BROOKLYN — Deep concern is spreading throughout the Jewish community following reports that New York City may assume control of Maimonides Medical Center, a move that community leaders warn could undermine local healthcare and erode decades of trust between the hospital and residents.
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In response to the growing speculation, Hatzalah released a joint statement from its coordinators representing Boro Park, Flatbush, Crown Heights, and Mill Basin, expressing “grave concern” and “strong opposition” to the potential takeover by NYC Health + Hospitals, the city’s public hospital system.
“While discussions are still ongoing, we believe such a move would not serve the best interests of our community,” the statement read. “For many years, we have had and continue to have an excellent working relationship with Maimonides Hospital, its administration, and its staff. This partnership has been essential to maintaining the high level of care our community depends on.”
My statement regarding new developments at Maimonides Medical Center: pic.twitter.com/pC215ldc60
— Simcha Eichenstein (@SEichenstein) October 29, 2025
Hatzalah emphasized that its position stems from years of close coordination with Maimonides, which has long been the primary hospital serving the area’s Jewish population. The organization noted that the hospital continues to operate as normal, but confirmed it has already conveyed its opposition to both city officials and hospital leadership, urging that Maimonides remain independent and responsive to community needs.
Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein, whose district includes Boro Park, issued a strongly worded statement warning that the proposed transition would be disastrous for local residents.
“Maimonides is in a fiscal crisis — the state has been bailing it out to the tune of $350 million a year just to meet payroll,” Eichenstein acknowledged. “But what is being proposed now — handing over control to NYC Health + Hospitals — is a short-sighted quick fix being forced on our community without transparency or input.”
Eichenstein accused state officials and the outgoing city administration of “disregarding our local communities and expediting a transition that no one asked for.” He added that several hospital board members from the community voted against the proposal but were overruled.
“This is not collaboration. This is coercion,” Eichenstein said. “If this takeover moves forward, I fear Maimonides will lose its independence and its ability to serve those who depend on it most. Bureaucrats who will disappear the day after cannot be trusted to make such decisions on our behalf.”
While both the hospital and city officials have yet to make a final determination, the proposal has alarmed residents who view Maimonides as more than a medical institution — a hospital that understands and accommodates the cultural and religious sensitivities of the borough’s Jewish community.
Eichenstein and Hatzalah leaders have pledged to continue advocating for a solution that secures the hospital’s financial future without compromising its autonomy or its historic bond with the community it serves.
With so many tens of thousands or perhaps hundreds of thousands frum Yidden residing in NY state and in Brooklyn in particular it is interesting that we don’t have a Hospital yet that was created by Orthodox jews that should serve the needs of Frum Yidden. No more liaisons to hospitals.
I don’t know anything about the financial state of Maimonides Hospital in particular,
but before you blame the Hospital’s budget shortfalls on mismanagement or illegal aliens or anything else, here is some information that may be much closer to the truth. This is general healthcare information, not specific to any hospital:
Hospitals (usually) earn their money by billing for the services they provide. For most services, they can only make a profit (meaning they can earn back more than it costs, even if they are ‘non-profit’) from private/commercial insurance or self-pay patients. The Government insurance plans Medicare and Medicaid have a unique ability to do something no one else would dare to allow – decide on their own how much they will pay for services. This is almost always LESS, and often FAR LESS, than it actually costs. Even the most efficient cost-cutting hospital will lose money on their Medicaid and Medicare patient population.
Therefore, the ratio of the type of patients a hospital has will mainly determine it’s ability to be financially stable. Hospital in higher class neighborhoods, where most people have good insurance through work or privately purchased, and will go to a private doctor when a hospital is not required, can (possibly) actually earn enough to continue operating without government assistance. They still will lose a lot of money on the Medicaid and Medicare patients.
However, a hospital in a poor neighborhood, or even a regular (frum) neighborhood where most people have Medicaid or Medicare insurance (old, retired, students, unemployed, etc…) will have a much higher percentage of Medicaid and Medicare patients. They will definitely lose money on almost every service they provide, because they are getting paid far less than it costs. To make matters worse, many of those same patients cannot get access to good doctors, and therefore go to hospitals for almost everything – costing the hospitals even more.
Furthermore, the problem is compounded because when a hospital is losing money, it cannot afford top doctors and competent other employees. As a result, (besides getting a bad name,) the patients that can afford to will avoid going there and go the the wealthier hospitals that try (or claim) to have better doctors and care.
