Nurses and local officials blasted Montefiore Health System on Wednesday for wasting little time as the COVID-19 threat waned to continue its reduction of services at Mount Vernon Hospital.
The hospital's intensive care unit was shut down last week despite repeated calls by community activists and elected officials not to strip health services for the mostly minority city.
"Now that we see a downtick in COVID cases, Monte has shown their true colors and they have created racist, systemic violence against our community by shutting down our ICU unit," Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said outside the hospital at a rally attended by about 50 people. "For them to continue to march quickly, intentionally and strategically ahead with closing down our hospital is criminal. It is racist, it is violent, it is unconscionable."