Community hospital in Brooklyn is closing maternity ward and selling the space

Long Island College Hospital, a community facility in Brooklyn, is closing down its maternity ward and plans to sell the building that houses some of its obstetrical clinics and another building across the street. The hospital delivered 2,800 babies in 2007, officials said, although the numbers are expected to decline this year after some prominent obstetricians moved to nearby New York Methodist Hospital. Representatives from Continuum Health Partners, the parent company of Long Island College Hospital, said that the obstetrics service was being closed and the two buildings sold in an effort to pay off tens of millions of dollars in operating and capital debt that might otherwise force it to declare bankruptcy.