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Cash Crunch Scare For SJEH




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Because of a state budget crisis, St. John’s Episcopal Hospital is among seven New York City area hospitals at risk of losing millions of dollars in critical funding.

The State Senate and Assembly are haggling over whether to include $290 million in crucial medical funding in the budget, raising alarms for residents in Rockaway who depend on SJEH for its vital medical care to its underserved community.

“St. John’s has been providing care to our community for more than 100 years,” said Debbie Friedland, who has been a registered nurse for 21 years at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway. “As a safety net hospital, we desperately need to be able to provide care to those who need it most and it would be devastating to the entire community if our hospital loses funding.”

State Senator Joseph Addabbo says he is fully aware of the crisis and is fighting to make sure SJEH isn’t affected.

“St. John’s Episcopal Hospital is not in the position to sustain any further loss of funding, and it would be heartbreaking and detrimental to my constituents if it did,” Addabbo told The Wave. “However, as budget negotiations continue, I remain optimistic we can keep the hospital’s services protected. As the only hospital on the peninsula, it is vital we remain vigilant in our efforts towards funding. I cannot, and will not, imagine the quality of life in Rockaway without St. John’s. I intend to work toward the best fiscal outcome in order to maintain the hospital’s service and keep the public’s safety a top priority. I will continue to work with the St. John’s administration and staff to discuss their financial needs and of how I can be any assistance.”

Rockaway’s other State Senator, James Sanders, is also aware of what could happen if SJEH even had a temporary loss of critical funding.

“St. John’s Episcopal Hospital is the only full-service acute care facility on the Rockaway peninsula,” Sanders said. “We cannot allow this institution to lose the operational funding it needs to provide critical care, including emergency medical services. During this budget season, I am working hard to ensure SJEH receives funding to expand its emergency care services and so that it can continue to care for the people of this community.”

SJEH is among many severely financially distressed hospitals statewide that are currently receiving Interim Access Assurance Funds through a Federal Medicaid waiver.

These funds are helping to “keep the lights on” in distressed hospitals while they transition to health care delivery models that are more sustainable in the changing Medicare/ Medicaid reimbursement landscape, including the expansion of less costly outpatient care. In order to qualify for the funds, the hospitals had to document that they had less than 15 days cash on hand.

Interim Access Assurance Funding is ending on March 31, 2015. The 2015-16 state Executive budget bill has proposed replacing it with $290 million in Vital Access Provider program funding. These are state dollars that are also matched by federal money.

The Assembly budget slashes this funding by $80 million and the Senate budget eliminates the funding entirely. Given how little cash on hand the hospitals have, termination of funding could result in medical service cuts that would be chaotic, sudden and dangerous, putting the health and lives of New Yorkers at risk.

Rockaway’s Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder is not among those Assembly members looking to slash those funds, and remains confident SJEH will continue to provide quality health care to the peninsula.

“There is no question that St. John’s Episcopal Hospital will remain open,” Goldfeder said. “I have fought tirelessly to provide St. John’s with the funding needed to continue its vital services in the community. I will continue to advocate for the hospital and ensure that all our families have the medical care they need.”

Though Councilman Donovan Richards is not involved in the process, he is urging his colleagues in at the state level to make sure what is at stake.

“Eliminating state funding for St. John’s is a death sentence not only to hospitals that are already facing great financial difficulty, but also to the many residents that depend on the vital and emergency services provided by the facility,” said Richards. “I implore the Cuomo administration and the leadership in the Senate and the Assembly to not play politics with people’s lives and fully restore $290 million in Vital Access Provider program funding before the March 31st deadline.”

If funding is affected, communities could be without vital emergency services for heart attacks, strokes, car accidents and other urgent crises. Patients with life-threatening illnesses may be left to find other providers in the middle of treatment.

Councilman Eric Ulrich is also fully aware of the obstacles facing SJEH in this funding crunch, but indicated to The Wave that he’s been vigilant in making state agencies aware of what would happen if any crucial funding was cut.

“We’ve been supportive of the hospital’s efforts to care for residents of Rockaway since I took office, efforts that have become more important after the closing of Peninsula Hospital,” Ulrich said. “We’ve been in contact recently with the state department of health, as well as individuals of the regional DSRIP committee who are reviewing the four applications that St. John’s submitted for additional funding, to ensure they’re aware of our support.”



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