Reject Lenox Hill Expansion, Invest in Underserved Communities

Reject Lenox Hill Expansion, Invest in Underserved Communities

Mia Wagner

Dear Chairman Riley and subcommittee members,

The Community Service Society of New York (CSS) would like to thank the City Council for allowing the public to weigh in on the proposed expansion of Lenox Hill Hospital. CSS is a 180-year-old organization that aims to build a more equitable New York for low- and moderate-income individuals, assisting over 130,000 New Yorkers annually in accessing health care. We achieve this through a live-answer helpline and partnerships with over 50 communitybased organizations operating in every county of New York State. Annually, CSS and its partners save consumers over $80 million in health care costs.

CSS opposes the proposed $2.5 billion expansion of Lenox Hill Hospital. As it stands, the proposal breaks zoning precedent to serve an already well-resourced area. At the same time, other neighborhoods and boroughs lack hospital beds and are unable to provide their populations with necessary care.

1. Lenox Hill serves a population that already has significantly more health care access compared to the rest of New York City.

The Upper East Side has five hospitals and 10.6 hospital beds per 1,000 people. This is four times the citywide average of 2.7 beds per 1,000 people. In addition to neighborhood differences, disparities also exist between boroughs-Queens has only 1.65 hospital beds per 1,000 people, compared to Manhattan's 5.8 beds per 1,000 people (See Figure 1).^[1]

Figure 1. Number of hospital beds per 1,000 residents, by community.

Lenox Hill already has enough beds to serve its community. This past week, nearly a quarter of the beds at Lenox Hill were available. Meanwhile, only three percent of beds were available at Harlem Hospital Center over the same period.^[2] This proposed expansion would involve spending $2.5 billion to increase capacity at a location that already has sufficient capacity to serve its community.

2. The proposed expansion will likely increase costs for Lenox Hill patients and New York insurers.

The proposed expansion of Lenox Hill is likely to increase the cost of care at the hospital, due to the debt financing required for such a large project. Instead of funding its expansion through philanthropy or private loans, Lenox Hill will rely on public and private insurance payments for hospital expenses.

The city should consider requiring Northwell to ensure that charges for Lenox Hill patients will not increase more than the rate of inflation for the duration of construction and the subsequent 10 years.

3. Many other New York City hospitals, including those in Northwell's system, need more investment than Lenox Hill.

In 2022, only 18 percent of Lenox Hill's discharges were Medicaid patients, compared to 29 percent and 39 percent on average for Manhattan and New York City, respectively.^[3] This indicates that the hospital disproportionately serves higher-income New Yorkers, a fact that is even more apparent when looking at pregnancy and childbirth statistics. Only 15.1 percent of Lenox Hill's discharges for pregnancy and childbirth in 2022 were Medicaid enrollees-the second lowest percentage of all New York City hospitals. In comparison, at 13 hospitals in NYC, 85 percent of pregnancy/childbirth discharges were Medicaid enrollees. At Long Island Jewish Hospital (another Northwell campus), 42.6 percent of pregnancy/childbirth discharges were Medicaid enrollees.^[4] Investments in other parts of Northwell's system could improve health equity more effectively than if this investment is concentrated at Lenox Hill.

This year, the Lown Institute Hospitals Index also ranked Lenox Hill second to last of all hospitals in the state for 'inclusivity.' This measure compares the population served by the hospital to its surrounding community and indicates that Lenox Hill patients are less likely be low income, people of color, or of a lower education level than the entire area that could use the hospital. Additionally, the hospital's overall equity rating ranked at the bottom four percent of all New York State hospitals.^[5] Alongside inclusivity, this metric considers pay equity and community benefits, showing that Lenox Hill-and this proposed expansion-are not effectively serving all New Yorkers.

CSS strongly urges the city to reject Lenox Hill's proposed expansion and instead approve more modest renovations that adhere to current zoning laws. Downsizing this plan would let Northwell focus its efforts on the sectors of its system that more readily need assistance and serve its population more equitably.

Thank you for the opportunity for the public to weigh in on this matter. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mia Wagner at mwagner@cssny.org.

Notes

1. Uttley, Lois. Lenox Hill Hospital request for rezoning actions. Community Voices for Health System Accountability. July 2025.

2. Hospital Bed Capacity. NYS Department of Health. https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/hospital-bed-capacity. As of July 15, 2025.

3. Uttley, Lois. Lenox Hill Hospital request for rezoning actions. Community Voices for Health System Accountability. July 2025.

4. Uttley, Lois. Lenox Hill Hospital request for rezoning actions. Community Voices for Health System Accountability. July 2025.

5. Lenox Hill Hospital. Lown Institute Hospital Index. https://lownhospitalsindex.org/hospital/lenox-hill-hospital/, As of July 15, 2025.

Issues Covered

Access to Health Care

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