4 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 1, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Bayside hospital celebrates 150 years serving youth
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital in Bayside
celebrated its 150th year of caring for New
York’s children in need on Wednesday,
Sept. 23.
Staff members stood outside of the hospital,
located at 29-01 216th St., joined
by healthcare workers and local elected
offi cials such as Senator John Liu,
Assemblyman Ed Braunstein and
Councilman Paul Vallone. Th e celebration
was followed by an NYPD car parade
to mark the special occasion and patients
also participated in alivestreamed virtual
sing-alongwith the hospital’s music therapist.
As New York City’s only post-acute
pediatric care facility, St. Mary’s treats the
city’s most critically ill and injured children.
Th e hospital was founded in 1870
when the Sisters of St. Mary established a
small, 15-bed hospital in Hell’s Kitchen to
provide free medical care for sick children.
St. Mary’s now cares for thousands of children
each day, both in a 124-bed inpatient
facility and in the community through
family-centered home care programs.
Despite extremely limited resources,
St. Mary’s provides innovative therapies
and rehabilitation programs including art,
music and aquatic therapy; a Locomotor
Training Program that provides rehabilitation
to children with spinal cord injuries;
and New York’s only intensive day
patient program specializing in pediatric
feeding and swallowing disorders. St.
Mary’s also created New York’s fi rst longterm
home care program for children and
young adults with disabilities and medically
complex conditions — the center for
pediatric respiratory care and the nation’s
fi rst pediatric palliative care program.
“Th ere is no way that a group of
Episcopal nuns in Manhattan in 1870, nor
the small group of nuns that I met in 1999,
could have conceived of the organization
we have become,” said Dr. Edwin Simpser,
president and CEO of St. Mary’s Children
Hospital. “From a little 15-bed acute care
hospital in Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan,
we have become one of the premier pediatric
post-acute health systems throughout
the country, if not throughout the
world.”
Th e celebration not only honored the
hospital’s long tenure but also their perseverance
through the worst of the COVID-
19 pandemic, which caused many of their
young patients’ further stress by having
visitations from family vastly restricted.
In order to commemorate the occasion,
Liu, Braunstein and Justin Connor,
a representative from Congressman Tom
Suozzi’s offi ce, presented the hospital with
a proclamation.
“In this most diffi cult year, we take a
moment to celebrate a huge milestone
in the storied and inspirational history
of St. Mary’s. For 150 years, this hospital
has provided care and compassion in
the most diffi cult cases involving serious
injury and disability of children,” Liu said.
“St. Mary’s has also helped enlighten society
about the continuing potential of the
patients it has cared for. Much thanks to
Dr. Simpser and his entire team for their
work of humanity and excellence.”
Additional reporting by Dean Moses.
Aff ordable housing lottery launches for TF Cornerstone towers in LIC
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e city has launched the aff ordable
housing lottery for the newest phase of the
Hunters Point South development on the
Long Island City waterfront.
TF Cornerstone announced that applications
are being accepted on the NYC
Housing Connect website for the fi rst
185 of a total of 719 aff ordable units in its
two-tower complex that is rising at 52-41
Center Blvd.
“For generations, TF Cornerstone
has been a leading driver of economic
development housing, public parks,
schools and philanthropy in Long Island
City, and we are thrilled to be continuing
that at Hunters Park South,” TF
Cornerstone Principal and Vice President
Zoe Elghanayan said. “As the fi rst of few
new buildings to commence leasing in
the wake of a global pandemic, 5241 and
5203 Center Blvd. are much-needed sanctuaries,
providing new aff ordable housing,
vast amounts of open space, light and
air in all directions, dedicated community
spaces, and the security of being a part of
a TF Cornerstone community.”
Th e Hunters Point South development
will bring 1,194 new residential units in
its two towers, with a mix of studios, one-
and two-bedroom apartments. Sixty percent
of the units will be permanently
aff ordable to low-, moderate- and middleincome
residents, with 100 apartments set
aside for low-income seniors. Half of the
aff ordable units are set aside for the local
community within Community Board 2.
“Th is amenity-packed project that’s
opening in Long Island City will be an
incredible asset to this vibrant neighborhood,”
Housing Preservation and
Development Commissioner Louise
Carroll said. “With a coworking space, a
fi tness center and plentiful outdoor space
included, not only are many low-income
families and seniors getting a high-quality,
aff ordable place to call home, but families
are receiving accommodations that
will contribute to their health and wellbeing
for years to come.”
Leasing for the remaining 209 market
rate units is expected to begin toward
the end of the year. Leasing for the 534
aff ordable and 266 market-rate units in
the North Tower, located at 52-03 Center
Blvd. is expected to commence next summer.
“Hunters Point South is providing
New Yorkers from a diverse range of
incomes with safe and secure aff ordable
housing in an amenity-rich, waterfront
development,” Housing Development
Corporation President Eric Enderlin said.
“Th is lottery will provide 185 individuals
and families greater housing and economic
security at a time it is needed most.
I encourage those who are eligible to visit
the new and improved NYC Housing
Connect to apply today.”
In 2014, when a lottery was held for the
925 aff ordable apartments that were part
of phase one at the development, more
than 93,000 people applied. Residents
will have access to amenities in both towers
including outdoor spaces, barbecue
grills, club room, a lounge, a children’s
playroom, a fi tness center, a yoga room,
laundry facilities and HomeWork, TF
Cornerstone’s signature resident-exclusive
coworking space, and access to Hunters
Point South Park and its NYC Ferry landing.
“Th is project was unique for us thanks
to the collaboration with the city and TF
Cornerstone. Th e private-public partnership
allowed us to create a more holistic
vision for this new neighborhood, one
that is refl ective of the types of communities
ODA is trying to build,” said architect
ODA Founder Eran Chen, who led
the design process. “Th e opportunity to
combine aff ordable housing with market
rate and senior housing, surrounded
by a curated amenity package, with retail
shops and a direct connection to the park
is a winning formula we hope to emulate
in future projects.”
Courtesy of TF Cornerstone
Photo by Dean Moses
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
link
link
