NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia wants to move rehab unit beds to ER

NEW YORK — NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia, a nationally renowned organ donation center, wants to shut down its Acute Inpatient Rehab Unit and use those beds in the emergency department.

The hospital is seeking approval from the state to convert its 16 rehab beds at Milstein Hospital to inpatient beds, saying the goal is to reduce wait times and crowding in the emergency department, and improve comprehensive care when patients are moved from the emergency room to other units.

Hospital officials say the beds are desperately needed in the emergency department.

"It's an ever increasing demand from different clinical services," one official said.

In a statement NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia says in part, "Our patients would continue to have bedside access to evaluations and rehabilitation services as they transition from the hospital to home or a dedicated rehabilitation facility."

The hospital also says it is constantly assessing the best way to meet the needs of its patients. As for employees, they will be offered comparable positions.

Community members, hospital employees voice opposition to plan

The community was vocal at a recent Manhattan Community Board 12 meeting.

"I'm not convinced it's going to change the narrative, and what's going to happen is, it's gonna be, well, we told you that," one person said.

Some are concerned those in rehab will have a break in the continuity of care.

"Providing patients with the quality of life that they need where they want to be able to go home, to be able to get back to their families, to their jobs, to the community, is something that doesn't happen really anywhere else in the hospital in the way that it happens in rehab," said Kaile Eison, who works in physical medicine rehabilitation.

"When I was there, first of all, it was 40 beds, it was shrunk down to 16 beds," said Rita Hamburgh, a former NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia site director.

Some fear sending patients to a different hospital may pose a challenge.

"Families that rely on coming in for training, they don't have cars. What are they gonna do?" Hamburgh said.

"They're saying that they can go to Brooklyn or to Cornell downtown. A lot of people here in the Heights, you know, your family's coming, and they come at different times trying to bring you food, trying to take care of you," heart transplant patient Tollyae Dickerson said.