Intro: The confirmed closure of Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital raised urgent concerns about healthcare access across New York City. In response, the CUNY SPH Office of Government Affairs conducted a citywide analysis of hospital bed distribution to identify service and infrastructure gaps. Unequal access to inpatient care, especially in high-density or underserved neighborhoods, poses serious risks to health equity and emergency preparedness.

Methods: Open-access data from the New York State Department of Health was analyzed to assess hospital and bed availability across NYC’s five boroughs. Bed totals were calculated by hospital, borough, and specialty unit, and compared with staffed bed data. Neighborhood population estimates were used to calculate bed-to-population ratios. Geospatial analysis was used to map hospital locations, identify service gaps, and visualize proximity to care.

Results: 60 hospitals and 23,429 hospital beds were identified across NYC. Manhattan had the highest number of beds (9,306); Staten Island had the fewest (1,158). Brooklyn had the most neighborhoods without hospitals (7), while Queens had the most disproportionate hospital access, with over 2.3 million residents served by just 9 hospitals. 20 of 59 neighborhoods did not have any hospitals. Densely populated areas like Fordham and the Upper West Side lacked local facilities. Maternity bed access was also uneven, with multiple districts across all boroughs reporting zero beds.

Discussion: Closing hospital access gaps requires addressing both capacity issues and geographic distribution. These findings can support policy efforts to expand healthcare infrastructure, improve maternity care, and allocate resources to high-need areas.