Worry over future of St. John's Episcopal

From CBS New York:

The Rockaway Peninsula lost Peninsula Hospital to economic pressure in 2012. St. John’s is facing similar pressure.

More than half of the patients at St. John’s are on Medicaid, which means that the hospital has been losing money for a long time. The new Federal Affordable Care Act could worsen the money crunch.

St. John’s has 257 beds and a busy emergency room that is jammed with patients. It’s the only emergency room in that part of the city.

“There’s about 150,000 people here. We are it,” explained CEO Richard Brown.

For many people the hospital could be the difference between life and death.

Officials are hopeful that the state won’t let the hospital die and are pushing for extra aid from Albany. Hospital management is hoping to sell off its nursing homes and find a white knight.