Lower Manhattan Residents Rally For St. Vincent's Sake
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Hundreds of Manhattan residents affected by the imminent closing of St. Vincent's Hospital marched Saturday to keep its full service emergency care on life support.
They carried coffins, stretchers and signs from Ninth Avenue and 25th Street in Chelsea to the closing Greenwich Village medical center, to demand that the level-one trauma center be left open.
Residents said an urgent care center, like the one the state is planning to open as a replacement for the emergency room, will not be able to handle true medical emergencies and that they fear lives will be lost.
"This is a hospital that is vitally needed in this area because it serves so many communities, and we're really concerned if this hospital closes. A lot of people will be in a lot of trouble," said activist Lenny Rosado.
"Many people are going to die because of this and it won't go on the record that they died because they couldn't get there in time," said another demonstrator.
"It's so sad it makes me cry, that they would even think of letting this hospital close. So get off their butts and do something," said a third.
Demonstrating locals said their main objective was to send a message that the community demands full emergency care and the comprehensive health services that St. Vincent's provided.