Report: 100 Pinoy nurses to lose hospital jobs in NY

Some 100 Filipino registered nurses and hospital workers stand to lose their jobs with the closure of a cash-strapped hospital in Queens, New York. The Filipino Reporter reported the Peninsula Hospital Center in Far Rockaway, Queens, is working on a closure plan as it is $60 million in the red. Last Wednesday night, hospital workers and members of the community who may be affected by the closure held a three-hour candlelight vigil in front of the hospital to stave off the closure of the 104-year-old, 200-bed hospital. A Filipino nurse said over 100,000 local residents in Queens, Brooklyn and Nassau County, many of them poor, will be hit hard if the Peninsula Hospital is shut down. “We are all very worried about our family because we cannot afford to be unemployed in the middle of recession," she said. She noted the nearest hospital will be several miles away — a major issue for a patient who suffers a heart attack or stroke. The Filipino Reporter noted Jamaica Hospital, which treats major medical emergencies, is 10 miles away. Another hospital, St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, is about 40 blocks away, but residents said it is crowded and may not handle trauma cases like gunshot wounds and other major medical emergencies. “[The] community will suffer the most, especially the indigents... Wala nang mapupuntahan ang mga pobreng ito in case of emergency pag isinara nila ito," the nurse said. Losses MediSys Health Network, which owns the Peninsula Hospital, said the company has many debts and is having big losses in Medicaid funding. “Regarding employees and what jobs can be saved, we are working with many different parties, as well as the [state Health Department], to put a plan together that best serves the health care of the community," MediSys spokesman Ole Pedersen said. “[We have] attempted to make the Peninsula Hospital financially viable in the current difficult economic market. [But without] a long-term solution that puts the hospital on the path to fiscal recovery, an organized closure may be the only option," Pedersen added. Queens president Helen Marshall said the Peninsula Hospital may be the fifth to close in Queens in less than a decade, following St. Joseph’s, Parkway, St. John’s Queens, and Mary Immaculate. — JE, GMA News