IRVING – A coalition of community leaders, healthcare workers, and elected officials gathered at a rally Friday to call on officials with TLC/Lakeshore hospital to keep the facility open.
The rally was coordinated by New York State Senator George Borrello.
“It is disheartening that TLC/Lakeshore administration has decided to defy the directive of the medical professionals on the Project Review Committee and push ahead, uninterrupted, with their rapid closure agenda,” said Senator Borrello.
“Although the Committee determined that abandoning Lakeshore hospital without any plan for meeting the region’s needs was not acceptable, we have heard nothing but a deafening silence from hospital leadership,” Senator Borrello continued. “While closure may be inevitable, a well-planned and fair transition period would assure the continuation of critical care services until a new provider can be secured. That is the process the people of this region and the hospital’s dedicated healthcare workers deserve.”
One week ago, the NYS Office of Mental Health Project Review Committee said that the hospital must remain open. The Committee cited the lack of a transition plan for meeting the region’s mental health and health care needs as the reason for their decision.
However, the decision has not prompted hospital administration to pause or slow its closure process despite the threat of fines and regulatory enforcement by the NYS Office of Mental Health.
TLC/Lakeshore management has continued its swift discharge and transfer of its remaining patients without a viable plan to provide healthcare services to our community.
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