On an overcast, rainy afternoon, several dozen health care professionals in red ponchos gathered with signs written in red ink outside Allen Hospital just south of Marble Hill.
The New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System, which the Allen Hospital is a part of, plans to cut 30 inpatient beds in the hospital’s psychiatric ward. That attracted a number of protesters, including city comptroller Scott Stringer, who stressed the importance of keeping those beds open as they are a critical lifeline for the mentally ill.
By the end of the rally, there was a small ray of hope. Anthony Ciampa, a vice president of the New York State Nurses Association, shared the pending closure of those beds was pushed back a year to Summer 2019.