FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM APRIL 22, 2022 • THE QUEENS COURIER 24
Astoria Houses gets temporary medical care unit
‘I’m done’: Barnwell explains decision to drop re-election bid
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Assemblyman Brian Barnwell
spoke with QNS to shed some light
on the issues that led him to decide
to end his re-election campaign
Tuesday, April 14.
Th e 36-year-old — who represents
District 30, which comprises the
neighborhoods of Maspeth, Middle
Village and parts of Astoria, Long
Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside
— told QNS that he reached the
breaking point aft er the $220 billion
New York state budget was fi nalized
over the weekend.
“Th ere were a host of issues, but guns
were the problem for me,” Barnwell
said. “You have people dying and
getting shot in the street. I wanted to
get illegal possession of a fi rearm to be
considered for bail, not mandate but at
least considered. Nope. Th e gun stuff
was the last straw for me.”
Barnwell also said he is frustrated
with the inaction by city agencies.
“I handle all of my constituent
complaints and city agencies are just
not doing their job,” Barnwell said.
“Not resolving serious complaints like
no heat, no hot water, mold, etc. Th e
Department of Buildings not resolving
illegal conversions and then they
wonder why bad things happen. It all
goes back to people playing politics
instead of solving the issue and you
know me — I don’t like playing
politics.”
Democratic District Leader Melissa
Sklarz, a longtime neighbor
of Barnwell’s in Woodside who
mounted an unsuccessful challenge
against him in 2018, was on a committee
that included Queens County
Democratic chairman Gregory
Meeks that selected Steven Raga to
replace Barnwell on the ballot.
“Th e committee on fi lling vacancies
selected Steven Raga as the best
choice for Queens County Democrats
in the 30th AD in the June
primary,” Sklarz said.
Raga is the current executive director
of Woodside on the Move who
served as Barnwell’s chief of staff for
four years.
Barnwell grew up in the Boulevard
Gardens Apartments in Woodside
dreaming of a career in the military
until he was diagnosed with scoliosis,
or curvature of the spine. Th ree back
surgeries and metal rods stabilizing
his spine ended his thoughts of serving
in the armed forces.
Barnwell chose public service
instead stunning nine-term incumbent
state Assemblywoman Margaret
Markey in the 2016 Democratic
primary before claiming the seat in
a convincing win over Republican
nominee Tony Nunziato, the current
leader of the Queens GOP.
He will fi nish out his current term
at the end of the year and is undecided
about what comes next.
”I’m a lawyer and I could return to
practice, but I’m also a Christian so I
might become a preacher,” Barnwell
said. “I already hear people saying,
‘Oh, he’s got a corporate job lined up
or maybe he’s going to be selected to
be lieutenant governor,’ and I’m like,
I put thousands into my re-election
campaign and then the budget came
down, and I just said to myself, I can’t.
I’m done.”
QNS fi le photo
Assemblyman Brian Barnwell decided to
end his re-election bid and explained his
reasons why.
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Local leaders and elected offi cials unveiled
the new temporary medical care unit that will
provide free COVID-19 vaccines and tests at
Astoria Houses on Th ursday, April 14.
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney secured the
40-foot-long repurposed shipping container for
the medical care unit by working with developers
from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT),
the city and state of New York, the New York City
Housing Authority and other key players.
Th e unit is operated by the Floating Hospital,
a New York City charity hospital that provides
healthcare to anyone in need. Th e site will operate
on Tuesdays and Th ursdays from 9 a.m. to
5 p.m.
Maloney pushed for this testing and vaccination
site due to the lack of COVID resources near
the Astoria Houses. Currently, there is only one
permanent vaccination site within half mile of
Astoria Houses and two in the entire 11102 ZIP
code.
“Until everyone in this city, in this country has
aff ordable access to basic healthcare, we are not
fully free or equal,” Maloney said. “Let us work
towards a more perfect and healthier union.”
Maloney credits this lack of access to the high
rates of COVID-19 cases in the area, which is
more than double that of Queens and New York
City. Astoria’s case rate is 30,511, compared to
rates in Queens, which is 13,353 and New York
City’s rate of 12,611.
“Health care is and always should be a human
right,” Maloney said. “Th is has not been more
evident than in the past two years, as we confronted
the coronavirus pandemic and millions
of people were unable to access COVID-19 tests
and vaccinations.”
Governor Kathy Hochul attended the
launch of the medical center sharing that she
is thankful Maloney advocated so strongly for
this project.
“We need to make sure New York’s recovery
from the COVID-19 pandemic is inclusive,
equitable and fair,” Hochul said. “That’s
why it’s so important to have sites like this
new medical care unit at the Astoria Houses,
bringing much-needed resources and services
to communities that had been left behind for
far too long. I’m grateful to the hard-working
medical professionals who will ensure local
residents have tests and vaccines.”
COVID-19 has disproportionately aff ected
people of color throughout the pandemic, which
leaders recognized during the unveiling at the
Astoria Houses.
“Th is pandemic demonstrated that there are
systemic disparities in healthcare access and
therefore healthcare outcomes,” Hochul said.
Reuters found in a study that the mostly
white area of Gramercy Park in Manhattan had
a rate of 31 deaths per 100,000 residents. In Far
Rockaway, which is more than 40% black, the
death rate is nearly 15 times higher: 444 deaths
per 100,000 residents.
NYCHA Chair and CEO Greg Russ, said
that the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the
importance of bringing healthcare to as many
communities as possible.
“We are grateful to Congress member Maloney
and Th e Floating Hospital for working with us to
establish this testing and vaccine clinic — which
will ensure that the continued health and safety of
public housing residents is a top priority,” Russ said.
Former president of the Astoria Houses
Residents Association, Claudia Coger, has lived
in Astoria for 68 years and said she has seen the
extent of neglect in her community but thanked
Maloney for her action.
“We are looking forward to this being a healthy
community,” Coger said. “Children will stay
healthy and stay in school. I thank you, Carolyn.
She did not waste any time in order to bring this
success.”
Photo courtesy of Maloney’s offi ce
Governor Kathy Hochul and Rep. Carolyn Maloney unveil medical care unit at Astoria Houses Thursday, April 14.
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