STANDING Brooklyn’s Biggest Booster
Hospital’s stroke care is nation’s best
BOROUGH PARK
A Borough Park hospital’s center
for stroke patients has the highest
survival rate of any stroke program
in the country, according to a recent
federal mortality report.
Maimonides Medical Center’s
Comprehensive Stroke Center —
located on 48th Street between Ninth
and 10th avenues — includes physicians
and nurses in emergency
medicine, and offers neurosurgery,
and rehabilitation medicine to treat
Brooklyn’s stroke patients. According
to the program’s director, stroke
programs are more necessary than
ever.
“A person suffers a stroke approximately
every 40 seconds in
the U.S.,” said Dr. Tony Qingliang
Wang. “Someone dies from stroke
every four minutes, and 80 percent
of strokes can be prevented. So when
it comes to diagnosis and treatment,
every moment counts.”
The report’s fi nding is not the fi rst
time Maimonides’ stroke center has
been recognized for its excellence.
The stroke program also earned top
honors from the American Stroke
Association for its eighth consecutive
year, a prestige one hospital executive
held up as evidence of the
medical center’s high standards.
“The outstanding care that is delivered
demonstrates one of the many
reasons why our hospital is among
the Top 10 in the nation for overall
clinical excellence,” said Kenneth D.
Gibbs.
On July 15, local pols joined Maimonides
doctors during the hospital’s
“Stroke Awareness Flag-Raising,”
during which doctors stressed
the importance of acting fast when
stroke symptoms occur, causing
face-drooping, imbalance, loss of vision
and slurred speech.
“If you suspect you or a loved one
may be experiencing a stroke, phoning
911 immediately can make a big
difference,” said Dr. Wang.
— Rose Adams
Dr. Lee Waldman, Brynna Tucker, Andre Power, Josephine Freeman, and Vincet Mulvinill
pose in front of the newly installed book drop. Keisha Gilles
COURIER L 34 IFE, JULY 26-AUG. 1, 2019 PS
by Joanna DelBuono
PROSPECT-LEFFERTS GARDENS
Three cheers for the Brooklyn
Public Library, which installed
a new book drop at Prospect-Lefferts
Gardens Medical Center!
The borough book lender partnered
with NYC Health and Kings
County Hospital to celebrate the
new book drop at the Clarkson Avenue
healthcare facility with a ribbon
cutting ceremony on July 19.
The new book drop allows patients,
hospital staff, and members
of the wider community to return
books and materials without visiting
a library.
The new installation is part of
Brooklyn Public Library’s literacy
programs, which include a service
where volunteers and Brooklyn
Public Library staff come to the
hospital with suitcases of books,
read to the children, and give them
titles they can keep.
“For almost 20 years, volunteers
have been bringing suitcases full
of books for patients and their families.
We are delighted to add materials
for expectant parents, story
times and now a book drop for the
entire community,” said Linda E.
Johnson, president and CEO of
Brooklyn Public Library.
During the ceremony, a local
day care gathered around to hear
children’s book author Charles R.
Smith read stories, in addition to
participating in other activities
like arts and crafts to keep the children
entertained during the event.
The Brooklyn Public Library
will also provide early literacy kits
for expecting mothers that include
books, growth charts and tips for
helping children learn and grow.
— Chandler Kidd
FORT GREENE
A veteran city parks advocate
has taken the reigns at the Fort
Greene Parks Conservancy,
and will use her considerable urban
planning experience to ensure
locals have a top-notch green
space to enjoy, according to one
conservancy honcho.
“Rosamond’s experience
working with a wide array of
agencies and groups in NYC and
her personal poise, humility, and
work ethic made her a great fi t,”
said Brad Schneller, who serves
on the board of directors for Fort
Greene Park Conservancy, a notfor
profi t organization that helps
maintain the park and organize
programming.
Rosamond Fletcher took
over as the conservancy’s fi rst
ever executive director last
month, and says she looks forward
to working with a diverse
mix of park patrons to ensure she
understands what locals want
out of Fort Greene’s eponymous
green space.
“Fort Greene Park exists in a
unique context with great socioeconomic
diversity, so the Conservancy
has a responsibility to
engage with all community members
to balance priorities and
build consensus, as possible,”
Fletcher said.
And coming hot on the heels
of a nearly seven-year tenure as
director of programs for the Design
Trust for Public Space,
Fletcher said she understands
the most important thing about
city parks are the people who use
them, and she looks forward to
expanding the green space’s appeal
to a wider audience.
“Talking to people in the
park about their experiences in
the park, what they care about,
and how the conservancy can
strengthen their connection to
the park or, better yet, talking to
people in the neighborhood that
have not yet ventured into the
park or taken advantage of our
programming and then seeing
them in the park!”
— Elizabeth Winn
Brooklyn Public Library celebrates
new bookdrop at PLG medical center
STROKE AWARENESS: State Assemblyman
Steven Cymbrowitz and New York City Council
Member Dr. Mathieu Eugene joined doctors
at Maimonides Medical Center on July
15 for a public fl ag-raising ceremony about
stroke awareness.