Save St. Vincent's Hospital

The US census nonsense us : St. Vincent's Hospital is closing before the 2010 Census can confirm that we really need it to stay open.

Count us down and out.

According to an exposé on NY1, "Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the city had been anticipating the closure of St. Vincent's Hospital, and that the New York City Fire Department is ready to take over the hospital's 13 ambulance tours as soon as it is needed."

Naturally, this is the same FDNY that the Mayor is trying to gut with his plans for disastrous layoffs, dangerous firehouse closings, and devastating budget cuts.

The closing of St. Vincent's Hospital is occurring during the 2010 Census. Meanwhile, back at the New York State census website, we are told propaganda on the FAQ page that analysis of the census would help determine whether our communities need more hospitals.

4. How does census information affect my community?

Census data is used to determine the need for social services, including community development block grants and other grant programs essential to many communities. Census information helps determine locations for schools, roads, hospitals, child-care and senior centers, and more.

Back to the NY1 exposé article, the importance of St. Vincent's Hospital on the community was analysed by these precious statistics : "St. Vincent's currently employs 3,500 people and averages 60,000 emergency room visits per year."

Sounds like the hospital is needed now, and is pretty vital to the community, now don't it ?