FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM APRIL 8, 2022 • THE QUEENS COURIER 14
New women’s health center opens in the Rockaways
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Episcopal Health Services (EHS) — the parent
organization of St. John’s Medical Group and St.
John’s Episcopal Hospital — hosted a ribboncutting
ceremony on March 31 in honor of the
opening of the Margaret O. Carpenter Women’s
Health Center at 105-38 Rockaway Beach
Blvd., in Rockaway Park, on March 31, 2022.
Th e center is named as a tribute to Margaret
O. Carpenter, a former member of the Episcopal
Health Services Inc. board of trustees and a
longtime volunteer. Th e facility is the fi rst (and
long overdue) comprehensive women’s health
center on the Rockaway Peninsula.
Th e health center will address the longstanding
health disparities on the peninsula as
St. John’s Episcopal Hospital is the only hospital
on the Rockaways serving more than 130,000
residents.
Breast cancer is the top three leading causes
of premature death in the Rockaways, where the
death rate for cancer is higher than the overall
cancer death rate in New York City. Prenatal
care rates are lower than the overall rates in New
York City. Pregnant women on the peninsula
seek no prenatal care or seek care late into their
pregnancies.
Th e lack of effi cient public transportation
and geographical isolation makes it diffi cult
for women to seek medical care outside the
Rockaways, forcing them to travel more than
an hour for lifesaving medical care. Women
in the Rockaways all too oft en forgo critical
care because it is too time-consuming or too
expensive to travel to a healthcare facility.
With the opening of the Margaret O. Carpenter
Women’s Health Center, women on the
peninsula now can receive a variety of medical
services in one location, including obstetrics,
gynecology, maternal-fetal medicine, urogynecology,
gynecology oncology, breast surgery,
nutrition, behavioral health, 3D mammography,
bone density and ultrasound.
Besides fi ve exam rooms, the space also
features top-of-the-line medical equipment,
including a 3D mammography machine that
allows clinicians to see breast tissue details more
clearly to uncover breast cancer that may have
otherwise been hidden by overlying breast tissue,
a bone density machine, and an ultrasound
machine that produces high-resolution image
quality.
Located on the third fl oor of the Rockaway
Beach Medical Arts Complex, the center provides
an inviting, spa-like atmosphere. Th e walls
are painted in a soothing blue and off -white
color scheme, complete with ample, comfortable
seating, colorful paintings and uplift ing artwork
that complements the zen-like ambiance.
Th e center was funded with a grant from
the New York State Department of Health’s
Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation
Program II (SHCFTP) of $3,117,938 awarded to
Episcopal Health Services Inc, and the St. John’s
ICARE Foundation raised signifi cant additional
funds, which went to the purchase of state-ofthe
art equipment.
The Right Reverend Bishop Lawrence
Provenzano, who also serves as the chairman of
the boards of trustees, opened the ceremony. He
Council member Joann Ariola, guest, Council member Selvena Brooks-Powers, QBP Donovan Richards, Bishop Lawrence Provenzano, Margaret O. Carpenter, EHS CEO
Gerard Walsh, and Rosemary Bonilla attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Margaret O. Carpenter Women’s Health Center in Far Rockaway on March 31, 2022.
described Margaret O. Carpenter as a woman
who has lived her faith tangibly and is a “walking
living voice of everything that we personify
as a hospital system and our care for the people
in Rockaways.”
“So, it is a real joy that today we will dedicate
this space to Margaret Carpenter as an outward
and visible tangible expression of our care for
God’s people,” the bishop said.
Gerard M. Walsh, CEO of Episcopal Health
Services, emphasized that the outpatient center
would benefi t all people of the Rockaways, addressing
potential health risks and catching
them early.
“We have a real commitment, and I’ve always
said this, is to take care of the people of the
Rockaways in the Rockaways,” Walsh said.
He described Margaret O. Carpenter as “the
real deal.”
“Margaret epitomizes our high care values,”
Walsh said. “And for those of you who don’t
know our values. Th ey are innovation, compassion,
accountability, respect and empathy.
Being able to understand and walk in someone
else’s shoes.”
Margaret O. Carpenter was humbled by the
honor bestowed on her and said it was a great
day for all women on the peninsula.
“Th ey fi nally have access to state-of-the-art
health services,” Carpenter said. She thanked
Bishop Provenzano, Gerard M. Walsh and the
board of trustees for their determination to
bring the facility to the Rockaways.
“We are so grateful,” Carpenter
said. “So, on behalf of all of us,
we thank you for caring and for
building this beautiful health
center. God bless you for what
you have done.”
A key supporter of St. John’s
Episcopal Hospital was Queens
Borough President Donovan
Richards, who described Margaret
O. Carpenter as a legacy and
said it was “good to give people
their fl owers while they are here.”
Richards pointed to the infant
mortality rate of 6.3 per 1,000
live births in the Rockaways and
Broad Channel compared to the
citywide rate of 4.4 per 1,000 and
4 per 1,000 in Queens. One in nine births in the
Rockaways and Broad Channel are premature,
which is also higher than the citywide rate.
He stressed that “we have to speak about
these statistics” and that with the opening of the
women’s health center, the Rockaways was taking
a big step toward improving the healthcare
inequities on the peninsula.
“St. John’s has come back for another million
dollars this fi scal year to replace all of the critical
beds, and I’m going to honor that request,”
equest,”owersfor
Richards promised.
NYC Council member Sevelan Powers-
Brooks thanked Margaret Carpenter for her
decades of advocacy for the St. John’s Episcopal
Hospital and the Rockaway community, “one
that we will be able to benefi t from for years
to come.”
Th e daughter and sister of healthcare professionals
her
scopal
y,r e prof
the
ing
iti-
recognized the importance of the
new healthcare facility.
“Having these services and not having
to travel to other boroughs is so critically
important and especially as we’re
welcoming so many families to the
peninsula,” Brooks-Powers said.
“We know that we deserve health care
that’s accessible, aff ordable and high
quality. And we know that many people
across the peninsula, in general in the
city, they suff er from many inequities in
the system. And it’s about time we bring
Photos by Gabriele Holtermann
this resource home.”
NYC Councilwoman Joann Ariola, who has
a background in healthcare, said the Rockaway
Peninsula was not only a transportation desert
but also a healthcare desert.
“I understand how underserved communities
need health care, and if we don’t bring it to
them — I used to do government outreach and
community outreach — a lot of people don’t get
the basic health needs and treatment that they
need,” Ariola said.
Rosemary Bonilla, vice president of Physician
Practise, oversaw the project from start to fi nish.
Addressing Margaret Carpenter, Bonilla said,
“We’re so excited that this center bears the name
of such a beautiful woman of faith, who walks
the walk and talks the talk. Congratulations and
thank you so much for all you do.”
Bonilla explained that the facility was
equipped with ProLogic 3D mammography imaging
technology, including an interventional
3D mammography room for performing breast
biopsy procedures with the newest state-of-theart
technology called the 3D biopsy system.
“This system streamlines the patient
biopsy process by reducing an
eight-step breast biopsy process to a
three-step biopsy process,” Bonilla said.
To schedule an appointment pp at the Margaret g
O.
Carpenter Women’s Health
Center, call 718-869-7500.
Margaret O. Carpenter speaks at the ribbon cutting ceremony
of the Margaret O. Carpenter Women’s Health Center in Far
Rockaway on March 31, 2022.
EHS CEO Gerald Walsh (r) presents Margaret O. Carpenter (l) with a
proclamation.
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