8 The Queens Courier • tribute • july 4, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com ▶tribute to helen marshall against the Defense of Marriage Act. While she has been instrumental in bridging gaps in the borough, Marshall has also worked on areas Queens needs to promote productivity. In total, her office has given $676 million in capital investment to projects throughout the borough — with a focus on healthcare, libraries, parks and cultural institutions. HELEN HELPS HOSPITALS Five Queens hospitals have closed during Marshall’s tenure, something Koslowitz said was difficult for the borough president to see happen. Before four of those hospitals closed, however, Marshall’s office released a report in 2006 that said Queens was already in a healthcare crisis. The report showed what areas were in the most need and laid out a plan to combat cutbacks. Paola Miceli, her director of Health and Human Services, said Marshall’s office has worked with the existing Queens hospitals to ensure residents have the same access to care without overcrowding. “Looking at 2006 and knowing we were already in a crisis and then having hospitals close after that certainly only exacerbated what we already thought,” Miceli said. “The good news is since that time, we’ve been able to come around. ... We’re not where we need to be, certainly by any means, but we’re in the process of getting there.” The remaining Queens hospitals have also been active in expanding and dealing with the overflow of fewer hospitals. “The existing institutions have stepped up to the plate,” Miceli said. “They have done incredible work to make themselves right sized.” Over the last 12 years, Marshall’s office has allocated more than $20 million to Queens health centers. Part of the funds have gone toward expanding emergency rooms in order to accommodate the overflow from hospital closures. She also worked with elected officials at the federal level, Miceli said, to fight Medicaid cuts. But Marshall also saw a borough-wide need for primary care offices where some had been lacking. Her office has helped establish or expand “urgi-centers” in neighborhoods throughout Queens where a primary care doctor might be in shortage, Miceli said. These offices have the feel and speed of an emergency room, but are less costly for the government to reimburse. “It’s better for the patient, certainly it’s a much more patient-friendly environment, especially for the children,” Miceli said. “We’ve had the opportunity to have the borough view that no one else has really had the opportunity to have. We can look from community to community to see what the gaps are, where the gaps are.” LIBRARIES, PARKS AND CULTURE Marshall has spent the last 30 years as an elected official, first in the Assembly, then City Council and finally Borough President. She was the inaugural chair of the Council’s Higher Education Marshall, always hands-on, participated in an FDNY exercise. (Below) Marshall has fought hard for libraries, allocating millions.
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