By: Hadassa Kalatizadeh
Brooklyn politicians and residents are fed up and speaking out against what they say is “unacceptable” quality of care at the borough’s biggest hospital, Maimonides Medical Center.
As reported by The NY Post, local officials and neighborhood residents say Maimonides is disorganized and heading towards decline, noting that New Yorkers who reside near the Borough Park hospital would consider it only as a “last resort.” Complaints against the hospital include exceedingly long wait times, overwhelmed nurses and staff, and hospital executives who allegedly have failed to effectively manage the system for sorting and attending to numerous kinds of patients.
Now, elected lawmakers are demanding a public meeting with the hospital’s top brass to discuss the complaints. “We are concerned with the current management of Maimonides Medical Center,” wrote five legislators who represent Borough Park and nearby neighborhoods. The lawmakers added that “constituents have voiced their frustration with us about the lack of care” at Maimonides. “This is unacceptable and untenable,” they added.
The letter, which was sent on Thursday to Maimonides CEO Kenneth Gibbs, was signed by State Sen. Simcha Felder, Councilman Kalman Yeger, State Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein, Assemblyman Robert Carroll and Assemblywoman Marcela Mitaynes. “We have serious concerns about [the] financial well-being of the hospital. We are aware of nurse shortages at the hospital and fear that it is due to financial mismanagement,” reads the letter. “If this is not corrected, we believe the hospital will lose patients due to poor care and exasperate the hospital’s financial status.”
The hospital, located at 802 10th Ave in Borough Park, is an independent nonprofit non-sectarian, organization that isn’t part of a larger network like Northwell or NYU. It includes a treatment facility and academic medical center with 711 beds, and over 70 primary care and sub-specialty programs. A recent US News and World Report ranking put Maimonides tied for a disappointing 28th place among New York City-area hospitals.
As per the Post, in a recent federal government report card, Maimonides received only a 1-star rating out of 5 for patient satisfaction, and 2 out of 5 stars for overall care. The complaints about the hospital escalated in February, when the Post reported that Maimonides was losing tens of millions of dollars while paying Gibbs and five other top executives seven-figure salaries. From 2019 to 2020, in the peak of the pandemic, Gibbs’ compensation jumped from $1.8 million to $3.2 million, as per financial records filed to the IRS.
Asked to comment in response to the letter, a representative for Maimonides said the claims are “irresponsible” and a part of a “smear campaign.”
“We are outraged by the malicious attack on the efforts of our nurses, doctors, administrators, and staff, which have been nothing short of heroic over the past two years,” said spokesperson, Stephanie Baez. “The deliberate dissemination of misinformation about and disparagement of the quality of care at Maimonides … does a deep disservice to the communities we serve,” the rep added. “We call for all community leaders and elected officials to condemn this irresponsible and harmful effort, and we call on those who are driving this campaign to publicly step forward and engage directly with hospital leadership if they have specific proposals for improving the hospital.”
