New York Nurse News: Will Brooklyn's Victory Memorial Hospital Be Shut Down

Brooklyn's Victory Memorial Hospital is a "117-year-old not-for-profit facility that served nearly 200,000 people last year." That according to an article in the New York Daily News titled "Hospital's long road to Victory." Despite the length of time the Hospital has been around (or maybe because of it) and the number of people helped last year, authorities are considering shutting the Hospital down.

According to the article, the New York State Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century recently conducted a study into the Hospital's profitability. The study found that the Hospital is "serving too few patients" and "losing cash." On the other side of the coin, the Hospital has 1,200 employees, including 402 doctors and delivered 1,600-1,800 babies in 2007.

A quick read through the article leaves the impression that whether the Hospital remains open or closes will come down to whether the economists or the humanitarians prevail on their respective arguments. Sometimes the decision that makes the best economic sense can be detrimental to a community's morale.