New York hospital renamed in honor of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

NEW YORK (WPVI) -- A hospital in Brooklyn, New York is now named after the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Coney Island Hospital will now be called Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital.

A new 11-story, 350,000-square-foot in-patient hospital -- along with an existing building on campus -- are now jointly named for Ginsburg, a Brooklyn native.

"To my grandmother, equal access to health care was an essential right, health care was an issue of equality, pivotal to an individual's autonomy to determine their life's course is the ability to get and to choose quality medical care," Ginsburg's granddaughter Clara Spera said.

The hospital's campus, which underwent a recent renovation, will now be called NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health.

"Investing in public health is critical for our recovery," said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. "NYC Health + Hospitals has been on the frontlines of the pandemic, serving all New Yorkers regardless of income or immigration status. I'm thrilled to see this state-of-the-art facility opening in South Brooklyn as we build a recovery for all of us. Even more fitting that one of its buildings is being renamed for a champion of progress and equality, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her legacy will continue to live on in her hometown borough."

"We are grateful that the family of Ruth Bader Ginsburg has allowed us to honor her memory in this historic way," said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. "Justice Ginsburg fought tirelessly for justice and equality, giving voices to the voiceless, and as patients walk into the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital at NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health, they will do so knowing they will receive high quality health services with compassion, dignity, and respect, regardless of their income, gender identity, or immigration status. On a personal note, as someone who's family is a native from Coney Island, I look forward to seeing the greater health transformation in this community continue to flourish as we become more inclusive to the surrounding communities and rich diversity of all of south Brooklyn."

The new hospital building is expected to open in the summer of 2022.