My residency in neurology was in Saint Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Centers, New York, NY. Recently Saint Vincent’s or Vinney’s as we affectionately called it closed its doors. A sad day indeed for a lot of doctors who worked there.

Death of a hospital

Nitin K. Sethi, MD

Former Chief Resident in Neurology

Saint Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center

New York, NY 10011

April 30^th dawned just like any other April day. As the sun rose along the eastern seaboard, Manhattan came to life with its golden rays. A healthy glow permeated all around. But not all its residents were blessed with this good health. Saint Vincent was sick, terminally sick with multi organ failure. Its corridors once bustling with doctors and nurses in scrubs lay deserted. Its ER once full of patients was eerily quiet. Its intensive care units once a melody of ventilator hums and telemetry monitor beeps were quiet as if a great orchestra had played its last composition. Its cafeteria once full of hungry overworked residents had served its last meal. The end had come slowly but now the writing was on the wall. Terminally ill with no hope of a meaningful recovery they said as they went by. The hospital which had once given the gift of life to so many now itself lay on its death bed. Where critically ill patients once received life saving infusions of antibiotics found itself deserted in its final battle for survival. Saint Vincent found no one to turn to, no one to hold its hand and no one to administer CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). It thought it was too big to fail but no one stepped forward to bail it out. Saint Vincent died on April 30^th.