Rockaways' only hospital could turn into 15-bed 'micro-hospital' under proposal

The only hospital on the Rockaways could soon lose almost all of its beds under a proposal to convert it into a "micro-hospital" — which would also see up to 1,000 jobs lost. State health department officials have backed plans to effectively gut St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway, despite its pivotal role during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the hospital board.