The only remaining hospital in the Rockaways is seeking state approval for a multi-million dollar expansion — despite its bleak financial prognosis.
St. John’s Episcopal Hospital plans to move many of its specialty clinics across Beach 20th St. from its Far Rockaway facility to free up space for a roughly $10 million expansion of its emergency department.
It is unclear when the state Health Department will make a decision, as agency officials did not return calls for comment.
But the 257-bed hospital, which recently cut its detox center, outsourced some of its clinics and laid off several dozen employees to save money, has seen a surge of new patients since Peninsula Hospital closed in 2012.
“An expanded emergency department will “directly address” the need for more services in the Rockaways, said the hospital’s Interim CEO Richard Brown.
“St. John’s has a number of key projects pending approval which are critical to the health of the Rockaways and the South Shore” of Long Island, he said in a statement.
But St. John’s officials ducked questions about the state of the hospital and its other projects.
Sources with knowledge of the situation said the struggling facility needs to partner with a larger healthcare system to stay afloat.
The hospital, run by Episcopal Health Services, is said to be in talks with the North Shore-LIJ Health System and the Catholic Health Services of Long Island.
North Shore officials said the system is not considering absorbing the hospital. Catholic Health Services did not return calls for comment.
Despite the shaky balance sheet, its services are in demand.
“Our emergency department becomes very overwhelmed — especially on a weekend,” said St. John’s nurse and 1199SEIU union rep Debbie Friedland.
It’s gotten so bad that patients often go to other hospitals rather than wait to see a doctor, said Steven Kramer, executive vice president of 1199SEIU, which represents many workers there.
The closest hospitals to the Rockaways are Jamaica Hospital, Coney Island Hospital and South Shore Hospital on Long Island.
“The bottom line is there is a desperate need for better and more accessible healthcare in the Rockaways,” said state Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder (D-Rockaway Beach.)
St. John’s situation isn’t unique. Many small and mid-size hospitals in urban areas are flat-lining, said Boston University professor Alan Sager, who specializes in health care finance.
He blamed Medicaid and private insurers that have cut reimbursement rates or failed to keep pace with inflation. It becomes even worse when nearby hospitals close, he said.
“There can be a domino effect when one hospital closes,” he said. “The [old hospital’s] patients and their medical problems and financial problems follow them to the new hospital.”
