Frequently Asked Questions

What is Mount Sinai Downtown?

Mount Sinai Downtown will be an expanded and unified network of state-of-the-art facilities stretching from the East River to the Hudson River below 34th Street. Central to the Downtown transformation is a new inpatient hospital with operating and procedure rooms, lab services and imaging equipment. The hospital will include a new full-service Emergency Department and pediatric ED that will be able to handle all of the same emergencies that the current ED handles. Mount Sinai Beth Israel’s current ED will remain open until the new ED is constructed. In addition, there will be expanded and renovated outpatient facilities at three major sites, with more than 35 operating and procedure rooms, a major expansion of walk-in services, including primary and specialty care, and an extensive network of 16 physician practice locations with more than 600 doctors. The Downtown network will include more than 220 beds.

The transformation will also include a major investment to support and strengthen behavioral health services, anchored at MSBI’s Bernstein Pavilion. The 150 behavioral health inpatient beds currently at the Beth Israel campus will remain open.

Additionally, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai will be preserved and enhanced.

Why not rebuild the old MSBI?

Much of the existing MSBI infrastructure is aging and unable to meet the needs of the modern healthcare landscape. On average, less than sixty percent of the hospital’s licensed beds are occupied and patient volume has decreased by double digits since 2012. Rebuilding it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and during construction the community would be without vital services. Unlike the 19 New York City hospitals that have shut their doors since 2000, Mount Sinai is choosing instead to build a new hospital and transform care delivery in order to dramatically improve access, increase quality and preserve jobs.

Are you closing MSBI?

No. This transformation will take place over several years during which the current MSBI will remain open for business, continuing to provide healthcare for residents of the Downtown community. All of MSBI’s services will continue to be available in our Downtown network and many services will be enhanced to provide better quality care and patient outcomes – except for the most complex cases, as well as deliveries, which will be attended to at one of the other hospitals in the Mount Sinai Health System. Additionally, MSBI’s current ED will remain open until the new ED is constructed. 

Can you describe the new MSBI hospital and ED?

Central to the downtown transformation is the new Mount Sinai Downtown Beth Israel inpatient hospital, and a brand new state-of-the-art Emergency Department (ED), located at 14th Street near Second Avenue – just two blocks south of the current MSBI campus. The hospital will feature operating and procedure rooms, lab services and imaging equipment, and will be able to handle general surgeries such as gall bladder, hernia and appendectomies.

The ED will accept ambulances and will be able to handle all of the same emergencies that the current ED handles, including: broken bones, asthma attacks, appendicitis, heart attacks, pneumonia, stroke and all other emergencies. It will also include a pediatric ED. Services at the existing MSBI ED will continue without interruption until the new facility opens, which is expected in about four years.

What is the timeline for this transformation? 

The plan will transform MSBI gradually over four years. All MSBI’s services will continue to be available in our Downtown network – except for the most complex cases and deliveries, which will be treated at other hospitals in the Mount Sinai Health System. Any changes during this transformation will be made with the sole intention of enhancing quality and improving outcomes. Patients will be able to continue to see the doctors they know and trust.

Programs and Services

Can I keep my doctor?

Yes. We know how important your relationships with your doctors are, so be assured that you will be able to continue to see the doctors you know and trust.  

Will the community be left without an ER for any period of time?

No, emergency service will be uninterrupted.

What about emergency treatment for children? 

The new Emergency Department will include a pediatric ED.

You are reducing beds.  Is that really in the best interest of the community?

Yes. With the continued shift to ambulatory and home care, there are currently too many inpatient beds, particularly in Manhattan. In fact, the rate of overall empty beds in NYC has increased in the past years, even despite hospital closures. At Beth Israel, patient volume is down by double digits every year and roughly half of the beds at the hospital are in use.