Mount Sinai Beth Israel has been in its current location since 1929. (Photo by Maria Rocha-Buschel)
By Sabina Mollot
On Wednesday, the Mount Sinai Health System confirmed reports that Beth Israel would be downsizing, due to its property’s aging infrastructure and changing needs in the healthcare industry, but also said it was creating a new downtown “network” of facilities that will include a smaller Beth Israel hospital on 14th Street and Second Avenue.
The new facility, which is expected to have a price tag of $250 million, will be adjacent to the Mount Sinai’s New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and the two hospitals will share some infrastructure. Some of that money will go towards “enhanced” services at Eye and Ear. The new hospital will have 70 beds and a “state-of-the art” emergency department. This is a drastic reduction from its current number of beds, which is 856.
In its announcement, Mount Sinai cited a lack of demand for those beds, even after the closure of St. Vincent’s in 2010. In fact, the company said, demand for inpatient beds at its own hospital and others, including Bellevue and NYU Langone, has declined.
“On average, less than sixty percent of the hospital’s licensed beds are occupied and patient volume at the financially troubled hospital has decreased by double digits since 2012,” the hospital said.
