NYC NOW - July 26, 2023: Midday News

Episode Date: July 26, 2023

City officials are investigating a crane collapse in Hell's Kitchen that injured six after it caught fire and crashed into a building early this morning. Meanwhile, the recent decision by the Rutgers Board of Governors to merge two medical schools has sparked controversy, with concerns over reduced residency opportunities and decreased care quality, especially in Newark. Newark's Mayor, Ras Baraka, opposed to the merger, joins Michael Hill to discuss.

Welcome to NYC now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Wednesday, July 26. Here's the midday news from Michael Hill. New York City officials are investigating after an early morning crane collapse in Hell's kitchen, hurt six people, including a firefighter. The fire department says a crane on 10th Avenue caught fire around 7.30 this morning, then crashed into a building and fell into the street.

Mayor Adams says, It is fortunate more people were not hurt in this crash. It is not about luck. It's about making sure that people who are above our skyline are doing it correctly, and it appears to do it at this time all the documentations were in order. The FDNY says the crane was lifting 16 tons of concrete at the time of the crash. The machine's operator was inside and tried to put out the fire. Adam says the flames overwhelmed the operator who did manage to escape.

WNMIC's Brittany, Craigstein, has been at the scene this morning and she joins us now, huh, Brittany? Hi, how are you? Doing well. What are you seeing there? So things have improved a little bit now as far as, you know, displaced people and traffic. But the streets, West 41st, is still closed between 9th and 10th,

as I believe is West 42nd. So obviously that's causing a lot of congestion. And there was just a lot of chaos here. A lot of people displaced from hotels, a homeless shelter, nearby residences and, you know, just wondering when they'll be able to go back into their buildings to get important things that they needed. Thankfully, you know, no major, major injuries, obviously, so everybody's relieved about that, but it's more just frustration.

And that's what you're hearing from the people there, frustration, Brittany? Yes, absolutely. When can we go back into our buildings? I spoke with an aunt, a woman and her and her niece from Spain who had their, belongings in their hotel. They have a flight tonight and they're hearing they may not be able to get their suitcases until later today. So they're frustrated and worried. Another woman left her dog's food at her home and she had her dog. She just didn't know when she'd be able to get that. Some little things, but definitely headaches for the folks out here. And there seem to be maybe

dozens, maybe hundreds of people just sitting around waiting for news from officials. And Brittany, I saw the video you sent in. The fire is out now? The fire is out, correct. The crane is still up there. No idea how they're going to get that down. WNMIC's Brittany Craigstein, live on the scene of a crane collapse this morning in Manhattan's Hell Kitchen. Sunny and 94 high today. Tomorrow's searing heat with the heat advisory, partly sunny and 97 on Thursday. The real feel 104, a wind from the south will keep it hot as well. Right now, 83 with sunshine, an air quality alert, and it's all. unhealthy air right now for children, teens, and older adults.

A plan to merge New Jersey Medical School in Newark and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick is moving forward. Officials with the two Rutgers University public medical schools say combining them would improve name recognition and patient care. But many faculty are worried it will reduce residency opportunities for medical students and decrease quality of care, especially in Newark's University Hospital. Newark Mayor Ransby Rock is also worried about that. He's written a governor seeking physical improvements to university hospital, which serves many uninsured residents and a commitment for adequate staffing and funding.

Mayor, thank you for joining us. Would you tell us why you oppose this merger? Well, mainly we are and we're very concerned about just the lack of investment in hospital and the college here in Newark. And we see that the state's budget usually funds, gives money to the college, gives money to the hospital, but it does not seem like they're getting as much support

and funding as the one in New Brunswick. And we're concerned that, you know, the hospital will go by the wayside, the college will go by the wayside as well. I think as one goes, the other goes as well. You laid out in your letter to the Rutgers administration there, what you want from Rutgers in terms of commitment for University Hospital in Newark.

What do you want? Yeah, well, the letter was directed to the governor, and we just want the state to commit to the same things that the Board of Governors did, the President of Board of Governors, and Dr. Strom at the college said that they would not reduce staff at the Newark Hospital, at the Newark College. They would not reduce staff, that they would not,

it will not affect the growth of the college at all. that the same kind of investments in the college will continue, if not grow, that their commitment is to Newark. And we want the state to do the same thing, make a full-throated commitment to the college and the hospital, because we see them both as functioning the same. The Rutgers administration said that the hospital should grow, that it should expand its footprint, should become more modernized. And we think that the state should make that happen. And not just the governor's office, but the legislature should commit to making sure that the staff does not diminish at the hospital or college,

that the services do not diminish at the hospital or college that people can come to. Newark and get world-class service at this hospital and that we attract world-class students and doctors at the college and the hospital as well. How would you describe the physical condition right now of University of Hospital, has served so many uninsured people who live in Newark? Right. I mean, obviously, the hospital services, this is a state hospital services, probably people in this entire region, you know, and it does not look like it, right?

The emergency room needs immediate work right now. It is overcrowded. It is not modernized. It is, you know, archaic, if you will. I think that that needs immediate investment. those units that's there on Bergen Street has been like that for God knows how long we need to build a brand new hospital over there as well. We need to expand that hospital, modernize it, make it more attractive for world-class doctors to come there and people to do their interns there as well. Their residency is there as well.

And as the college grows, so does the hospital. And we need to make sure that there's investment in those areas and not to allow. allow the hospital to go by the wayside, allowed to college to become second class. There were many people displaced in order to build that infrastructure there, you know, in Newark. And the Newark Agreement was created to show good faith of what was going to happen at the hospital and the college when it was built and all the people were displaced. And they have yet to do that at the level that was promised. And it doesn't look like through the immediate plans of the state or the legislature that this is going to happen.

You got a response from, it looks like the Rutgers, the head of the board there, are you satisfied at all with their response? Yeah, I think that this response was pretty on point in terms of what they said their commitment was. I mean, I understand their argument about making this one campus where they can attract better doctors, more residences, great opportunity, their accreditation rises, all these things. I understand on the college side of it. What I am concerned about is what I said to make sure that, you know, everything does not go outside of newer that we continue to the plan of growing the campus. And they committed themselves to that, to not underfunding the university, to investing in it, investing in its staff and its teachers, growing it.

I think that's important. And making sure that the hospital does the same. And that the hospital should grow as Rutgers grows, that it should happen. And so I am comfortable with the letter that they wrote. And you're comfortable that are they committed to making the kind of physical improvements that you asked for in your letter? Well, yeah, I think, well, there's two things here, the college said that they're committed to making sure that they do not disinvest in the Newark campus, that they grow it, that they make sure that the staff is on par, all that's important. But the other side of that is the hospital itself.

and that's more of the governor's office, the state legislature, to come together with a strategy and the plan and laws. You know, state law that says we cannot underfund the hospital. That we must have, you know, certain levels of staff, their quality there at that hospital. It's the only state hospital that we have and that we invest in it and do not allow it, which is ironic, you know, because when it was first being built, the folks, we didn't want to have it in Newark because it was displacing people. But now that it's here, we don't want people to abandon it and allow it to be second class. We want it to be a world-class trauma center here in the city with the best doctors and the best treatment for the patients in Newark, the best health care for the patients in Newark. Man, Maraca, thank you very much for coming on this morning.

You got it. Thank you. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WNYC. be sure to catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives, and subscribe wherever you get your podcast. We'll be back this evening.