Residents Protest Closure of Interfaith Medical Center

Last Saturday residents of Brooklyn came out to protest the proposed closure of the Bedford-Stuyvesant located Interfaith Medical Center. The grassroots effort to keep the hospital open would like to see the facility become a full-service hospital.

Protestors said that they have been sending letters in the hundreds to the New York State Health Commissioner asking for the financial status of the hospital. They do not want to see any of the center’s services cut. There is cause for worry, however, since Interfaith filed for bankruptcy protection last year.

"We have a growing community. The community is changing as we speak. And this hospital means a lot because of their services," said Reginald Sweeney of the People's Committee to Save Interfaith. "To travel half a mile, a mile away when you're sick or injured or hit by a car. It's critical to saving lives.”

The residents’ fear is compounded by the fact that another area hospital, Long Island College Hospital, has already begun the process of closing its doors, leaving the neighborhood without a full service medical facility for them to turn to in emergencies.