Mayor Bloomberg Defends Beyoncé's VIP Treatment at Lenox Hill Hospital

Mayor Bloomberg Defends Beyoncé's VIP Treatment at Lenox Hill Hospital Even As Inequality and Injustice in Healthcare Becomes More and More Pronounced in the Aftermath of the Closing of St. Vincent's Hospital.

From DNA Info :

MIDTOWN — Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s VIP treatment at Lenox Hill Hospital Tuesday, arguing big spenders like them help subsidize other patients' care."

The power couple and their little bundle of joy, Blue Ivy Carter, have been under fire from angry parents who’ve complained about being blocked from seeing their newborns thanks to airtight security measures for the superstar couple, who reportedly rented out the fourth floor of the hospital for $1.3 million. ...

“If [the hospital] got paid a lot of money and it let them provide services to other people who don’t have insurance or can’t afford it, I’m not so sure it’s a bad thing," he said.

Mayor Bloomberg said during a press conference celebrity or luxury hospital suites can be "an enormous revenue source" at a time when the Mayor keeps cutting the budgets of public city hospitals.

Mayor Bloomberg had more to say about whether celebrities and rich people should get better "services" than lower-class patients. “I don’t think you should keep people from seeing their babies, or whatever, but have different services for people who are full-paying patients," he said. “It’s easy to go and criticize, but somebody’s got to pay.”

Activists from the Healthcare for the 99 Per Cent. Working Group of #OWS gathered in Union Square on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.

Advocates for a true universal healthcare system "for all" gathered at Union Square on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, to call attention to what they said was the inequality in the provision of healthcare in New York City, New York State, and in the United States.

Advocates were joined by members of PNHP (Physicians for a National Health Program), HC499% (the Healthcare for the 99 Per Cent. Working Group of #OccupyWallStreet), and by St. Vincent's Hospital activists.

In 1966, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and most inhuman."

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 ?

Bloomberg's grim diagnosis

Blame Bloombo Dicto 4 closing of St. Vincent's

The New York Post reported that financial tycoon and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg doesn't know how to keep a hospital open.

"I don't know. You don't want to pre-judge. People want to keep it open. It would be great if you could find a ways to do it. I will say, I find it hard to see how you could do that. You might be able to get it through another six months...."