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  "Blood-$uck" Suit

By Helen Freund and Chuck Bennett
New York Post
August 17 2010

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/blood_uck_suit_4Zst0ftGaSTp3NBFBWacZM

The fate of potentially explosive state Department of Health documents that may prove executives at the now-shuttered St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers looted the hospital and exaggerated its debt are now in a judge's hands.

Community advocates filed suit yesterday in Manhattan Supreme Court demanding to know the truth behind millions in questioned expenses at the hospital during the two years it struggled with bankruptcy before finally closing in April.

"The evidence is clear and strong, St. Vincent's could have been saved, sold or rescued without great cost or damage to the community," said attorney Tom Shanhan, who, with community advocate Yetta Kurland, filed the suit.

St. Vincent's Hospital.

A hearing was scheduled for Sept. 8.

As first reported in The Post, brass at the Greenwich Village hospital spent $278,000 on a single golf outing, paid its top 10 execs a combined $10 million, shelled out $17 million for "management consultants," and listed $104 million as "other" expenses, according to its 2008 tax return.

"There appears to be a blatant distortion of the facts," said Ashley Cantwell, a publicity consultant hired by the hospital. "The Manhattan hospital closure process has been performed in coordination with all appropriate regulators."

The Department of Health declined comment.

St. Vincent's blamed a crushing debt of $1 billion for the closure, saying much of the debt was actually loans dumped on the hospital from other medical-services providers. St. Vincent's was run by the Sisters of Charity, who are affiliated with the Brooklyn Diocese.

"We are the only institution in the world that has gone into bankruptcy and come out with more debt than we went in with," said Dr. Josh Torgovnick, a former neurologist at St. Vincent's.

Contact: chuck.bennett@nypost.com

 
 

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