Interfaith Medical Center is turning into a veritable stomping ground for protestors, as the complaints and problems and scandals never seem to end.
Friday afternoon, about 20 community members and local clergy that make up the Coalition to Protect Interfaith Medical Center rallied outside the beleaguered hospital-- the second protest in less than a month-- demanding the resignation of key hospital staff that the group believes was complicit in the pilfering of more than $16 million in fees and expenses by law firms during the 18 months the hospital was in bankruptcy court.
The group marched outside the emergency room entrance chanting, "Where is the money? Release the financial report!"
"We are here, and we're not going anywhere, because we're standing for those mothers and grandfathers and those who cannot fight for themselves," shouted Rev. Damon Cabbagestalk, pastor of Joppa Christian Ministries, over his megaphone. "They have a right to good medical care in this facility, and if that money had not been misappropriated, I believe that this center would not be struggling at this time."
The coalition demanded the resignation of the hospital's appointed Chief Restructuring Officer, Melanie Cyganowski, Interfaith Hospital's CEO Steven Korf , and Robert Mariani, the hospital's CFO.
"We're just trying to get to the bottom of why there was so much money mismanaged," said Cabbagestalk. "We are asking for the resignation of those who sit at the top level."
Cabbagestalk, who says the coalition has been protesting around the way the hospital has been managed since 2012, admitted that so far, they haven't spoken to any hospital administrators or heard any feedback surrounding the financial scandal.
City Councilmember Robert Cornegy, who has played an active role in rallying to get the hospital funded and back on its feet, in January called on Kings County District Attorney Ken Thompson to investigate the scandal.
Cabbagestalk said as far as he knows, he hasn't heard that the D.A.'s office has done anything.
