. Today's Article 78 proceeding asks the court to order their release. Included in these documents will be details of any plans to transfer the St. Vincent's site to other hospital providers - and importantly why these attempts were quashed by Health Commissioner Richard Daines.
Here's civil rights attorney Yetta Kurland discussing the suit this morning.
Included in the complaint are IRS documents showing alleged mismanagement, high executive salaries and rampant waste by St. Vincent's management prior to the closure. Executive salaries remained sky-high as doctors, nurses and patients were asked to sacrifice.
Here are the documents filed today:
The coalition also held a press conference in conjunction with today's filing, which was reported on by The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, New York 1 (with Video), and others. In addition to Kurland and Shanahan, Coalition members Eileen Dunn RN, District Leaders Paul Newell and Jean Grillo, activist Miguel Acevedo and Noah Pfefferblit of Community Board 1 spoke in favor of the law suit.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Community Board 1 Joins the Fight!
Manhattan's Community Board 1 joined their neighbor CB2 and The Coalition for a New Village Hospital in calling for a "land lock" on the old St. Vincent's site. Board Chair Julie Menin commended the Coalition's work to a packed meeting. Coalition members Yetta Kurland, Paul Newell and Jonathan Slaff all spoke to the Board.
As more and more community groups sign on to CNVH's mission, the tide on this issue is beginning to turn. CB1 passed the resolution unanimously on July 27th.
COMMUNITY MEMBERS FILE APPEAL TO DEMAND THAT NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH INVESTIGATE CLOSURE
OF ST. VINCENT'S HOSPITAL AND ENSURE NEW HOSPITAL AT THE SITE
Attorneys for community members of the West Village and Chelsea filed an appeal on Jul 19, 2010 to challenge the Bankruptcy Court's decision to deny community members the right to file suit against the Department of Health for allowing St. Vincent's Hospital to wrongfully close and for not ensuring a hospital replaced the 160 year medical institution. The Bankruptcy Judge claimed the suit would unfairly impact the distribution of assets to the creditors deciding it would "exercise control" over the assets.
Yetta Kurland, one of the attorneys representing the community members stated "This is not just about our fundamental right to health care, it is also about our fundamental right to due process. The Department of Health has an affirmative statutory obligation to ensure hospitals are closed properly. That means that the public needs to be properly protected in that process, which it was not here. It also means that the DOH has to ensure a continuation of the same services and ensure that this is place before it allows a hospital to close.
"But the Bankruptcy Court Judge told us that we could not proceed with our claim in New York State Court, not because we didn't have grounds, but because she wanted to retain jurisdiction on all matters related to the closure. But then she turned around and told us that we couldn't bring this lawsuit in Bankruptcy Court because we weren't a debtor or a creditor and because it might adversely impact the creditors' assets. This is not about assets, this is about people's lives. It begs the question; where do we go for relief when our state agencies are not doing what they are supposed to be doing. We believe the decision violates due process, New York State health laws and the New York State constitution."
Here's a full copy of the appeal
Coalition for a New Village Hospital Appellant Brief
COMMUNITY BOARD 2 PASSES RESOLUTION CALLING FOR A HOSPITAL AT THE SITE OF ST. VINCENT'S AND A LOCK ON LAND TO ENSURE IT
COMMUNITY BOARD 2 PASSES RESOLUTION CALLING FOR A HOSPITAL AT THE SITE OF ST. VINCENT'S AND A LOCK ON LAND TO ENSURE IT
West Village, New York. July 27, 2010. Over one hundred members of the Coalition for a New Village Hospital came out to the Community Board 2 Full Board Meeting at Elizabeth Irwin High School on Thursday July 22nd to demand a resolution that would protect land use at the St. Vincent's Hospital Campus to ensure it is used for a hospital.
After hours of testimony, in a showing of solidarity with the community, the Board passed a resolution calling on elected officials and the Bankruptcy Court to protect the existing land use by opposing any changes to the zoning, use and occupancy or any other law that would eliminate hospital use at the site. The board also called on the Bankruptcy Court to set up a Community Council, with the aid of the New York City Corporation Counsel, to represent the community in the Bankruptcy Court's procedures.
Yetta Kurland, a civil rights attorney and member of the Coalition stated "This is an incredible victory for our Community. Thanks to the courage and leadership of many Community Board members and the continued hard work of so many who have been fighting since the hospital closed on April 30th, we now have a resolution that our elected officials must listen to. We will settle for nothing less than a hospital at the St. Vincent's site."
The strong language that "opposes all changes in land use" was not initially on the agenda for the meeting. But after hearing testimony from members of the Coalition for a New Village Hospital and other community members speaking in favor of a land lock, the Board changed course and demanded that the resolution be amended to include such language. Arthur Schwartz, a civil rights attorney and member of Community Board 2 negotiated the language for the amendment to the resolution which was passed by a vote of 29 for and only 6 opposed.
Another Coalition member and St. Vincent's Physician, David Kaufman, MD stated "The hundreds of thousands of residents that live and work on the Lower West Side and the physicians who serve them desperately need a full service hospital and emergency room. I congratulate and thank Community Board 2 for their support and recognition of this critical need."
Eileen Dunn RN, a St. Vincent's nurse and member of the Coalition thanked the members of Community Board 2 stating "Community Board 2 has shown its true commitment to those they represent and I thank them for acknowledging, through this resolution, the importance of the health and safety of the people of the Lower West Side."
