6 times • AUGUST 20, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.timesnewsweekly.com BY ROBERT POZARYCKI [email protected] @robbpoz America’s health care industry is changing, and Wyckoff Heights Medical Center on the Ridgewood/ Bushwick border is looking to partner with a regional health care giant to expand and enhance its services. According to Wyckoff Heights CEO Ramon Rodriguez, the hospital is in discussions with the North Shore/ LIJ Health System regarding an affiliation agreement designed to retain Wyckoff’s independence while also providing additional health care options and “support for quality of care and clinical decisions.” Serving tens of thousands of patients annually from both sides of the Brooklyn/Queens border, Rodriguez said, the hospital needs to transform its services to keep up with the national health care trend that has seen the rise of urgent care centers and outpatient/ambulatory services along with a reduction in extended hospital stays. To that end, the board recently authorized Rodriguez to seek out affiliations with larger medical organizations in the New York City area. In responding to a request for proposals, he noted, North Shore/LIJ offered what the board considered to be the best options for Wyckoff Heights. “We are expecting to continue the services we deliver and expand outpatient and ambulatory services,” Rodriguez said. “We’re trying to figure out how to be more efficient and effective and make Wyckoff Heights a better place for residents to turn.” The hospital already has a working agreement with Maimonides Medical Center, also a North Shore/LIJ partner, to enhance patient care as part of a transformation plan submitted to the state. Should the state approve the plan, Wyckoff Heights would be in line to receive $60 million in “substantial capital to make improvements to the hospital’s clinical services and make it possible to transform to a more outpatient delivery system,” Rodriguez said. One such plan to enhance care is the creation of a revamped Maternity Department featuring new birthing rooms. Working with Maimonides, Wyckoff Wyckoff Heights Medical Center is looking to partner with North Shore/LIJ to enhance its medical services. Heights is on target later this year to receive certification to perform cardiac catherizations, a potentially lifesaving procedure among heart attack and stroke patients currently outsourced to other medical centers. Rodriguez added that Wyckoff Heights is also working with the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council to expand health care availability to the more than 6,000 people the nonprofit agency serves in both RIDGEWOOD TIMES/File photo neighborhoods. As for the North Shore/LIJ partnership, Rodriguez is confident that an agreement will be finalized within six months to a year. “We’re very excited about it,” he added. “Our board, after much discussion, felt that it made the most sense.” As of press time, the Ridgewood Times was awaiting a response from North Shore/LIJ to a request for comment. BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected] @AngelaMatua The makeover is finally underway at Forest Park’s Mary Whalen Playground. Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski, City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley and Assemblyman Mike Miller joined members of Community Board 9 and Woodhaven residents on Aug. 18 for a ceremonial groundbreaking on nearly $1.5 million in renovations to the park. Mary Whalen Playground, which was named after the first vice chairperson of Community Board 9 more than 25 years ago, has not seen major renovations since 1991. Before this project, the playground’s safety surface was deteriorated, the play equipment was outdated and the walls surrounding the park were in bad condition. The new design will see the entire playground reconstructed to include swing sets for toddlers ages 2 to 5 and young children ages 5 to 12, new play equipment for toddlers, a multipurpose play area and sprinklers. There will also be a 250 percent increase in greenery and repairs to the drainage system. “Many people don’t know this about me, but this playground is very special to me because one of my first jobs as a kid, I was only 16, I was stationed at the Oak Ridge to clean and maintain the parks in the summer,” Crowley said. “I would come down here often to make sure that it was swept and cleaned and a friendly place for kids to play.” The playground is situated at the base of several small hills known as “knob and kettle terrain,” created by a glacier tens of thousands of years ago. This terrain, according to Lewandowski, makes it difficult for those with disabilities to maneuver the park. To improve accessibility, an American with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramp will also be built near Park Lane South on the west side of the playground. Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office also contributed $339,000 for the reconstruction, which is slated to finish in the summer of 2016. There is still close to $1 million left in the capital budget for renovations to Forest Park. Crowley also worked with former Queens Borough President Helen Marshall in 2010 to fund $1.65 million worth of renovations for the George Seuffert Sr. Bandshell. “Mary Whalen has a long history in this community,” Board 9 District Manager Lisa Gomes said. “She came to this park with her own children and her grandchildren and led many, many cleanups and I think long before the time that was done so I’m grateful to be here. Thank you for inviting me and on behalf of Community Board 9, thank you to everybody who is responsible for making this happen.” Wyckoff Heights Hospital working to affiliate with North Shore/LIJ system Ceremony launches Whalen Playground renovations RIDGEWOOD TIMES/Photo by Angela Matua Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley joined the parks department to break ground on renovations to Mary Whalen Playground in Forest Park.
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