Watch a recording of the event here. Photos upon request.

Brooklyn, NY – NY State Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon and NY State Senators Brian Kavanagh and Jabari Brisport, Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, 1199SEIU, NYSNA, health care and patient advocates, researchers, and community activists rallied at Brooklyn Hospital - currently at financial risk - and urged Governor Hochul to sign the Local Input in Community Healthcare Act (LICH), A6004 / S1226 (Simon / Rivera). The bill is now before the Governor and must be acted upon by the end of the week. 

In December of 2024, Governor Hochul vetoed the LICH bill and stated the Health Department would issue guidance on the matter. That guidance was just issued and is woefully inadequate, doing very little to protect New Yorkers from the existing opaque hospital closure process, leaving New Yorkers more vulnerable to the upcoming impacts of the One Big [not so] Beautiful Bill, H.R. 1.

The Fiscal Policy Institute reported that 70 hospitals in New York are at risk of closing due to the Trump administration’s health care and Medicaid cuts that start to take effect in January of 2026. According to the Community Service Society of New York, 1997 to 2024, 53 short-term acute care hospitals out of over 200 in New York State closed, including 20 in New York City alone, costing the state approximately 8,000 hospital beds or 16% of all hospital beds.

"Healthcare facilities all across the State are closing without any real input from the communities they serve, leaving already vulnerable communities without essential care. The impact of the incoming federal budget cuts will only exacerbate this already precarious situation. This is why passing the LICH Act is so important. If a facility is closing or its services are reducing services, we need to ensure communities, residents and hospital workers have a voice in the process to prevent disruptions of care and employment. As Senate Health Chair, I urge the Executive to sign this bill and give our communities the power to protect their healthcare services. We must fix what’s irredeemably broken and we must start now,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera.

Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, Chair of the Assembly Mental Health Committee, said, “Too often, communities are the last to know when a hospital or maternity unit is about to close, leaving patients and families scrambling to respond. The LICH Act changes that by making transparency and community engagement a requirement, not just an afterthought. The federal administration’s cuts to healthcare start going into effect this January and will have devastating impacts on healthcare coverage, jobs, and hospital viability. Trump is leaving New Yorkers in the lurch, and the State must protect them.”

“With federal Medicaid cuts set to take effect in January, New York cannot afford hospital closures that happen without transparency or input from the community,” said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez. “When New Yorkers are shut out of these decisions, access to care disappears, workers lose jobs, and the health of entire neighborhoods is hurt. The LICH Act puts patients, providers, and local leaders at the table and must be signed into law to ensure continuity of care when critical services are at risk.”

“When hospitals are at risk of closing, there are life and death consequences. Decisions about the future of care should not be made behind closed doors and without public input. The Local Input in Community Healthcare Act would ensure New Yorkers have a real voice in the decision-making that affects the health of our communities–which has never been more critical as we confront $1 Trillion in healthcare cuts from the Trump Administration. We urge Governor Hochul to sign this bill to help protect our hospitals and our patients,” said Adekemi Gray, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU, the largest healthcare union in the country representing 450,000 frontline healthcare workers.

“No one should have to worry about accessing healthcare at critical points in their lives. The LICH Act is a necessary step to safeguard patient care and prevent further harm to our communities. NYSNA strongly supports this vital legislation, and I urge everyone to join us in advocating for laws that protect patients—not profits,” said Nancy Hagans, RN, President NYSNA.

“New York State’s oversight of proposed hospital closures is woefully inadequate when it comes to involving local communities in the decision making process and looking out for the public interest,” said Mark Hannay, Director of Metro New York Health Care for All and Co-Convenor of the statewide Community Voices for Health System Accountability Project.“Local communities need state health officials – not industry leaders – in the driver’s seat, and the process needs to be much more public and transparent.The LICH Act would address these problems by bringing local communities into the process from the get-go, and put the state leaders in charge of the process instead of them just being passive reactors to industry business plans.”

“Federal cuts have put dozens of New York hospitals at risk of closure,” said Michael Kinnucan, Health Policy Director at the Fiscal Policy Institute. “That means disruption for patients and a loss of critical providers for working-class New Yorkers. It’s time for Governor Hochul to sign the LICH Act and ensure that communities across New York have a say in preventing hospital closures where possible and protecting healthcare access when a hospital does close.”

"Over 50 hospitals across New York have closed in the past 28 years, many in communities of color," said Mia Wagner, Director of Health Policy at the Community Service Society of New York. "Financial strain resulting from federal cuts to health care will inevitably lead to more hospital and unit closures. Signing the LICH Act into law is a critical step to give New Yorkers a voice in decisions about access to hospital care in their community."

"At a time when federal healthcare cuts are putting hospitals across New York at risk, we cannot allow closures to happen behind closed doors without community input. Communities deserve transparency, planning, and a real voice when critical services like emergency, maternity, or mental healthcare are on the line. I want to thank Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon for being at the forefront of this fight, and I urge Governor Hochul to sign the LICH Act,” said Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, Chair of NYC Council’s Committee on Hospitals.

“Healthcare is a human right, and New Yorkers must have a say in decisions related to hospital closures in their local communities. The closure of more than 40 hospitals around the State has dramatically reduced the quality and cost effectiveness of care New Yorkers receive — particularly low-income and working-class New Yorkers, who are more likely to experience closures in their neighborhood and less likely to have other accessible options. By increasing community engagement before hospitals close, we can increase the agency that local communities have related to their healthcare. I commend Assemblymember Simon's leadership here, and I urge Governor Hochul to sign the bill,” said Assemblymember Emily Gallagher.

"When hospitals close, entire communities lose access to lifesaving care and that’s true in Queens and across New York State. The Fiscal Policy Institute warns that 70 hospitals statewide are at risk as federal health care cuts take effect, and a 10 percent cut could push nearly 100 facilities into the red. For families in Queens and communities throughout New York, that means longer wait times, fewer emergency rooms, and the loss of maternity, mental health, and substance use services people depend on. The LICH Act ensures transparency and gives communities a real voice before critical care is taken away. Governor Hochul must sign the bill to protect patients, health care workers, and communities statewide,” said Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas.

"I was gratified to co-sponsor and vote for A6004, the Local Input in Community Healthcare Act and I’m grateful to the bill’s sponsor Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon for her steadfast leadership on the critical issue of hospital closures. We have seen the detrimental impact hospital closures have on communities in New York City and around the State time and again. And far too often, we have seen closures occur with little opportunity for communities to weigh in on such consequential actions. The Local Input in Community Healthcare Act will strengthen regulations that guide New York State’s hospital closure process and I proudly join my colleagues in urging the Governor to sign this important legislation," said Assemblymember Deborah Glick.

“During a time when New Yorkers are facing an affordability crisis, skyrocketing health‑care costs are forcing families to leave their own neighborhoods to get the care they deserve. Federal cuts and longstanding inequities have left our health‑care system precariously balanced. For more than three decades the Commission on the Public’s Health System has been fighting to ensure that all New Yorkers—regardless of race, language, disability or income—have a voice in decisions about their health care and access to affordable, quality healthcare. The Local Input in Community Healthcare Act reflects that mission by requiring the state to consult local residents and consider health‑equity impacts before closing a hospital or critical unit. We urge Governor Hochul to sign this bill and affirm that equitable health care is not a privilege but a fundamental right,” David Alexis, Commission on the Public’s Health System in New York City (CPHS).