16 THE QUEENS COURIER • MARCH 7, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
St. Mary’s in Bayside marks completion of kids’ respiratory care center
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
St. Mary’s Healthcare System for
Children held a ribbon-cutting ceremony
on Monday to celebrate the completion of
its new Center for Pediatric Respiratory
care, a 22,300-square-foot expansion of
the hospital’s pediatric facilities.
St. Mary’s President and CEO Dr. Edwin
Simpser was joined by Cindy Johnson,
Norman Feinberg, Attilio and Beverly
Petrocelli, and the Kids for Kids Foundation,
whose generosity was instrumental in the
completion of the project at the hospital,
Former BP Shulman refl ects on One Flushing project
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Former Queens Borough President
Claire Shulman is applauding city offi cials
for the completion of One Flushing, a
10-year project she spearheaded to bring
aff ordable housing to residents in the
community.
Offi cials from the New York City
Department of Housing Preservation and
Development (HPD) and the New York City
Housing Development Corporation (HDC)
joined project managers and community
leaders on Feb. 21 to celebrate the completion
of One Flushing, located in the heart of
Downtown Flushing at 133-45 41st Ave.
Shulman, president and CEO of the
Flushing Willets Point Corona Local
Development Corporation, originally
developed the housing project which
was part of the LDC’s Transit Oriented
Development Project (TOD) that includes
the recently unveiled $24.6 million renovation
of the LIRR Main Street Station.
Th e construction of the TOD aff ordable
housing project was in the works for
a very long time, according to Shulman.
“In 2009, the LDC developed a preliminary
proposal to enhance access to
the Flushing LIRR station and to address
the area’s acute shortage of aff ordable
and senior housing by using the adjacent
municipal parking lot,” Shulman said.
She added, “In 2012, Tri-State
Transportation Campaign Grant provided
funds to the LDC to enable us to conduct
a market analysis that identifi ed the
type of aff ordable housing appropriate for
Downtown Flushing, and to incorporate
plans for much needed improvements to
the Flushing LIRR station. AKRF completed
the study, which became the foundation
of the TOD project.”
Th e TOD project proceeded with the
transfer of the land from the Department
of Transportation to the Department of
Housing Preservation and Development,
said Shulman.
In 2015, the city of New York awarded
a contract to the developers (AAFE,
HANAC and Monadnock) to transform
the municipal parking lot into a vibrant,
new community resource. One Flushing
is the fi rst project to incorporate the
city’s pioneering Mandatory Inclusionary
Housing Program (MIH), which was
enacted in 2016 and creates permanently
aff ordable housing in designated areas
that are rezoned for increased density,
according to HPD Commissioner, Maria
Torres-Springer.
The 285,000-square-foot, state-ofthe
art complex was completed by
Monadnock on time and on budget.
Th e 10-story project includes apartments
ranging in size from studios to
three bedrooms and serves very low-,
low-, and moderate-income individuals
and families, and includes 66 units
reserved for very low-income senior residents
(age 62 or older). A total of 117
units will be permanently aff ordable, in
part due to the development’s participation
in the city’s MIH Program.
“I thank the MTA, the Department of
Transportation, and the Department of
Housing Preservation and Development
who worked with us on the planning
for the project and congratulate AAFE,
HANAC and Monadnock for constructing
the 231 units of aff ordable and senior
housing that includes ground fl oor retail
space and support services for its new tenants,”
said Shulman.
located at 29-01 216th St. in Bayside.
“Today marks a historic moment in
the history of our hospital,” said Simpser.
“Expanding the number of ventilator
equipped beds will allow us to care for
more children than ever, helping us fulfi ll
our mission of serving New York’s most
critically ill and injured children. We’re
so deeply grateful to the Johnson family,
Norman Feinberg, the Petrocelli family
and the Kids for Kids Foundation for their
work making this extraordinary project into
a reality.”
Th e capital project transformed 22,300
square feet of administrative space into
a state-of-the-art facility. Th e 27 ventilator
equipped beds will be in multiple
two-bedded patient rooms, which provide
comfortable space for children’s accessibility,
equipment needs, family visits and privacy.
According to the Medicaid Redesign
Workgroup on Medically Fragile Children,
nearly 100 of New York’s children who
require ventilator-equipped beds are forced
to seek care out of state due to high demand.
St. Mary’s — the only pediatric post-acute
care facility in New York City — was
already operating at 100 percent capacity.
Th e expansion will allow the hospital to
meet the growing need for pediatric respiratory
care.
Th e renovation has included a new Great
Room, a communal space for recreation,
education, visitation and dining. Th e transformation
will provide home-like amenities
that put patients into a total-healing environment.
“In times of struggle, the proper support
and facilities are crucial to help sick children
and their families. Th at’s why we were
so thrilled to support the new expansion at
St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children,”
said Robert Catalano, founder and board
chair of the Kids for Kids Foundation. “We
look forward to continuing our work with
St. Mary’s to provide care and support for
any child who needs it.”
File photo
Photo: Carlotta Mohamed/THE COURIER
St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 4 announcing the completion of its new Center for Pediatric Respiratory care.
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