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State Approves $3.5M for Interfaith Hospital as Part of 2-Month Reprieve

By Paul DeBenedetto | December 27, 2013 10:59am
 Hundreds of people rallied to save Interfaith Hospital on June 26, 2013.  The state this week approved $3.5 million to cover the hospital's deficit, a spokeswoman confirmed.
Hundreds of people rallied to save Interfaith Hospital on June 26, 2013.  The state this week approved $3.5 million to cover the hospital's deficit, a spokeswoman confirmed.
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DNAinfo/Paul DeBenedetto

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — The state approved $3.5 million in additional funds for Interfaith Medical Center as part of the deal to save the troubled Bed-Stuy hospital, and will continue to fund the hospital through March 7, a spokeswoman for Interfaith said.

Despite the reprieve, the future of Interfaith is still unclear, with no long-term plan yet on the table to save the bankrupt hospital, officials said.

Interfaith was in the process of preparing to submit its closure plan on Dec. 23, the end result of more than a month of mediation talks ordered by a bankruptcy judge. But at the last minute, hospital officials got a last-minute call from the state Department of Health requesting that they not submit the closure plan.

Instead, the DOH recommended that Interfaith formally request an additional $3.5 million to cover the hospital's deficit through Feb. 6, an interfaith spokeswoman said. The DOH assured the hospital it would approve a second round of aid through March 7, the spokeswoman said. The $3.5 million was approved this week.

The DOH did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

"For all intents and purposes, that evens us out," said Interfaith spokeswoman Melissa Krantz. "Right now we have been confirmed with formal letters between the hospital and New York state agencies for funding through Feb. 6. The other period [hasn't] been confirmed, but the assumption is we'd just ask for the next month's deficit."