The below open letter was delivered on January 23rd, to Carl McCall, the SUNY Trustees, Mayor de Blasio, Public Advocate Tish James, and other elected officials. It is signed by the six community groups who are co-petitioners in the LICH-related cases before Justices Baynes and Demarest. We think it’s important and are therefore sharing it with the press.

Summary:
-The six community groups thank certain elected officials for their support in keeping LICH open.
-We call for SUNY’s RFP process to be dismissed and for a new RFP process to be designed with community stakeholder voting power.
-In deciding to close LICH, SUNY has done no assessment of community health needs and no disaster-preparedness assessment. Furthermore, SUNY has never consulted any community group or local elected official in its plans for LICH.
-SUNY’s RFP process improperly discouraged responses from full-service hospital operators.
-SUNY’s decision to sell LICH was first and foremost a response to SUNY’s own financial distress.
-SUNY’s claims regarding LICH’s alleged liabilities are based on false representations, which we debunk point by point in the letter.
-SUNY must account for the $85.7 million in Othmer funds that it directed to a malpractice trust, not all of which has been used to settle malpractice cases. SUNY must also account for all other missing portions of the $140 million Othmer Endowment.
-We stand ready to partner with SUNY in finding solutions for LICH whenever they are willing to talk with us.