The leadership of Maimonides Medical Center in Borough Park has gone to court to block a proposed merger that would turn the 80-year-old private facility into a public hospital under New York City’s Health + Hospitals system, according to the New York Post.
Trustees filed a lawsuit this week arguing the city-run takeover would violate their duty to protect the hospital’s long-term interests and jeopardize the level of care the community relies on, the paper reported.
As part of the potential agreement, Maimonides would receive $2.2 billion in state funding over five years and higher Medicaid reimbursements, a lifeline for a facility that has been losing hundreds of millions annually. The hospital says joining the city system is necessary to stabilize operations and ensure high-quality care continues, the paper said.
Opponents, however, fear services could deteriorate if Maimonides becomes a public facility. Trustees, including Aaron Twerski, Peter Rebenwurzel, George Weinberger, Chaim Fisher, Yehoshua Leib Leib Fruchthandler, Marty Waisbrod and David Spira, claim Health + Hospitals has some of the lowest-rated Brooklyn campuses in the state and argue other partnership offers, including proposals from Touro College and Westchester Medical Center, were not seriously weighed, the Post said.
The case is now on pause after Brooklyn State Supreme Court Judge Aaron Maslow issued a temporary restraining order, delaying any action until a hearing scheduled for January. Plaintiffs say they want a transparent process that places patients at the center of decision-making, the paper said.
Maimonides management maintains that the merger is the most viable path forward, citing years of financial challenges and the need for new investment. Officials say talks with Health + Hospitals continue and expressed optimism that an agreement will protect services while expanding clinical collaboration across the borough.
