ER closed due to nursing staff shortages

LONG BEACH, Long Island (WABC) -- Gov. Kathy Hochul announced plans connected Thursday to reopen a Long Island infirmary that temporarily closed earlier this week owed to nursing unit shortages.

The unit shortages astatine Mount Sinai South Nassau were a effect of New York's vaccine mandate.

Officials said Monday that each different options were exhausted earlier the determination was made to adjacent the ER that afternoon.

Instead, patients successful request of exigency attraction were directed to the hospital's main field successful Oceanside. It's astir 5 miles distant and could instrumentality 25 minutes to get to successful traffic. An ambulance has been stationed astatine the ER astatine each times for the duration of the closure.

Hochul said that the infirmary volition reopen the Long Beach Emergency Department connected for 24/7 work astatine 7 a.m. Friday.

"As your Governor, I volition guarantee the authorities does everything we tin to alleviate the accent connected hospitals and exigency attraction facilities - truthful wellness attraction facilities, delight proceed to alert america erstwhile you are struggling," Hochul said. "I privation to convey Mount Sinai South Nassau and section assemblage partners for moving with america to reconstruct ER services and proceed providing precocious prime attraction to the residents of Nassau County. The Department of Health volition support moving intimately with infirmary and section officials to show and troubleshoot immoderate aboriginal imaginable unit shortage issues."

Hospital officials antecedently said the closure was a effect of compliance with authorities mandate that requires the suspension of each unit moving nether impermanent spiritual exemptions who person not shown impervious of astatine slightest the archetypal dose of the COVID-19 vaccine oregon a valid aesculapian exemption.

More than 99% of Mount Sinai South Nassau's unit is afloat vaccinated, not counting those who sought spiritual oregon aesculapian exemptions.

It's the lone exigency installation connected Long Beach and serves astir 10,000 radical each year. It opened successful 2015 aft Superstorm Sandy fundamentally destroyed Long Beach Medical Center.

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