NYC’s ongoing blackout: hospitals in lower Manhattan

Some of the largest hospitals in lower Manhattan remain shuttered after the power has been restored due to hurricane Sandy. Other hospitals are scrambling to fill the gap, and concern is rising that the patchwork system can't last for long. NYU Langone Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital, the flagship of the city's public hospital system, were forced to evacuate due to loss of electricity and damage from Sandy. The Manhattan Veterans Affairs Medical Center evacuated patients before the storm and has not reopened. There is no firm timetable on the hospitals' return. A spokesman for the city agency that runs Bellevue said that the hospital will likely be out for at least several weeks. NYU's outpatient clinics have reopened but the hospital itself remains closed.