The Board's resolution puts them on record opposing any changes to the zoning, certificate of occupancy or other part of the land use that would eliminate the hospital use. Community Boards, while advisory, are considered an essential part of the ULURP process required to achieve such changes. Speaker Christine Quinn who also plays a vital role in the ULURP process is also recently on record stating that she "will continue our push for a full service hospital here." A full copy of the resolution is included below.
FULL TEXT OF RESOLUTION:
At its Full Board meeting on July 22, 2010, Community Board 2 (Manhattan) adopted the following resolution:
RESOLUTION STATING CB 2'S SUPPORT FOR THE CONTINUATION OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES ON THE FORMER ST. VINCENT'S CAMPUS
WHEREAS, the closure of St. Vincent's Hospital has resulted in the community's loss of an emergency room, in-patient hospital, Level 1 trauma center and the capacity to address a widespread public health emergency such as a natural disaster or act of terrorism, creating a significant gap in the health care services available to the residents of this community board and the entire Lower West Side of Manhattan; and
WHEREAS, as heard by the community board during the June 14 and July 15, 2010 public hearings and at previous community meetings, there is widespread public support for the re-establishment of a full-service, acute care hospital on the former St. Vincent's campus, and the community board reiterates its strong support for such a hospital at such location, as well; and
WHEREAS, all or part of the current St. Vincent's campus is the most logical, cost-effective, and central location for the re-establishment of such a hospital or other health care facility that will adequately address the community's myriad health care needs, and, in fact, may be the only location suitable for such a facility, which compounds the urgency of this resolution.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Community Board No. 2 opposes all changes in land use laws, zoning rules, landmarks laws, or any other laws that would eliminate hospital uses at the site of the former St. Vincent's; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOVED that CB2 shall seek to petition the Bankruptcy Court and create a community committee to explore in a publicly transparent manner, all options for the St. Vincent's campus, and requests assistance from the NYC Corporation Counsel to assert such a petition; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that CB2 urges our elected officials to join the Community Board in this petition.
Friday, May 28, 2010
COALITION FOR A NEW VILLAGE HOSPITAL Petition
Sign this petition to our elected officials Demand A Hospital for the Lower West Side!!!
COALITION FOR A NEW VILLAGE HOSPITAL Petition
COALITION FOR A NEW VILLAGE HOSPITAL Petition
Monday, May 24, 2010
HANDS AROUND ST. VINCENT’S THIS SATURDAY
Let this response inspire us to action. This Saturday, May 29th at 2pm, we will be inviting all of our elected officials back to hear from experts and advocates who understand and care about our community to let them know that there is no reason why a hospital can't thrive at the old
But we need you there on Saturday to let them know that we will not be dissuaded.
Hands Around St. Vincent's
SATURDAY MAY 29th
2:00 - 4:00pm
Gather at 7th Avenue & 12th Street
JOIN WITH US TO DEMAND A HOSPITAL AT THE SITE OF ST. VINCENT'S
COME SHARE YOUR STORIES AND LET OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS KNOW -
WE NEED A HOSPITAL AT THE ST. VINCENT'S SITE!
We also need your help spreading the word. Here's a PDF of a flyer you can print and distribute to your community. http://www.yettakurland.com/svh/handsflyer.pdf
You can RSVP to the Facebook Event here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=124836660873812&ref=mf
Coalition for a New Village Hospital Responds to Senator Duane’s Forum
Last Friday, Senator Thomas K. Duane held for a forum entitled "How Can We Get Back a Hospital for Our Community". The forum was a direct response to our work marching in the streets, fighting in the court, and organizing to demand that our hospital be restored.
Though some of the panelists invited by Senator Duane attempted to tell us we no longer need a hospital, Eileen Dunn, representing the Nurses Union, made it clear that we must we have a hospital on the Lower West Side and that if we make our voices heard, we can make it happen.
Perhaps most incredible was one of the panelists' response when asked what a resident should do if they were experiencing a heart attack or some other emergency.
Please see the clip below captured by George Sosa, a documentarian who covered this meeting to see what the "health advocate" had to say:
NYS Senator Thomas Duane's Health Care Education Panel 5/21/10 (Clip 1) from g. sosa on Vimeo.
Below is the Coalition’s answers to some of the questions posed at Senotr Duane’s forum.
WHY A HOSPITAL?
An urgent care center cannot meet the public health and safety needs of this community. It will not be able to offer level 1 trauma, an emergency room or related intensive care and hospital beds needed. Nor would it support the complex web of health care this community depended on with
WHY THE
WHY IS IT POSSIBLE?
Nay-sayers will tell you that it's not possible, that there is too much debt, that no entity is interested and that there are already too many hospital beds in
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Coalition for a New Village Hospital holds Planning Meeting
Over 125 people turned up for Thursday night's planning meeting at Our Lady of Pompeii Church in the
The meeting, chaired by Civil Rights Attorney Yetta Kurland, discussed various approaches to our demand for a new village hospital.
Here's a video of Ms. Kurland explaining the state of the legal challenges:
At this point, we were joined briefly by Julie Menin, Chair of Community Board One. Ms. Menin discussed the joint taskforce of Community Boards 1, 2, 3 and 4 on health care – and committed to work towards a hospital for the lower
Here she is discussing the role these hospitals play in the event of a homeland security emergency.
After these introductory presentations, the bulk of the meeting was composed of community ideas on how to fight back. Some of the consensus ideas were:
- A campaign of Street Actions at the site of old
- Work with the Community Boards to help keep the
- Outreach to elected officials
- Art and Culture installations
- A complaint to the Attorney General's office was circulated.
Things are developing very quickly, so watch this space...
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