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Lenox Hill Hospital, part of the Northwell Health system, is preparing to lay off more than 30 ambulance workers in the coming weeks. The move follows an internal decision to reduce the hospital’s emergency response capabilities in parts of Manhattan.
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The layoffs, which will affect a mix of full-time and part-time EMTs and paramedics, are expected to take effect within 30 days. They coincide with a reduction in the hospital’s ambulance fleet, including the removal of three units that currently respond to 911 calls on the Upper West Side—from West 72nd Street up through Washington Heights.“In one shift, you can do about 12, 15 calls,” Jahrodney Williams, a paramedic, told CBS News. “Less ambulances, longer response times, unfortunately. [The hospital is] trying to count pennies and dollars over lives [it’s] gonna cost people.”
NYC paramedics warn ambulance wait times may soon increase as a Manhattan hospital cuts its fleet. https://t.co/vcqrUfhlej@CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/C5PEW9pTEe
— Ali Bauman (@AliBaumanTV) October 10, 2025
Lenox Hill’s remaining ambulances—five in total—will continue to operate primarily in Harlem and on the Upper East Side.
A spokesperson for the hospital said the changes are the result of a strategic reassessment of ambulance deployment and utilization within the FDNY’s broader emergency medical system. While most ambulances citywide are operated by the FDNY, some are provided by hospitals like Lenox Hill to supplement municipal services.
The hospital described the cuts as part of an effort to streamline operations and enhance efficiency across its emergency services network, which spans the greater New York City area.
The layoffs come amid a period of financial strain for hospitals throughout the city, many of which are preparing for significant funding reductions tied to federal legislation. Industry groups have warned that New York’s healthcare system could face a loss of $8 billion annually under new policies, prompting institutions to cut costs wherever possible.
Advocacy organizations and labor groups have expressed concern that eliminating ambulances could further strain an already overburdened 911 system, increasing response times and reducing access to emergency care in areas that relied on Lenox Hill’s coverage.
This latest round of reductions follows similar ambulance service cuts by Northwell in Queens and Staten Island last year. It also comes months after the city implemented new rules requiring patients to be transported to the nearest hospital rather than a preferred facility, a change that may be affecting how hospitals plan for incoming emergency traffic.
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