Workers and labor leaders are set to protest later today in a continued effort to preserve some of the services at Saint Vincent's Hospital.

The union representing the hospital's 800 registered nurses will lead the afternoon demonstration.

Board members on Tuesday night voted to pull the plug on the hospital's inpatient services.

The hospital is $700 million in debt.

Saying the atmosphere inside the hospital was like a funeral, doctors, nurses, community leaders, local residents and patients Wednesday called on state leaders to hold off on finalizing the closure.

"There has been a proposal put out at this point by the state government," said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who represents the district. "A proposal that would leave the spot behind me with nothing more than doctor's offices and a few clinics. It would not have any type of an emergency room. I want to send a clear message to our governor and our state health commissioner: that proposal wasn't acceptable, don't try to dust it off that plan and resell it."

A hospital spokesman will not pinpoint an exact date for when inpatients will be discharged, but he did say that the average length of stay at the facility is five to six days and the patients will likely be discharged during their normal course of treatment.

There are about 400 inpatient beds in the hospital.

Employees warn that closing the hospital will create a void in health care service in the neighborhood.

“No one is exempt from getting sick!” said one nurse.

"This hospital has been so great to me in the short period I've been here," said another hospital worker. "And I just love and support this place like crazy and I cannot believe it got to this point."

Tuesday night's vote came on the heels of a six-month effort to save St. Vincent's by absolving the debt by merging it with another hospital.

In addition to shutting down inpatient services, the hospital will end its acute care, rehabilitation, and behavioral health care services.

Local, state and federal politicians are asking that a plan for acute care is put in place before any shutdown takes place.

Patients say the proposal as it stands is devastating for them and the community.

"I was born in the hospital 71 years ago and my father was born in it in 1912," said patient Jerry Mazza. "My cousin suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was brought here and healed to the best available. It is [like a death in the family]."

"It's not right. It shouldn't be happening," said another patient.

Outpatient care like cancer treatment and HIV/AIDS centers will continue to operate.

“We are hopeful that will happen, but there's no guarantee of that yet,” said Representative Jerrold Nadler.

It is not clear how long it will take to shut down the inpatient operations but elective surgeries will not be performed after April 14.

Meanwhile, the hospital's specialized maternity services could also be affected.

Around 1,800 babies are born at the hospital each year. Advocates say the changes could have serious repercussions for local mothers.

"I would like to deliver at Saint Vincent's because of the flexibility that's offered there," said expectant mother Heather McGeory.

"This is a place where women have been flocking to to have a particular kind of birth where they have time to labor," said Catherine Stewart-Lindley of Labor of Love Childbirth Services.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the city had been anticipating the closure and is ready to take over the hospital's 13 ambulances routes as soon as needed.

Officials say hospitals around the city are getting prepared to take on the patients being discharged from St. Vincent's.

St. Vincent's has operated in the Village for more than 150 years. It was opened by four nuns in the mid-1800s to treat cholera patients.

Insiders say many factors led to the massive debt – including state budget cuts and challenges with Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.

In January, Continuum Health Partners, a hospital consortium that operates Beth Israel and St. Luke's Roosevelt, announced takeover plans that later failed amid opposition from elected officials, community members and St. Vincent's itself.

While the hospital searched for other partners, Governor David Paterson floated $12 million in state loans. He also formed a task force to come up with a longer-term solution.

In the meantime, St. Vincent's laid off hundreds of employees and began to sell off properties, including two nursing homes and a hospice program.

Just last week, Mount Sinai Medical Center pulled out of plans to try to bail out the hospital.