Two Queens hospitals – Saint John's and Mary Immaculate – could close on Feb. 28. This would add 2,500 people to the rolls of the unemployed, as well as leave the Elmhurst and Jamaica communities without the advantage of having vital health services close to home.

Andrés De Jesús, 72, who was hospitalized in an emergency at Saint John's Hospital last Friday, with a severe urinary infection and a nervous crisis stemming from the great pains it caused, said the nearness of the hospital and the rapid attention he received had saved his life.

“Saint John's Hospital is only 10 minutes from my house; if I'd had to go any further, I don't know what would have happened to me,” said De Jesús, who remained an in-patient at the hospital yesterday.

Caritas Healthcare, the company that operates both hospitals, approved the closure or bankruptcy of both institutions, alleging financial difficulties.

Mirna Bailey, director of operations at Saint John's Hospital, said that New York State has informed them that it could no longer grant them further funds to finance the restructuring of the hospitals.

“The impact on area communities will be tremendous. Between the two hospitals we have more than 400 beds, and the most important thing is that we have vital community health centers, like the cancer center at Mary Immaculate, which is essential for those people who need therapies aimed at this disease,” said Bailey.

Of the 3,000 employees working at the two hospitals, roughly 20 percent are Hispanic, said Bailey.

Yadira Sánchez, who has been working as an emergency room nurse at Saint John's Hospital, said that the two hospitals attend to more than 200,000 patients each year, 40 percent of them Hispanic.

Some 800 nurses would be affected by the closure of the two hospitals.

“The next closest hospital to these communities is Elmhurst, which is a city hospital, but it's got the problem of long waits to be seen in the emergency room because of the huge demand,” said Sánchez. “If they close these two hospitals, the demand for services at Elmhurst will rise even more, and that will complicate the situation,” she added.

De Jesús said that he recently visited the Elmhurst Hospital emergency room with an intestinal problem, but that after waiting eight hours he decided to return to his home and self-medicate with milk of magnesia.

“I hope they don't go and close this hospital. They give you good service here, and it's close to my house,” said the patient.

José García, who was waiting in the Mary Immaculate Hospital emergency room yesterday, said that many members of the community would find themselves affected by the closure of the hospital.

“In an emergency situation, it's a matter of life and death to have a hospital close by,” said García.

The New York State Department of Health has stated that it is working with Caritas Healthcare to try to provide it with the state assistance the hospitals need in order to remain open.