Thaindian News

ALBANY, NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) – New York Governor Paterson on Friday announced the Saint Vincent’s Medical Center Stakeholder Task Force.

The Saint Vincent’s Medical Center (SVMC) Stakeholder Task Force, created earlier this week, will explore all possible avenues for ensuring the continued viability of the hospital and preserving access to the critical services SVMC provides to the community. SVMC is a healthcare system anchored by its flagship hospital, Saint Vincent’s Hospital Manhattan, a major teaching hospital in New York City.

The Governor also announced the creation of smaller working groups that will meet daily to provide any updated status reports and outcomes as they occur. The full Task Force will meet on February 17 to reassess SVMC and discuss its future viability.

“My most immediate concerns are for the patients served by Saint Vincent Medical Center. Earlier this week, I worked to provide a $6 million loan. This, combined with the $2 million loan from General Electric Capital allowed the hospital to make payroll,” said Governor Paterson. “I also called a meeting of all interested parties to deliver a very simple message – Saint Vincent’s Medical Center is very important to New Yorkers, however, the State is not in the position to bear the financial burden alone.”

The Task Force is compromised of representatives from SVMC and its sponsors, lenders, the New York State Nurses Association, the Greater New York Hospital Association, and federal, State, and local elected officials. The Task Force will utilize the smaller working groups to facilitate, organize, and streamline the sharing of information.