Committee on Hospitals meeting
March 2, 2026, 10:00 AM
The committee held an oversight hearing on the impacts of the proposed merger between the Maimonides Health System and NYC Health + Hospitals.
What was discussed
- Chair Narcisse opens the oversight hearing on the Maimonides–H+H merger Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, Chair of the Committee on Hospitals, opened the oversight hearing on the proposed merger of Maimonides Health into NYC Health + Hospitals, framing both as safety-net anchors for Brooklyn and saying the committee's focus was transparency on governance, service
- H+H CEO Dr. Katz lays out the planned Maimonides partnership Dr. Mitchell Katz, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, testified that the partnership is a 'natural fit' expected to close by April 1, 2026, after which Maimonides would legally join H+H while keeping its own operating certificate, name, and cultural identity. He said H+H would bring financial stability
- How will the $2.2 billion state grant and higher Medicaid rates support Maimonides? Dr. Katz told Chair Narcisse the $2.2 billion state grant breaks into $500 million for capital (topped by a new maternity ward), $1.5 billion for operating costs while the deficit is worked down, and $200 million in loan forgiveness. He explained that as a government hospital H+H can make the local
- What happens to Maimonides workers, their unions, and their benefits? Dr. Katz told Chair Narcisse that unionized staff will not become city employees but will remain with a successor Maimonides corporation, keeping their contracts, seniority, grievance rights, accrued time, and retirement benefits unchanged, with doctors in their own self-governing group. Only the
- Will Maimonides keep its name, sites, services, and religious practices? Dr. Katz assured Chair Narcisse that Maimonides would keep its name, that its main campus, the roughly 120-bed Midwood Hospital, and the Bay Ridge freestanding ER would all stay open, and that no specialty services would be trimmed. He said kosher food, Sabbath elevators, and other Orthodox Jewish
- How will the merger handle patient records, immigration data, and language access? Dr. Katz told Council Member Encarnación that Maimonides currently runs five-plus legacy record systems plus paper, and that H+H would extend Epic/MyChart—a roughly 15-month implementation already underway with a March 2027 goal. He confirmed Maimonides does not collect immigration status and that
- Why is H+H the right partner, and what made the city say yes? Dr. Katz told Council Member Sanchez that Maimonides is roughly the scale of Bellevue plus Woodhull (about 34,000 inpatient and 923,000 outpatient visits, 7,000 staff), and that Maimonides sought a partner for a decade—nearly merging with Northwell—because independent hospitals struggle in New York.
- What approvals and timeline remain, and how does the trustees' lawsuit affect it? Dr. Katz told Chair Narcisse the merger needs approvals from the State Department of Health, the State Office of Mental Health, and the Attorney General, plus separate sign-off to move the EMS unit, with much of the paperwork resting on Maimonides' board to petition to transfer its assets. He
- Resident physician (CIR) seeks guarantees on staffing and training Dr. Abdul-Rahim Dahman, a pediatrics resident at Maimonides and a member of the Committee of Interns and Residents, testified that residents feel adequately informed but want firm guarantees that staffing—nurses, transporters, and residents—will scale with any patient-volume increase, that residency
- 1199 SEIU supports the merger with worker protections Tori Newman-Campbell, Legislative Coordinator at 1199 SEIU, which represents about 3,500 workers in the Maimonides system, testified in support of the merger, saying the union worked with Maimonides and H+H leadership to preserve members' union membership, benefits, and seniority. She urged the new
- Commission on the Public Health System urges scrutiny amid federal Medicaid cuts David Alexis of the Commission on the Public Health System testified that the merger must be examined carefully given looming federal Medicaid cuts and work requirements that could push more New Yorkers onto the safety net. He asked for transparency on the financial impact of absorbing Maimonides'
- Community Advisory Board chair testifies in support of the merger Rosanne DeGennaro, a lifelong Brooklyn resident and Chair of the South Brooklyn Health Community Advisory Board, testified in support, crediting Dr. Katz and CEO Svetlana Lipyanskaya with South Brooklyn Health's growth—including through the COVID pandemic—and expressing confidence that H+H's
Agenda
1 item
- T2026-1253 Oversight - Impacts of the Maimonides Health System and NYCH+H Merger. Hearing Held by Committee