Workers say NYC's bankrupt Peninsula Hospital should get state investigation

While the fate of Peninsula Hospital Center is on life support, some employees are calling for a state investigation into the hospital, which is $60 million in debt. Closure plans were submitted to the state Health Department last week that outlined Peninsula's plans to shutter, leaving only one hospital on the Far Rockaway peninsula. A warning letter was sent to all employees from Peninsula CEO Robert Levine outlining the institution's dire financial straits. The memo, obtained by the Daily News, cites an "unexpected inability to address adequately its financial problems," as one of the reasons for closure, slated for Oct. 25, unless "circumstances require an earlier shutdown." One outspoken doctor, along with several nurses, worry that closure was due to something more sinister than just misfortune. "I believe that there are shady business practices at Peninsula Hospital that in part have led to Peninsula's demise," said Wayne Dodakian, MD, a hospital fellow who has worked at Peninsula for 4 years.