NYC's Maimonides merger advances despite concerns from Orthodox Jewish community

"The top priority once the merger is complete will be renovating Maimonides' bustling maternity ward and getting the financially struggling medical center on a better footing, Dr. Mitchell Katz, president and CEO of NYC Health and Hospitals, told City Council members at a hearing on the merger Monday."

"We understand the critical role the Orthodox community has played in creating and supporting the hospital and we look forward to honoring that. He added that the hospital, named for a rabbi and physician who lived 800 years ago, will retain its name."

"A group of dissenting Board members sued hospital leaders in November to block the deal, arguing that the city's public hospitals have a history of providing substandard care and that the deal would harm Maimonides' ability to serve the Jewish community."

Maimonides Medical Center in Borough Park is merging with NYC Health and Hospitals by April 1. Dr. Mitchell Katz, the system's CEO, outlined benefits including maternity ward renovation, updated medical records systems, and increased support staff funding. Concerns from the Orthodox Jewish community about preserving cultural accommodations will be addressed through retained religious practices and the hospital's name preservation. A lawsuit filed by dissenting board members seeks to block the merger, arguing the city's public hospitals provide substandard care. However, no injunction currently prevents the merger from proceeding. The agreement requires preservation of existing religious and cultural practices.

Read at Gothamist