Brown v. Board of Education Brief for Appellants
Public Court Documents
January 1, 1952

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Press Releases, Volume 7. NAACP LDF Files Suit to Block City Hospital Closings, 1979. 7e397eb3-bb92-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/30b598da-edc8-4674-9979-6316e57f903b/naacp-ldf-files-suit-to-block-city-hospital-closings. Accessed April 06, 2025.
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NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC egal ‘efense lund 10 Columbus Circle, New York, N.Y. 10019 « (212) 586-8397 NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE FUND FILES SUIT TO BLOCK CITY HOSPITAL CLOSINGS For immediate release: For further information: Wednesday, August 15, 1979 Beth Lief or Peter Sherwood (212) 586-8397 New York, N. Y., August 15 -- The NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed a class action lawsuit today in federal court charging that the announced plan of Mayor Edward I. Koch and city health care officials to close four municipal hospitals in New York City violates federal due process and civil rights law, state and local health planning laws and various provisions of the State Constitution and the City Charter. If successful, the suit would block City and State officials from approving or implementing any plans to reduce in-patient or out-patient services, to close hospitals or reduce services until all black and Hispanic residents have the same access to adequate health care as white residents. It would require that any illegal reduction be reinstated. The suit was filed in the U. §. District Court for the Southern District of New York by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund on behalf of David E. Bryan, Jr., Executive Secretary of the Metropolitan Council of Branches of -more- Contributions are deductible for U.S. income tax purposes The NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUCATIONAL FUND is not part of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People although it was founded by it and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF has had for over 20 years a separate Board, program, staff, office and budget. ital Closings = 2 the NAACP and other black and Hispanic residents of New York. At a press conference called to announce the suit, Jack Greenberg, Director—Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund made the following statement: "We do not question the need of the city to contain health care costs or to work to reduce excess hospital beds. However, both law and decency require that hospital closings or reductions in health care services not fall with undue harshness and hardship on minority residents. The present plan does just that. It would cut services to residents of areas already severely underserved with respect to access to adequate health care. "The City’s proposal was not, as required by law, sub- mitted for review to state or local health planning agencies. Further, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act specifically requires that before cutbacks or changes can occur in any federally-assisted health care pro- grams, a civil rights assessment must be made. This has not been done. -more- Hospital Closings - 3 "The New York State legislature has mandated, through the creation of the Health and Hospitals Corporation, a system to provide high quality, comprehensive health care for residents, particularly those who can ‘least afford’ it. In New York City those persons tend to be overwhelmingly black and Hispanic. "Presently, seventy percent of the patients who receive in-patient health care in the City's 13 municipal hospitals are minorities. The proposed closings would result in a significant reduction in their access to quality health care." ete