No one wants a hospital to shut down, even when it is losing money. Besides the obvious inconvenience to the local neighborhood, the surrounding hospitals definitely don’t want to be stuck with having to take on those same patents that caused the other hospital to close.
The government knows this, (and that it is at fault) which is why it is willing to give hospitals extra money to try to prevent them from closing. When that doesn’t help anymore, they then try to force another hospital to form a partnership or merger to help it struggle along. Or they can try to change management. These don’t really help, just prolong the problem.
Note – some hospitals get additional money from donations. For those who propose a completely Jewish hospital serving the community – a) it is probably illegal to turn away everyone else, and b) it will require many wealth donors committed to providing huge donations!
Maimonides is a mixed bag. its CICU with Dr Hollander at its helm has saved so many lives and are one of the top. It saved my own relatives life. On teh other hand the nurses and general care is a disatster and i have anothe realtive with whom Maimonides admitted that their nurses messed up and killed him
Maimonides Hospital is a cesspool. It’s been killing its patients for a long time. During covid, no one came out alive. Nurses would not come near patients. Shut it down.
during covid maimonides murdered 600 Yidden in 4 months
this hospital is absolutely awful, it probably is in the worst 10 in America I kid you not. Any outside change from the corrupt incompetent current leadership would be better. Give them a shot at least.
Frum yidden are funny. Maimo has a governmental payor mix of 85% since most of the population is medicare or medicaid, which by definition means they have been bleeding money for decades. You want a better hospital? Attract a better payor mix. Get commercial health insurance. What do you think the payor mix is at Mt Sinai? NYU?
ever since that new fellow took over Hatzalah 2 years ago and got Friedlander as his PR guy, Hatzalah has become politicized and sticking his nose in the wrong places, NOT knocking the volunteers who are moser nefesh but they are pawns/ peasants for the CEO. Disappointed Hatzalah is backing corrupt Ken Gibbs
How does this relate to the campaign by askinim several years ago to disparage Maimonides administrators?
350m a year is almost a million a day. Sounds like too much. If the hospital is only losing money because of ask the undocumented uninsured people they must take care according to the law a calculation can be made and if they would be otherwise profitable, whoever was footing the bill should continue doing so and the hospital should stay independent with a mandate to be sensitive to the Jewish population that created it for that purpose, whoever if they aren’t profitable otherwise either and the city or state is footing the bill, there is still a reason to continue helping it unless they are thinking that there is a problem with money being lost and isn’t justified, in that case they may hire a private firm that can do an investigation while keeping and observer.
To take it over sounds too much unless there is information that we don’t know.
The best is a brocho to all be gezunt without the need of hospitals.
I don’t see the big danger to the community. If they maintain key staff they’ll still be sensitive. If you’re worried about the quality of the care well I don’t think they can get any worse so why not
We haven’t forgotten the demonstrations of years ago or the lawsuit brought by Scharf. Nothing had changed. We need change at Maimonides
Behind the scenes , a mill a day is a huge hole
Miami is packed drive by the ambulance bays.
More than 85% medicaid
The issue for the community is , that bh hatzolo and askunim are able to push in all kinds of cholim and hi risk patients that no one wants and w zero coverage..afilu meaver leyam
Two words: GROSS MISMANAGEMENT. Overly paid administrators spent more money targeting SaveMaimo takeover and skimming off the top. Now look what they left us with.
Many of your say “shut it down”, but you don’t mean that especially if you’re in BP.
The only reason I could think of why community members are rushing to save a failing hospital from nyc is because they are getting money from the hospital somehow – either directly to their organization or from over paid employees … when nyc takes over they will no longer get the money or possibly face investigations over something.
Losing $350m per year?? Why?
And why doesn’t the hospital get some mega donors to save. Most private hospitals have major donors, and reserves in the hundreds of millions after years of fund raising and investing.
Has this hospital been mismanaged?
“Maimonides is in a fiscal crisis — the state has been bailing it out to the tune of $350 million a year just to meet payroll,” Eichenstein acknowledged. “….You would that for $350 mil , there would be some semblance of a place that cares for sick people !!!!
This happened at a Jewish long term care facility in Toronto. Now it celebrates Hannukah, Christmas and Ramadan.
So NY State is bailing out Maimonides with $350 million every year? Sounds like corporate welfare- socialism here! But its ok when its helping US…