Judge: Long Island College Hospital can remain open
A Brooklyn judge ruled on Thursday that the State University of New York cannot close Long Island College Hospital because its board of trustees violated the state’s Open Meetings Law.
The trustees voted last month to close the Cobble Hill hospital as an in-patient facility because of financial troubles, but they violated the law when they held a private session before voting.
Thursday’s ruling came in response to a petition by doctors and healthcare workers who are fighting to keep the hospital open, saying it would hurt the local community if it were closed.
Opponents of the plan have also accused SUNY of planning to sell off the valuable real estate that the hospital sits on.
A spokesman for SUNY disagreed with the ruling, but said the trustees would work to correct the problem, the New York Times reported.
The trustees would need to hold public deliberations before voting again.
