According to an announcement on Tuesday by it’s board, St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Centers has decided to close it’s Greenwich Village location. The current patients doing elective surgeries will have to move to another hospital by next week. The decision to close was due to a huge $700 million debt that organization just could not absorb.

The hospital and the city are working together to make sure that patients in the area do not suffer from this decision. The FDNY is planning to take over the 13 ambulance routes that St. Vincent’s covered. Moreover, the hospital is also working with Governor Paterson to maintain things such as outpatient services.

Christine Quinn, the speaker of the City Council, who represents the neighborhood, called on the governor not to approve any closing until an urgent care plan was in place. Many people came from all over the neighborhood to try protest their decision to close the hospital. However, to repay the $700 million owed to creditors, the hospital may have to sell or lease much of its valuable Greenwich Village real estate.

According to St. Vincent’s, an urgent care center could remain open all night, but patients could not stay more than 24 hours, and would be discharged or transferred to another hospital if they required inpatient care.

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