Patients at several New York City public hospitals are waiting far longer than federal standards to move from emergency departments into inpatient beds, with Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn reporting some of the longest delays, according to The City Reporter.
From January through May 2026, patients at Kings County waited an average of 27.3 hours for an inpatient bed, while Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens recorded nearly 24 hours. Across NYC Health + Hospitals facilities, the average wait was 12.8 hours from 2022 through 2025.
Federal emergency care standards call for patients to be transferred to an inpatient bed within four hours after the decision to admit, with total emergency department stays generally not exceeding eight hours…