18 The QUEE NS Courier • NOVEMBER 21, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com WYCKOFF HEIGHTS MEDICAL CENTER READY TO EXPAND Wyckoff Heights Medical Center has come a long way since it was in danger of closing. Over the past few years, the hospital has undergone a transformation of its physical location and staff members and is now preparing to expand. “The hospital has made a turn for the better, and we are progressing in the right direction,” said Gary Goffner, chair of the hospital’s board of trustees. “There is no threat of a closure anymore. We are in building mode.” Goffner, a pharmacist and drug store owner, was on the board for a few years before he was appointed chairperson two years ago. At that time, there was talk of the hospital closing. However, Goffner and the rest of the board wanted to turn the nearly 125-year-old facility around. He has a commitment to community health, since Goffner lost his sister to cancer, his mother to heart disease and his father to Alzheimer’s disease over the past 10 years. Although his family members lost their individual battles, he believes they were receiving excellent care from community hospitals. He said everyone should be entitled to the same level of care from their local instiutions. “I believe the people of Middle Village and Glendale are entitled to the best care,” Goffner said. “It’s become my life goal to bring this community hospital to one of great clinic care and financial stability.” To start, the board hired a new set administrators, naming a long-time health professional and attorney Ramon Rodriguez as CEO and president. Rodriguez, a Queens native who grew up in Corona, has worked with health insurance companies. He saw potential in the hospital and immediately started to institute his new ideas. Rodriguez replaced the roofs, boilers and cooling system, bought new equipment including infusion pumps and replaced all of the operating tables, to refreshen the hospital. He also presided over the renegotiation of contracts with all 180 doctors at the hospital, getting rid of wasteful deals. “Safety and respect, and when you talk about safety, you are making sure that errors are reduced as much as possible,” Rodriguez said. The management team at the center currently embodies top professionals in their field, including Chief Financial Officer Frank Vutrano, who has a long history of running hospitals and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gustavo del Toro. The changes made instant success. Following Rodriguez’s first full year, the hospital went from losing $16 million to gaining a profit of $3.8 million. The changes don’t stop there. About a year ago, they opened a new pediatrics facility, an 8,000-square-foot building about three blocks from the hospital on Myrtle Avenue and Harman Street. They are doubling the size of the dental department in the space of the hospital’s former pediatrics center. With the expansion of the dental department, they want to extend hours to serve more people. “We had a really good dental department. Now we will have an amazing department,” Goffner said. Under the guidance of their new Chief of Surgery, Dr. Stephen Carryl, the hospital now has more options for pediatric surgeries and laparoscopic or Minimally Invasive Surgery, in which doctors make small incisions and view inside the body through TV monitors. This form of surgery reduces bleeding and patients have faster recovery times, meaning more people will be served in the long-run. “We brought a very seasoned group of people, who saw our vision and our vision is this neighborhood needs a community hospital,” Goffner said. “These guys are able to transform the organization and develop new areas that we have never done before.” ADVERTORIAL Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, no longer facing closure, has a plan to expand. Photos courtesy of Wyckoff Heights Medical Center Gary Goffner Ramon Rodriguez
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