Hospital Rally Planned for Saturday

Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi and major hospital donors Mildred and Frank Feinberg will be present once again after speaking at the last hospital rally two weeks ago at Glen Cove Hospital. 

The proposed changes “are something we all need to be concerned about,” Carol Meschkow, president of the Concerned Citizens of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Community, Inc., said at a recent town meeting.

“It’s very troubling across the hospital system,” Meschkow said. She pointed out that residents in Glen Head, Locust Valley and elsewhere who are in need of services would have to drive to Plainview or Syosset Hospital, when Glen Cove would have been their “first stop.”

Frank Feinberg told a crowd of over 200 attendees in mid-August, that honesty, integrity, respect and communication are missing in the dialog with the North Shore-LIJ Health System.

Defending its decision to phase out in-patient beds in 2014, North Shore-LIJ said recently that that operations are “unsustainable” and they intend to identify job opportunities within the North Shore-LIJ system for workers affected by the changes.

Some departments will reportedly be expanded with the phase-out, including the ambulatory surgery center, medical offices, outpatient cancer services, a community health and outreach center, and physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Suozzi asks residents to sign an online petition at change.org, urging the hospital to maintain services. 

For more information on Saturday's rally, call 516-676-2004.