Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), a longtime advocate for the preservation of St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Manhattan, responded to news that the struggling hospital will now be reorganized by Lenox Hill Hospital and North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital into a 23-hour urgent care facility.

“Today’s announcement that St. Vincent’s will be reorganized as an urgent care facility is reassuring news for New Yorkers,” said Nadler. “The continued presence of an important health care facility on the lower west side of Manhattan – which is otherwise underserved – is essential for the large population that depends upon St. Vincent’s. I want to thank the Department of Health for fast tracking this process and for agreeing to maintain an urgent care facility in the area, and Governor Paterson for providing $14 million to kick start the transition and to expand the services of community health clinics that already so ably serve downtown Manhattan. Thanks also goes to the health care institutions for their commitment to keeping these facilities in Greenwich Village. I look forward to working with Lenox Hill Hospital and North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital, and with the community health clinics, to ensure that the health needs of Lower Manhattan and the West Side will continue to be met.”