Queens, NY – New York State Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato voted yes on a bill, A.1633, which would require broader community engagement and notice when a hospital, or a unit that provides maternity, mental health or substance use care, seeks to close. Currently, public notice or community input on the closing of a hospital, along with the negative impact that could result in such closing, is minimal and not fully transparent – a process Pheffer Amato has openly criticized. The Assemblywoman voted for this bill because it made needed changes to the law by expanding notice, requiring the hospital to respond to community concerns, and even providing methods to stop a hospital or unit from closing.

“This bill responds to the failures of the law that our community saw when Peninsula Hospital closed. For years I have worked to advance this legislation to ensure our whole community, or any community in New York, is never left out of a conversation on a hospital closing. For us, St. John’s Hospital is now the sole lifeline for most of this community and I am codifying the ability to ensure our community has a real say and voice when it comes to that hospital,” said Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato.

The Assemblywoman also emphasized the need for this law because of a 2021 proposal to convert St. John’s Hospital into a 15-bed micro-hospital. “There was little to no ability for the community to give adequate comments and input, and that can’t be allowed. Any conversation that would impact a community’s healthcare needs to have input from the community. This bill will safeguard that right,” said the Assemblywoman. Pheffer Amato was able to successfully defeat this proposal from the Department of Health and has since helped St. John’s Hospital expand services throughout the Rockaways.