NY State Senator Shirley L. Huntley
Hospital Closure Act One of The Most Important Healthcare Laws Ever Passed
The impact of a hospital closing in a community has an immeasurable adverse affect on the population at large. This is especially evident in communities where healthcare disparities already exist, giving rise to further deterioration of not only the community’s health and welfare; but also the economic impact from the loss of jobs in this economic down turn economy which can devastate a community.
With the over-crowding of emergency rooms, decrease in the number of doctors per patient population, Medicaid and Medicare budget cuts, and an increase in the uninsured and under-insured populations; communities like Jamaica, Queens and Queens in general will continue to suffer.
The Huntley/Lancman law, “…requires the NYS Department of Health to hold a public forum and report on the impact of a hospital’s closure on the surrounding community’s access to medical care.” Hopefully this law will not have to be enforced in the near future because another hospital closure will put our community in the “Third World Healthcare Status”, if we are not there already.
Good job Senator!
For full text of the Huntley/Lancman law, please click here.