March 25, 2014
By Alan Schulkin
New York, NY – Big Apple is a for-profit dialysis company that sought to take over four chronic dialysis facilities within New York City’s public hospital system. The four clinics at Harlem, Lincoln, Metropolitan and Kings County hospitals, will continue to provide quality chronic dialysis care to more than one thousand patients under HHC’s ownership. The state has removed the application of Big Apple Dialysis Management, LLC and hospital services will not be contracted out.
"Removing dialysis patients from the public hospital clinics was ill-conceived," said Anne Bové, RN, president of the HHC Executive Council of the New York State Nurses Association. "A for-profit company with a problematic track record in these services will not provide the same level of quality care to our patients and we question whether the savings figures are accurate, as well.
Clarette Fontanelle, a dialysis patient at Kings County Hospital Center, said, “We are very happy about this news. It is a victory for chronic dialysis patients. We really wanted the Mayor to give close consideration and review of the quality care issues at Big Apple Dialysis and that’s what he’s doing. We are very thankful.”
DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts added that "This move by Mayor de Blasio's administration pushes the reset button and halts the previous administration's plan to aggressively sell off the Health and Hospitals Corporation's dialysis services."
