Nurses at Montefiore Bronx’s Moses Campus say already overcrowded conditions will be made worse if the hospital system moves forward with its alleged plans to eliminate at least 37 beds in order to expand its ICU. In redacted documents shared with News 12 by sources close to the issue, Montefiore indicates the potential for the removal of even more beds. Specifically, the medical/surgical unit (med-surg) where patients go before or after surgery will be affected, leaving some staff without a job and in need of a transfer. Nurses tell News 12 that although the ICU does need more beds, this should not be done by removing beds from already packed floors where nurses tell stories of climbing over stretchers in hallways to get to a patient. A Montefiore spokesperson told News 12 in a statement that the hospital has plans to “ensure repurposed med-surg beds are made available throughout the health system to ensure everyone can receive the care they need at the right time and in the most appropriate setting.” However, nurses counter that this would mean sending Bronx patients to other hospitals, like Montefiore Mount Vernon, which can be difficult for patients to get to and where they don’t have a relationship with the staff. Several nurses cited this expansion plan as an example of neglect of the borough’s healthcare system, while they feel other locations get prioritized, such as the recently announced 500,000-square-foot expansion of White Plains Hospital, set to open in 2028. Nurses say Montefiore plans to remove these beds by March 15, 2025.