State Boots Espada's Health Clinics from Medicaid

(File photo by Jeanmarie evelly)

In a decision announced yesterday afternoon, the State Department of Health terminated the network of health care clinics run by former Bronx Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr. and his son from the state's Medicaid program--a move that will essentially mean closure for the five medical centers of the Soundview Network, which operate almost entirely on reimbursement funds from Medicaid patients.

The reason for the exclusion, the Health Department said, is Soundview's failure to comply with state laws that "are designed to ensure that Medicaid dollars are properly accounted for and that systems are in place to ensure that all claims for funding are valid."

Just hours before the announcement, the State's Office of the Medicaid Inspector General released a letter recommending Soundview be cut, also citing the organization's failure to comply as well as a "lack of oversight" of the business operations there, and the fact that both Espada and his son, Pedro Gautier Espada, are still leading the company, despite being barred from participating in the Medicaid program themselves back in January.

Espada: 'This Clinic Will Not Close'

Former Sen. Pedro Espada at a press conference yesterday,
 defending his network of Bronx health clinics. (Photo by David Greene)

By David Greene

Former State Senator Pedro Espada came out swinging yesterday against reports that the state could soon close his Soundview Healthcare Network.

Joined by Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr., Espada held a press conference Tuesday afternoon outside the main Soundview clinic on White Plains Road, where he singled out Governor Andrew Cuomo, charging that the Governor "is picking the target and firing these missiles."

Espada said he is fighting for the 200 workers currently employed by the Soundview its thousands of patients.

"This clinic will not close," he said. "The body is alive, the mind is well, we're not planning any burials."

Diaz, Sr., came to the defense of his "amigo" in a letter to Gov. Cuomo yesterday saying that closing the clinic would "do irreparable harm may come to the elderly and the poor," of the Bronx community.

According to WNYC, the state will make a decision in the next few days on whether or not to evoke the clinic's Medicaid license. Espada and his son, both facing trial for misusing the health center's funds, were barred from receiving Medicaid money earlier this year.

Bronx News Roundup, June 3

Another great day in the BX, another day of news! Enjoy!

According to authorities, toxicology tests show that the officer who killed himself, another officer and injured four women, in a car crash last month on the Bronx River Parkway, had an alcohol level twice the legal limit. NY Times has the story here.

The sudden oil spill into the Bronx River yesterday, came from a 12-story apartment complex in White Plains. The leak spanned three to four miles. According to a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Conservation, some wildlife has been affected.

Four men have been charged with running a $5.7 million medicaid scam. With a clinic in the Bronx, next to the Bronx VA, they allegedly bribed homeless medicaid recipients to come to their office for unnecessary dental treatments.

Co-op City residents are getting fed up with all the garbage that continues to pile up as 100 of maintenance workers continue to strike against the management company and the new contract they have offered.

A failed robbery attempt in a home in the Van Nest section of the Bronx led to the shooting of two adults and a 14-year-old boy. All were taken to Jacobi Medical Center and are in stable condition.

The Child Sex Abuse Bill gets denied for the fifth year in the New York Legislature. The bill is asking for victims to be allowed to file lawsuits against predators well after the stature of limitations has expired.

Mayor Bloomberg takes another shot at making elections non-partisan. Legal experts argued in a rowdy meeting last night at Lehman College over whether nonpartisan elections would hide candidates' beliefs from voters.