By Yuliya Talanova
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
GREENWICH VILLAGE — Doctors and nurses, many of whom received pink slips Monday, joined a community protest Tuesday against the planned closure of St. Vincent’s Hospital, warning that it could lead to medical disasters.
"Sixty thousand people have visited the emergency room last year," said Dr. David Kaufman MD, associate director of the HIV Comprehensive Care Unit.
"These are not patients that could be appropriately or safely treated in a care center. Great place if you got a sore throat or a cut a finger, good luck if your heart muscle is dying or you lung muscle is suffocating,” the doctor said.
The nearly-bankrupt hospital is scheduled to close May 18, at which time as many as 3,500 doctors, nurses and other personnel will lose their jobs. Last Friday, the hospital halted its ambulance service.
Hospital staff will start relocating or transferring all patients in their care elsewhere, and officials plan to stop doing all elective surgeries this week.
Outpatient services, including urgent care, the cancer treatment center, HIV/AIDS treatment and the hospital’s nursing home, will stay open while the hospital board looks for other agencies to take them over, officials said.
Many of those in the community said they were afraid of what would happen if they ended up in an emergency situation.
“I’ve been a patient here for forty years. It’s horrible my hospital is going away,” said Barbara Silver, 76.
She added, “I don’t know what hospital I’m going to go to for my doctor to take care of me.”
The protesters demanded answers as to why Mt. Sinai Hospital abruptly pulled out from their planned partnership with St. Vincent’s.
“They were so far along in their plans that they were selecting which Sinai leadership would move down here to run this hospital,” said Dr. Kaufman. “And then something happened, there was some kind of communication, a call, between the (city's health) commissioner and the Sinai leadership, and immediately after that Mt. Sinai pulled out.”
