Community Hospital at Dobbs Ferry is fighting its proposed closure by suing the commission that recommended the hospital?s closing.

The hospital was placed on a list of hospitals slated for closure last month by the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century, which was formed to try and trim medical costs in the state. Hospital staff, patients and people in the community have decried the closing of the hospital, saying people needing emergency treatment will have to travel farther and wait longer. The lawsuit was filed in NY State Supreme Court in White Plains against the commission, the state of New York and the New York State Department of Health.

The lawsuit claims the commission deliberated in secret, which violated state administrative procedures and the state open meetings law. The suit also says the commission?s actions were unconstitutional in how it tried to seize the property rights of the hospital. Jim Foy, CEO of Riverside Health Care Systems, which includes the Community Hospital at Dobbs Ferry, says the lawsuit is not designed to slow the process of deciding the hospital?s fate, but speed it up. Foy says the law is on the hospital?s side and hopes the lawsuit will prove that.

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