Violating Gov. Hochul’s directive costs $925K
David Robinson – New York State Team USA TODAY NETWORK – in the D&C on 11/13/23
State officials issued a $925,000 fine against Rochester Regional Health for failing to reopen dozens of inpatient psychiatric hospital beds taken offline during the pandemic, records show.
The penalty marked the first time the state Office of Mental Health enforced Gov. Kathy Hochul’s directive this year that required hospitals statewide to bring 850 psychiatric beds back online by April 1, according to the governor’s office.
But Rochester Regional Health is not alone in missing the deadline, as New York expects to bring back only 500 of 850 psychiatric beds by the end of this year.
Regulators asserted Rochester Regional Health was fined because it repeatedly refused to provide detailed plans and a timeline for reopening 34 psychiatric beds – 16 at Newark-Wayne Community Hospital in Newark and 18 at Unity Specialty Hospital in Rochester.