Eight hundred fewer beds will be eliminated from New York hospitals by 2010 than a state health care commission’s initial recommendations, state health officials reported.

In a progress report on hospitals’ compliance with the Berger Commission’s recommendations — which had a June 30 deadline for implementation — health officials said 1,700 beds would be cut by the end of the year and another 1,700 by 2010. In recommendations published in November 2006, the commission called for the elimination of 4,200 hospital beds, or 7% of beds statewide. To achieve that goal, the commission called for the closure of nine hospitals statewide, including five in New York City.

Of those New York City hospitals, three have closed and two others are negotiating with the state’s Department of Health on ways to comply with the commission’s recommendations:

• St. Vincent’s Hospital in Midtown closed.
• Cabrini Medical Center closed, and St. Vincent’s Hospital took over its hospice services.
• Victory Memorial Hospital closed its inpatient service. It is working through bankruptcy court and negotiating a plan to convert its site into an outpatient facility.
• Parkway Hospital will remain open until September 30.
• New York Westchester Square Medical Center is scheduled to close December 31. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is eyeing the hospital site, where it would establish a 128-bed division.

Union Offers Language Course to Doctors

The Committee of Interns and Residents is offering online language courses to its members.

Through CIR’s Benefit Fund, physicians can take online classes designed to help them communicate with patients who speak languages other than English. “Being comfortable with a second language will help our resident physician members to better serve patients in New York City public hospitals, where a wide variety of languages are spoken,” the president of CIR, Dr. Toni Lewis, said in a statement.

NewYork-Presbyterian Adopts ‘Green’ Cleaning Products

As part of a hospital-wide “green” campaign, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is now using environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Hospital officials said they have implemented a cleaning “package” called Green Earth, which was developed by an Ohio company, Betco. Betco is training 800 hospital employees to use Green Seal-certified procedures, equipment, and cleaning products.

Recently, the hospital followed LEED standards when constructing the Milstein Family Heart Center in Washington Heights. Hospital officials also offer free energy-efficient light bulbs to employees, and the hospital is in the process of expanding its recycling program.

esolomont@nysun.com