Closing Mount Vernon Hospital Becomes Election Issue

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Everyone in Mount Vernon was surprised when officials at Montefiore Health System announced Oct. 15 that Mount Vernon Hospital would be closed. Montefiore officials said they would instead build a new emergency department and urgent care center.

Initially, acting Mayor Andre Wallace sounded positive, quoted in the health system's press release saying:

"It is encouraging that Montefiore is reaffirming their commitment to Mount Vernon with this major investment in the health of our community. Montefiore has always been up front about changes in health care that will affect the city, and it is clear that the health of the community is their first priority in carrying out this plan. I want to thank Montefiore for their continued dedication to providing the best possible health care for Mount Vernon."

From his opponent in the mayor's race, concern about the plan surfaced quickly.

"As a Mount Vernon resident, I am deeply alarmed that the only hospital in the city plans to close," mayoral candidate Shawyn Patterson-Howard told Patch. "We are the eighth densest city in America, and any reduction in our current medical options is a threat to the health and welfare of Mount Vernon, particularly the most vulnerable among us."

In a primarily Democratic city, Patterson-Howard is the Democratic Party candidate for mayor, having soundly defeated Wallace in the primary. But now Wallace, who was City Council president when Mayor Richard Thomas was forced to resign, is running as the incumbent, having been appointed acting mayor by the City Council and affirmed when the Council tried to unseat him a few weeks later. He has the Republican line on the ballot.

Patterson-Howard said she had already begun taking steps to address the hospital issue. "I’ve met with Montefiore and toured a facility similar to its proposed medical center. I have spoken with state and federal elected officials and the New York State Nurses Association in an effort to find a solution that doesn’t compromise the quality of care available to our friends and neighbors. This process has just begun and many questions remain. I promise to do everything I can to ensure that Mount Vernon residents have access to a full service hospital. Mount Vernon residents need and deserve more than just talk around this urgent situation. It’s time for action."

She said she found Montefiore’s move another indictment of the corrosive culture plaguing the city's politics. "Instead of strategizing solutions to head off this potential crisis, our leaders, including acting Mayor Andre Wallace, wasted valuable time and energy on political infighting."

After the announcement, Wallace said he began meeting with clergy members, community stakeholders, union representatives, hospital workers, and elected officials to discuss Montefiore Hospital. "Mount Vernon is one of the most densely populated cities in New York State thus access to a variety of forms of health care is a necessity for our community," he said in a newsletter. "Our administration is ready to do everything we can to make sure the entities that provide crucial services to our City place the residents’ best interests first."

Now the two are dueling with community forums.

On Oct. 24, Patterson-Howard and Westchester County Legislator Lyndon Williams hosted ‘The People’s Town Hall Meeting’, a forum for residents to learn more about the hospital's decision and its impact on public health. Held at Grace Baptist Church, it covered the facts surrounding the hospital’s closure, looked at possible outcomes and brainstormed solutions. Organizers said they were offering the community the chance to become part of a growing coalition committed to ensuring that Mount Vernon, already considered by the federal government to be a medically underserved area, wouldn't lose access to quality healthcare and hospital services.

This week Wallace and City Hall will host a public forum, so that people in the community can talk to hospital officials and learn more about the plans.

It is set for 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Graham School auditorium at 421 E. Fifth St. Transportation is available for senior citizens — call 914-665-2420.

SEE ALSO:

• Montefiore To Close Mount Vernon Hospital, Open New ED
• Mount Vernon Continues Dueling Mayors, Fight Over PD
• Judge Picks Mount Vernon's Interim Mayor
• Final Count In; Thomas Sued County Over Democratic Primary