In the latest announcement, the hospital network appeared to substantiate this, stating that “earlier this year, Mount Sinai confirmed that all union employees affected by the transformation would be offered other union opportunities at equal pay. Thus far, more than 150 Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital employees have accepted new opportunities with the Mount Sinai Health System at the same or higher salaries. Mount Sinai continues to work closely with all employees during this transformation.”

Some concern over the availability of specialized care in the downtown area was also raised by local politicians at that time.


In a joint letter expressing "grave concern" to Mt. Sinai Health System president and CEO Kenneth Davis, local politicians, including City Council members Daniel Garodnick, Rosie Mendez and Corey Johnson, Congress member Carolyn Maloney, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, State Senator Brad Hoylman and Assembly members Brian Kavanagh and Richard Gottfried, advised that "Beth Israel has been a constant presence and resource for the entire city, and the East Side of Manhattan in particular. Any downsizing or closure at Beth Israel threatens to further strain an already overburdened network of health care providers in Manhattan, reduce health care options and curtail services in the immediate neighborhood, and eliminate jobs."

While plans at this point do not specify any long-term reduction of local services, during the transition, the hospital did announce that “some highly complex procedures and other services will be moved to other Mount Sinai facilities over the next 18 months to enhance the patient experience through a more holistic, fully-integrated approach to care in modern, state-of-the-art settings.”

The statement noted that some of these include relocating cardiac surgery to Mount Sinai St. Luke's; moving joint replacement services to Mount Sinai West next year; and “inpatient head and neck surgery, neurosurgery, colorectal and surgical oncology to another Mount Sinai facility in 2017 or 2018.”

In addition to the construction changes, Susan Somerville, Beth Israel Hospital president, has decided to leave her position. She stated that her husband has retired and they will be pursuing “new opportunities.”

The new network contains over 35 operating and procedure rooms and 16 physician practice locations with more than 600 doctors, covering a region from the East River to the Hudson River below 34th Street.

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