Your Neighborhood — Your News® July 07, 2019
BRIDGE UNDER
TROUBLED TRAFFIC
Is there a Unionport Bridge traffifi c solution?
Motorists are experiencing
traffi c back ups due to the
reconstruction of the Unionport
Bridge, a fi ve year project
that still has three years
to go. Photo by Silvio Pacifi co
NCBH, Jacobi ask DoH for an operating certifi cate merger
BY PATRICK ROCCHIO
Jacobi Medical Center and
North Central Bronx Hospital,
both part of the city’s public hospital
system, plan to come together.
The hospitals have both applied
to be on the same NYS Department
of Health operating certifi cate,
which would essential create one
hospital on two campuses, hospital
offi cials said.
The two hospitals, both part
of the NYC Health + Hospitals,
shared much of the same staff and
formed the North Bronx Health
Network for a time, and merger of
the operating license would be a
step towards further standardization
of the two hospitals, said hospital
offi cials.
“We are looking to reduce some
of the regulatory hurdles that we
face,” said Christopher Mastromano,
CEO of Jacobi and NCBH.
“We are already share a medical
staff between both, so now we are
just looking to combine in total all
the services that already exist into
a single operating certifi cate.”
The hospitals should know by
this fall if their plan to operate under
a single certifi cate is approved,
said Jacobi Medical Center spokesman
John Doyle, adding that medical
staff has been shared for 20
years.
“There are no bed count, staff
or service reductions planned as
part of this merger,” said Doyle.
The single operating certifi cate
would let doctors who have to work
at both facilities do so without being
credentialed twice, said Mastromano.
Doctors travel to where they
are most needed, and many may
not want to go through the onerous
task of applying to be credentialed
twice, which is currently mandatory,
explained Mastromano.
Reporting and regulatory reviews
page 4
would be consolidated to
single reports from two separate
reports, said Mastromano.
Patients should be able to move
more freely between the two hospitals,
which share clinical and
other facilities, hospital offi cials
said.
“If we want to transfer a patient
from one facility to another today,
they have to be discharged at one
facility, (have) all new paperwork,
and then be readmitted at another
facility,” said Mastromano. “When
we combine them, it is just a computer
move…it could just happen
$6.6 million
historic
Saw Mill
Playground
reopens
BY ROBERT WIRSING
A popular Mott Haven playground
has reopened just in
time for summer.
On Friday, June 7, Bronx
Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez
Rosa and NYC Department
of Environmental Protection
Bronx Borough coordinator Effi
e Ardizzone joined students
and administrators from P.S.
369, P.S. 352 and P.S. 179 and residents
for a ribbon-cutting ceremony
for the newly renovated
Saw Mill Playground.
The Community Parks Initiative
project was made possible
through $6.6 million from
Mayor de Blasio and $1.4 million
allocated from DEP for green
infrastructure to help improve
the Harlem River’s health.
The 0.92-acre playground
features revamped basketball
courts, new play equipment,
youth fi tness equipment, a synthetic
turf fi eld, multi-purpose
area and spray showers.
The newly constructed comfort
station is anticipated to
open this fall, according to NYC
Parks.
“With the new amenities
and features, we are confi dent
it will be a community hub,” expressed
Rodriguez-Rosa.
To commemorate the momentous
occasion, Rodriguez-
Rosa and others joined local
youth on the swings and played
a bean bag toss game at the
playground.
Saw Mill Playground is outfi
tted with green infrastructure
to manage stormwater
runoff which is able to capture
1.3 million gallons of stormwater
annually.
DEP has committed approxi-
LOCAL
CL ASSIFIEDS
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