Maimonides Fail: social-media uproar after Jewish community leader shares his grandfather ignored at Maimonides ER for 36 hours
It has just been three days since nearly 2,000 Boro Park residents rallied in solidarity with Save Maimonides and thousands more have signed petitions demanding accountability and oversight at the failing Maimonides hospital. Despite this, Maimonides seems to be continuing with business as usual: long waits and extreme negligence even when it comes to the most vulnerable patients – even in the Emergency Room.
While most patients and families suffer in silence and the hundreds of cases of neglect that occur at the hospital on a weekly basis go unreported, one such example has garnered viral outrage when a popular figure in the community expressed frustration and despair on social media in real-time while his grandfather was seeking care for a medical emergency and was left waiting for 36 hours and counting without receiving medical attention.
In a tweet on Wednesday morning, community leader Jack Kaplan wrote: “My wife’s grandfather was transported by ambulance to Maimo health almost 36 hours ago. He’s still in the emergency room. 101 excuses, but he’s not receiving the care that an elderly person with pneumonia deserves.”
In a subsequent tweet, Kaplan, who is Vice-chair for Community Board 12 and a Midwood resident, said, “This is not a post bashing Maimonides; it is an “I don’t know what to do” post.” He’s been admitted 24+ hours ago, so the doctors assigned to him are on another floor. He went to Maimonides because all his doctors & records are there, but it’s looking like that was a mistake.”
In addition to hundreds of likes and comments, mostly people sharing similar experiences, several community leaders expressed sympathy. Director of New York Government Relations at Agudath Israel of America Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, wrote: “I know Jack’s grandfather all my life. He is such a dignified person. My heart is breaking over this situation. @MaimoHealth please get him the care he deserves. Thank you.”
Even though such gross negligence has been the norm at Maimonides for a long time, more and more cases are coming to light and receiving the attention they deserve thanks to the Save Maimonides movement. The incident echoes the rhetorical question that Save Maimonides co-chairman asked at the townhall event: “Is it too much to ask for a hospital where we don’t have to wait 36 hours in the corridor to be treated?”
The answer seems to be, at least according to Maimonides management, that it indeed is too much to ask. Maimonides, of course, is the lowest-ranked hospital in New York according to the Department of Health. They rank 157 out of 157 for patient satisfaction.
YWN has reached out to embattled Maimonides CEO Ken Gibbs for comment and will update this story when he replies to us.
My wife’s grandfather was taken by ambulance to @MaimoHealth almost 36 hours ago.
He’s still in the emergency room.
There’s 101 excuses, but he’s not receiving the care that an elderly person with pneumonia deserves.
— Yaakov (Jack) Kaplan (@JackKaplanNY) August 25, 2022
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
12 Responses
Nyc should be the best and is like 3rd world
Well apparently if YWN basically censored the town hall meeting and basically only posted paid advertising from the save Maimonides organization than I’m totally not shocked that Maimonides hasn’t taken this seriously! All these corrupt politicians simcha Felder etc. needs to be accountable for this.
Moderators Response: YWN censored the town hall meeting? You mean the multiple article before and after the event including videos of the event were censorship of the event?
Interesting.
Please daven for his Refuah sheleima- Moshe Yosef ben Rachel Leah!
“YWN has reached out to embattled Maimonides CEO Ken Gibbs for comment and will update this story when he replies to us”
Don’t hold your breath….and especially not there, they wouldn’t even notice you passing out. The kicker in all this, is that at the last second, the patient will get a bed, and then they’ll bill all the ER time while admitted, as “in patient”. Then you’re discharged 8 hours afterwards and the hospital gets to bill for 2 days of inpatient care when they really “treated and released” from the ER, something they can’t bill for. It’s a scam.
That’s nothing. Try getting through the double and triple parking in that neighborhood in a car, now imagine an ambulance trying to get through the neighborhood.
Has anyone realized that YWN will censor your comments if they are negative about their own journalism?
The heimishe olam still wants to know who is behind this campaign?
How did 1000 participants as originally reported become 2000?
The community should boycott this disgraceful hospital whenever and whenever possible. Hatzalah should reconsider bringing patients to its ER. The entire ER staff is incompetent who should be fired and replaced. Why does Flatbush and Borough Park Hatzalah has this dump as its hospital of choice? Other Hatzalahs in Brooklyn upon request takes patients to hospitals in Manhattan.
All agree that the place is in major disrepair: 157 out of 157 is tell-tale enough! But all agree that we need this facility to survive. Borough Park cannot survive without a hospital in its midst! We need to save it! But we do need for ot to get a whole lot better. BP deserves a lot better that a 157/157 rating. After all it’s our Yidden and our families!
@moshe38 hats off to you!! You are 100% right!! It’s just a bunch of low level politicians and even lower level “askanim” who have been trying for years to gain power and connections in the hospital and when they realized there is no chance they decided to try this approach.
this hospital is an embarrassment to its name holder nebach…