BRIC-TV

Maurice Reid from the Commission on the Public's Health System.

Brooklyn is on its way to surpassing Chicago in population—Kings County is just 58,863 people behind the Windy City—meaning that if independent, the borough would rank behind a Brooklyn-less New York City and Los Angeles as the third largest city in the United States.

But even as the borough has swelled over the past several years, its hospital system has shrunk. Long Island College Hospital, Victory Memorial and St. Mary’s are among the facilities that have closed their doors. And what’s left is, by some accounts, struggling: Brooklyn has four hospitals on the state’s list of healthcare facilities in severe financial peril. And that’s just the private side: the three public hospitals in Brooklyn are part of a Health + Hospitals system that is showing serious strains.

What’s causing the crisis? What impact has it had on neighborhoods? And is there a way out? Ryan Lynch, the policy director for Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams joined Judy Wessler and Maurice Reid from the Commission on the Public’s Health System to discuss the issue on Wednesday’s edition of Bk Live.