Patients at two New York City public hospitals endured exceptionally long stays in emergency departments before securing inpatient beds, with average wait times reaching 27 hours at one facility and nearly 24 hours at another. The data, recorded on September 2, 2026, highlight a growing challenge in the city’s public health system.
Kings County Hospital Center, located in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, reported an average boarding period of 27 hours for patients moving from the emergency room to an inpatient unit. This figure represents the longest documented wait among the city’s municipal hospitals for the reporting period.
Elmhurst Hospital in Queens experienced a slightly shorter, yet still extensive, average delay of approximately 24 hours before patients could be transferred from emergency care to a regular hospital bed. Both hospitals are part of the New York City public hospital network, which serves a large and diverse patient population.
The extended boarding times are part of a broader trend of rising delays in emergency departments across the city’s public hospitals. As patients wait longer for inpatient placement, emergency rooms become increasingly crowded, potentially affecting the speed of care for new arrivals.
Hospital administrators have noted that the surge in boarding durations coincides with heightened demand for services, limited inpatient capacity, and ongoing staffing constraints. While the specific causes were not detailed in the report, the figures underscore the pressure on public facilities to manage patient flow efficiently.
City health officials have been monitoring the situation, recognizing that prolonged emergency department stays can strain resources and impact overall patient outcomes. The reported averages at Kings County and Elmhurst Hospitals serve as a benchmark for ongoing assessments of emergency department performance throughout the municipal health system.
Stakeholders, including policymakers and hospital leadership, may need to consider strategies to reduce boarding times, improve bed availability, and ensure timely admission for patients requiring inpatient care.