Poor CT planning will 'wreak havoc' on 1 of nation's busiest EDs, staff say
The installation of a new CT scanner is at the center of a dispute between hospital administrators and staff members at one of the busiest emergency departments in the U.S.
Kings County Hospital Center's ED in Brooklyn, New York, saw nearly 130,000 patients in 2024, making it 18th on the list. Like most level 1 trauma centers, the department has its own dedicated CT scanner for urgent cases that require immediate access to imaging.
The hospital recently announced plans to replace the aging scanner with a new system, but its installation will require an update to the department’s infrastructure. Due to the nature of the renovation, the current one would have to be shut down, leaving the ED without a dedicated CT scanner for a minimum of six months (November through April). Patients requiring imaging would have to be transported out of the department to the hospital’s second floor.
Hospital staff, including residents, nurses, technologists and transporters, say this is unacceptable and that the downtime will “wreak havoc on an already incredibly overstretched hospital.” Over 200 workers have signed a petition that opposes the changes and calls for leaders to provide a plan to keep the current scanner operational during the update for the sake of patient safety.
“We’re asking the Kings County administration to prioritize patient safety and ensure sufficient measures are in place before the current scanner is removed,” Alex Graff, MD, an emergency medicine resident at Kings County, said in a Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR/SEIU) news release. “This is an essential safety net hospital for working class communities of color in Brooklyn and it’s unacceptable that the ED should be without critically important equipment for months. The administration must hold fast to the mission of NYC Health and Hospitals; it’s on leadership to prioritize the well-being of our patients, listen to the workers on the frontlines of care, and rethink this plan now.”
The original plans were set to begin on Nov. 12. However, the structural updates are now slated to start in January.
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In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.