Peninsula Hospital Center evacuates patients due to Hurricane Irene

Updated Aug. 26 at 11:25 a.m.

As New York City and Long Island prepares for Hurricane Irene, Peninsula Hospital Center remains a functioning hospital and multiple investors are in talks with Peninsula officials regarding keeping the Far Rockaway facility open.

“The (state) Department of Health allowed us to remain open,” said Liz Sulik, the hospital’s director of Public Affairs regarding not suspending emergency department operations on Wednesday. There is no expiration date on the permission, said Sulik, who noted that the number of patients occupying beds is in the low 30s.

However, due to Hurricane Irene, Peninsula Hospital and its Center For Extended Care will be evacuating patients before the city's imposed deadline of noon on Saturday.

"Each patient and/or nursing home resident will be transferred utilizing transportation coordinated by the NYC Office of Emergency Management to a receiving healthcare facility capable of providing for the patients’/residents’ needs and acuity levels," Sulik said.

Once the receiving facility has agreed to accept the patient/resident, the families will be contacted with information as to where the patient has gone and provided with a telephone contact number. Residents from the Extended Care Center will be accompanied by a staff member to their destination to monitor their safety and well-being during this time.

Though the hospital is $60 million in debt — with a third of that amount owed to the facility’s largest union Local 1199 — potential investors have been talking to hospital officials. The current operating deficit is $10 million, the same as last year.

“We are all just hoping for the best, it is too early for some type of resolution,” said Sulik, who add that saving the hospital is the goal. “The situation is still pretty fluid and there are different considerations.”

However, as Irene approaches, Peninsula remains open and its emergency department is fully functional, Sulik said. The 200-bed facility serves approximately 100,000 Far Rockaway residents and the Five Towns.

Peninsula had announced on Aug. 24 that though no official closure plan has been submitted to the New York State Department of Health, the hospital had transferred some patients to other appropriate healthcare facilities.

St. John’s Episcopal Hospital at 327 Beach 19th Street, also in Far Rockaway, is the closest emergency department. There will be two ambulances stationed outside Peninsula’s emergency department for the next week should they be needed for urgent transport, officials said.

“It should be noted that Peninsula Center for Extended Care and Rehabilitation will remain open and fully operational as an inpatient long-term rehabilitation facility along with its Adult Day Health Care Program,” Sulik said.