Today, Save Maimonides, a grassroots effort led by Brooklyn community leaders and members, is announcing that the prominent author and philanthropist Dovid Lichtenstein will be the keynote speaker at a free community event on Monday night. Boro Park community members will gather to discuss the shocking treatment of patients at Maimonides and create a plan to improve the failing medical center. The event will be tonight Monday, August 22nd, at 7:00 pm at Ateres Chaya Hall in Brooklyn. Community members are invited at no charge. A free dinner will be provided and famed Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz will give remarks, as well. Dovid Lichenstein, the Chairman and CEO of the Lightstone Group, joins as a keynote speaker with experience serving on the boards of several hospitals and health organizations. Dovid is also a prominent community philanthropist; he has written many seforim and is the host of the Halacha Headlines podcast. “If you care about your family and their safety, join us Monday night,” said Dovid Lichtenstein. “Every one of you will have an occasion when you will need a hospital in a life-critical moment, you will be terrified and desperate, and your only solution may be Maimonides, the worst-rated hospital in the entire New York State — ranked 157 out of 157 hospitals. A wise man sees ahead. Now’s the time to act for your loved one’s sake.” Save Maimonides has collected thousands of complaints alleging disturbing criticisms — from elderly people confined to their beds in boiling hot rooms to pregnant mothers in distress waiting hours for staff’s assistance. Save Maimonides is working to stop the negligence of the hospital leadership by demanding oversight and transparency. “We hoped Maimonides CEO Kenneth Gibbs would come and hear directly from the public, and, unfortunately, hospital leadership has not responded to requests from elected officials to join a town hall meeting,” said Mendy Reiner, the Co-Chairman of Save Maimonides. “Millions have been spent by the hospital on executive payments while the hospital is understaffed and struggling to balance its budget despite unprecedented federal and state funds. There needs to be state oversight at the hospital, and the leadership needs to listen to the community’s concerns.” The issue has attracted the attention of local elected officials; a public letter released in July by five elected officials voiced concerns constituents were receiving insufficient care. Just this week, two leading African-American elected officials sent a letter to the Department of Health demanding an investigation of Maimonides – signifying the broadening appeal of the Save Maimonides movement. Multiple media outlets recently covered the hospital’s outrageous lack of air conditioning during a sweltering summer and the CEO’s excessive compensation for a hospital that loss money every month.

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