Lenox Hill Hospital is Planning to Lay Off Workers

Lenox Hill Hospital, part of Northwell Health, is preparing to dismiss over two dozen emergency medical workers as it reduces its ambulance service in Upper Manhattan. According to the union representing them, 31 EMTs and paramedics 15 full-time and 16 part-time, were informed that their positions would end within 30 days due to “operational needs.”

The hospital is eliminating three ambulances that serve the Upper West Side, from 72nd Street up to Washington Heights, leaving five vehicles that will focus primarily on Harlem and the Upper East Side. The move, confirmed by a hospital spokesperson, follows a review of ambulance usage and aims to “optimize efficiency” within the city’s emergency response network.

The layoffs occur amid broader cost-cutting across New York hospitals, which are anticipating an $8 billion annual decline in federal funding tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Industry groups note that several medical centers are preemptively reducing staff and services to cushion the financial impact.

This decision continues Northwell’s trend of scaling back ambulance operations after reductions last year in Queens and Staten Island. It also coincides with new FDNY rules that require EMTs to take patients to the nearest hospital instead of their preferred destination, potentially reducing call volume for some institutions.

Union representatives have condemned the layoffs as harmful to both EMS workers and community safety. Paramedic and union delegate Jahrodney Williams warned that removing three ambulances from the Upper West Side would strain the city’s 911 system and increase response times. The union 1199SEIU has urged Northwell to reverse the decision, arguing that EMTs and paramedics should not suffer for systemic issues in emergency services.