Public Advocate Wants New 'Brooklyn Health Authority'

With the looming closure of Long Island College Hospital making headlines and the possibility of more closures in the future, the city's public advocate  says he has a plan that can stop the bleeding in New York City's health community.

In announcing a four-point plan Monday, de Blasio says he wants a new state commission capable of dragging the borough's unprofitable health care centers into a streamlined system that is both profitable and provides care for city residents. 

"Brooklyn has lost four hospitals under the Bloomberg administration," de Blasio said. "Four lost in the mayor's 12 years, five more threatened now."

de Blasio claimed that the city had been perpetuating a falsehood about a preponderance of hospital beds across the five boroughs. He said the state should step in to create a "Brooklyn Health Authority," that managed multiple health care facilities in Brooklyn.  

Part of the plan would use federal money to ease the financial debts of Long Island College Hospital, among others. 

The health authority, if established, would have members appointed by both the state and city, ending, de Blasio says, the ability of both sides to blame each other for problems. 

"We can't continue to have the care each community needs if the government looks the other way and the only solution is to have a hospital end up in bankruptcy," he said. 

The public advocate has thrown himself into the forefront of the debate since his arrest at a protest at Long Island College Hospital earlier this month.