Now that the Westchester Square Medical Center has merged with the New York Presbyterian Hospital, their doors will remain open. However, the merge also means that changes could possibly lie ahead for patients and hospital employees.

The merge, along with a grant from the State Health Department, helped prevent the hospital?s closure. But now, many question whether conditions at the hospital will remain the same.

The city?s health department needs to reduce hospital bed numbers, but Westchester Square Medical Center is promising its staff that no one will be laid off. Regardless, both sides have agreed to keep the emergency room open, along with developing treatment centers for patients with asthma and diabetes.

Many people believe the merge is bittersweet, saying they?re anxious to see how the merge plays out, but don?t want to see the intimate relationships between doctors and patients be compromised.

News 12 The Bronx reached out to the Department of Health to see how the merge is going to affect patients, but calls were not returned.