A ruling by the state Supreme Court Thursday breathed new life into Dobbs Ferry Community Hospital, which was slated to close.

A judge issued a temporary injunction that will allow the hospital to remain open until the matter is further investigated. The hospital was one of nine institutions slated for closure by the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century.

The ruling says Dobbs Ferry's position was never included in the original report "because the Commission never sought Dobbs Ferry hospital's response as to why the hospital should stay open."

For months, residents who rely on the facility for emergency care have protested to keep it open. Hospital administrators have already submitted a plan to save Dobbs Ferry and still meet the state's needs. The hospital was supposed to begin the process of closing to meet a deadline of June 2008, now with the ruling, that process is on hold.

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