Et tu, GMHC ? St. Vincent's Hospital Traitor

Today, Speaker Christine Quinn scheduled the vote on the Rudin condo conversion plan. It passed 48-1 ; the only councilmember, who voted against the Rudin plan, was Charles Barron, who represents Brownsville and East New York (Brooklyn).

http://www.dnainfo.com/20120328/greenwich-village-soho/st-vincents-development-plan-gets-final-approval-from-city-council

Councilmember Barron represents a part of Brooklyn that used to be served by St. Mary’s Hospital (which used to be under the St. Vincent’s umbrella system of hospitals) ; St. Mary’s was closed in 2005.

http://www.nylpi.org/images/FE/chain234siteType8/site203/client/Health%20-%20Press%20Release%20-%2005.23.05_CSOH%20rally%20to%20save%20St.Mary.pdf

I think he may be the only politician of conscious in the fight for St. Vincent’s ?

Councilmember Barron also represents the part of Brooklyn that looks like will be even more severely impacted if Brookdale University Hospital were to close :

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/nyregion/strained-brooklyn-hospitals-are-subject-of-cuomo-study-group.html

Meanwhile, I was just informed that Speaker Quinn and the Rudin family have triangulated with GMHC to deflect criticism away from the Rudin family for how they have unilaterally decided what kind of healthcare space the Lower West Side can have :

http://www.gmhc.org/donate/special-events/30th-anniversary-dinner/honorees

The Rudin’s have paid enough money to GMHC, and GMHC has rented out its name in exchange for PR spin to benefit Rudin -- even as Speaker Quinn and the City Council have given the Rudin family the green light to make hundreds of millions of dollars in NET PROFITS from the closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital. This has expensive lobbyists’/PR spin doctors’ fingerprints all over it.

The bottom line here is clear : if you are a 1% billionaire foreclosing on 501(c)(3) public charities (the Rudin family were mortgage holders on some of St. Vincent's buildings), then you just need to ring up GMHC CEO Marjorie Hill, and, if the price is right, she will give you an award to give you charity cred to distract people from your ruthless ways.

I wonder what Larry Kramer has to say about this ? Or does he know enough to expect such dirty tricks from Speaker Quinn and Ms. Hill ?