The site of the former Long Island College Hospital is owned by the State University of New York system and operates as a freestanding emergency department that treats up to 30 patients a day. A SUNY spokesman said the future of the facility is now uncertain.
The New York State Nurses Association was concerned that NYU Langone was not hiring as many nurses at previously employed at Long Island College Hospital as it said it would in the proposal it submitted with Fortis. The association sought a restraining order in August. An interim court order filed Sept. 18 requires NYU Langone and Fortis to become involved in a lawsuit brought by NYSNA.
“We fear this would ultimately force NYU Langone to remove the highly qualified nursing staff we had hired and constrain our ability to choose nurses who meet our standards,” a spokesman for NYU Langone said in an e-mail.
The hospital's decision to walk away from the deal at Long Island College Hospital prompted criticism from the nurses association.
“The court properly and appropriately took the motion seriously and sought to give all parties, including NYU, a full opportunity to make their views known,” a spokeswoman for NYSNA said in a statement. “NYU apparently took offense at the prospect of being asked to live up to its word.”
Follow Jaimy Lee on Twitter: @MHjlee
