Offer to take over ailing New York City hospital stirs outcry

One of New York City's largest hospital systems has made an offer to take over the financially struggling St. Vincent's Hospital, provoking opposition from elected officials who fear the loss of critical medical services, especially emergency care, for tens of thousands of patients who could be sent elsewhere. The proposal by the hospital system, Continuum Health Partners, to take over St. Vincent's and turn it into an outpatient center would mean the loss of the city's last Catholic general hospital, the New York Times reports. St. Vincent's treats a disproportionate number of poor, homeless, and uninsured patients.