NY hospital execs oppose state's merger and shutdown advice

Debra Carey, CEO of SUNY Downstate Medical Center's hospitals is the latest exec to defy a state panel that recommended mergers and closings at cash-strapped Brooklyn hospitals. A string of refusals to follow the panel's recommendations is an embarrassment for the Cuomo Administration, healthcare advocates say. But some experts expect the hospital honchos will ultimately change course and follow the advice because state money is needed to shore up failing finances. In addition to Carey, executives at Brookdale and Wcykoff also rejected the recommendations.