FIRST COMPREHENSIVE WOMEN’S HEALTH
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | APRIL 8-14, 2022 10
CENTER OPENS IN THE ROCKAWAYS
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
Episcopal Health Services
(EHS) — the parent organization
of St. John’s Medical Group and
St. John’s Episcopal Hospital —
hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony
in honor of the opening of the
Margaret O. Carpenter Women’s
Health Center at 105-38 Rockaway
Beach Blvd., in Rockaway Park,
on March 31.
The center is named as a tribute
to Margaret O. Carpenter, a
former member of the Episcopal
Health Services Inc. board of
trustees and a longtime volunteer.
The facility is the first (and
long overdue) comprehensive
women’s health center on the
Rockaway Peninsula.
The health center will address
the long-standing health disparities
on the peninsula as St. John’s
Episcopal Hospital is the only
hospital on the Rockaways serving
more than 130,000 residents.
Breast cancer is the top three
leading causes of premature
death in the Rockaways, where
the death rate for cancer is higher
than the overall cancer death
rate in New York City. Prenatal
care rates are lower than the
overall rates in New York City.
Pregnant women on the peninsula
seek no prenatal care or seek
care late into their pregnancies.
The lack of efficient public
transportation and geographical
isolation makes it difficult for
women to seek medical care outside
the Rockaways, forcing them
to travel more than an hour for
lifesaving medical care. Women
in the Rockaways all too often
forgo critical care because it is
too time-consuming or too expensive
to travel to a healthcare
facility.
With the opening of the Margaret
O. Carpenter Women’s Health
Center, women on the peninsula
now can receive a variety of medical
services in one location, including
obstetrics, gynecology,
maternal-fetal medicine, urogynecology,
gynecology oncology,
breast surgery, nutrition, behavioral
health, 3D mammography,
bone density and ultrasound.
Besides five exam rooms, the
space also features top-of-the-line
medical equipment, including a
3D mammography machine that
allows clinicians to see breast
tissue details more clearly to
uncover breast cancer that may
have otherwise been hidden by
overlying breast tissue, a bone
density machine, and an ultrasound
machine that produces
high-resolution image quality.
Located on the third floor of
the Rockaway Beach Medical
Arts Complex, the center provides
an inviting, spa-like atmosphere.
The walls are painted
in a soothing blue and off-white
color scheme, complete with ample,
comfortable seating, colorful
paintings and uplifting artwork
that complements the zen-like
ambiance.
The center was funded with
a grant from the New York State
Department of Health’s Statewide
Health Care Facility Transformation
Program II (SHCFTP) of
$3,117,938 awarded to Episcopal
Health Services Inc, and the St.
John’s ICARE Foundation raised
significant additional funds,
which went to the purchase of
state-of-the-art equipment.
The Right Reverend Bishop
Lawrence Provenzano, who also
serves as the chairman of the
boards of trustees, opened the
ceremony. He described Margaret
O. Carpenter as a woman who
has lived her faith tangibly and is
a “walking living voice of everything
that we personify as a hospital
system and our care for the
people in Rockaways.”
“So, it is a real joy that today
we will dedicate this space to
Margaret Carpenter as an outward
and visible tangible expression
of our care for God’s people,”
the bishop said.
Gerard M. Walsh, CEO of
Episcopal Health Services, emphasized
that the outpatient center
would benefit all people of the
Rockaways, addressing potential
health risks and catching them
early.
“We have a real commitment,
and I’ve always said this, is to
take care of the people of the
Rockaways in the Rockaways,”
Walsh said.
He described Margaret O. Carpenter
as “the real deal.”
“Margaret epitomizes our
high care values,” Walsh said.
“And for those of you who don’t
know our values. They are innovation,
compassion, accountability,
respect and empathy. Being
able to understand and walk in
someone else’s shoes.”
Margaret O. Carpenter was
humbled by the honor bestowed
on her and said it was a great day
for all women on the peninsula.
“They finally have access to
state-of-the-art health services,”
Carpenter said. She thanked
Bishop Provenzano, Gerard M.
Walsh and the board of trustees
for their determination to bring
the facility to the Rockaways.
“We are so grateful,” Carpenter
said. “So, on behalf of all of
us, we thank you for caring and
for building this beautiful health
center. God bless you for what
you have done.”
A key supporter of St. John’s
Episcopal Hospital was Queens
Borough President Donovan
Richards, who described Margaret
O. Carpenter as a legacy and
said it was “good to give people
their flowers while they are
here.”
Richards pointed to the infant
mortality rate of 6.3 per 1,000
live births in the Rockaways
and Broad Channel compared to
the citywide rate of 4.4 per 1,000
and 4 per 1,000 in Queens. One in
nine births in the Rockaways and
Broad Channel are premature,
which is also higher than the
citywide rate.
He stressed that “we have to
speak about these statistics” and
that with the opening of the women’s
health center, the Rockaways
was taking a big step toward improving
the healthcare inequities
on the peninsula.
“St. John’s has come back
for another million dollars this
fiscal year to replace all of the
critical beds, and I’m going to
honor that request,” Richards
promised.
NYC Council member Sevelan
Powers-Brooks thanked Margaret
Carpenter for her decades of
advocacy for the St. John’s Episcopal
Hospital and the Rockaway
community, “one that we will be
able to benefit from for years to
come.”
The daughter and sister of
healthcare professionals recognized
the importance of the new
healthcare facility.
“Having these services and
not having to travel to other boroughs
is so critically important
and especially as we’re welcoming
so many families to the peninsula,”
Brooks-Powers said. “We
know that we deserve health care
that’s accessible, affordable and
high quality. And we know that
many people across the peninsula,
in general in the city, they
suffer from many inequities in
the system. And it’s about time
we bring this resource home.”
NYC Councilwoman Joann
Ariola, who has a background
in healthcare, said the Rockaway
Peninsula was not only a
transportation desert but also a
healthcare desert.
“I understand how underserved
communities need health
care, and if we don’t bring it to
them — I used to do government
outreach and community outreach
— a lot of people don’t get
the basic health needs and treatment
that they need,” Ariola said.
Rosemary Bonilla, vice
president of Physician Practise,
oversaw the project from start to
finish.
Addressing Margaret Carpenter,
Bonilla said, “We’re so
excited that this center bears the
name of such a beautiful woman
of faith, who walks the walk and
talks the talk. Congratulations
and thank you so much for all
you do.”
Bonilla explained that the
facility was equipped with Pro-
Logic 3D mammography imaging
technology, including an interventional
3D mammography
room for performing breast biopsy
procedures with the newest
state-of-the-art technology called
the 3D biopsy system.
“This system streamlines the
patient biopsy process by reducing
an eight-step breast biopsy
process to a three-step biopsy
process,” Bonilla said.
To schedule an appointment
at the Margaret O. Carpenter
Women’s Health Center, call 718-
869-7500.
Councilwoman Joann Ariola, a guest, Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers, Queens Borough President Donovan
Richards, Bishop Lawrence Provenzano, Margaret O. Carpenter, EHS CEO Gerard Walsh and Rosemary Bonilla attend
the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Margaret O. Carpenter Women’s Health Center in Far Rockaway on
March 31. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
/QNS.COM
