Liu applauds passage of
Reproductive Health Act NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Opens
New Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit for the
State Sen. John Liu joined advocates and community members at his district office in
Bayside to celebrate the passage of the Reproductive Health Act (RHA) in Albany.
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Forty-six years after the landmark
Supreme Court decision of Roe v.
Wade, State Sen. John Liu celebrated
another major milestone for women’s
reproductive rights.
On Jan. 25, Liu joined advocates
and community members at his
district office in Bayside to celebrate
the passage of the Reproductive Health
Act (RHA) in Albany.
The bill was approved three days
earlier and decriminalizes late-term
abortions (after 24 weeks); allows
licensed health care practitioners to
perform abortions “according to the
practitioner’s reasonable and good
faith professional judgment” when (1) a
patient is with 24 weeks of giving birth,
(2) there is an absence of fetal viability
outside of the womb and (3) abortion
is necessary to protect a patient’s life
or health; and codifies into state law
various legal protections from the Roe
v. Wade decision in 1973 should the
Supreme Court overturn them.
“For so long, women’s choice
had been not a matter of health
but a matter of a crime,” Liu said.
“Abortion as a woman’s choice was
always, in New York State Law, in
the criminal statutes, never in the
health statutes. Well, we finally
passed the Reproductive Health Act,
which finally takes abortion out of
the criminal code and puts it where
it belongs — in the health laws of the
state of New York.”
Since launching his ultimately
successful campaign against former
state Sen. Tony Avella in District 11
last year, Liu expressed his intention
to codify Roe v. Wade protections into
state law through the RHA and has
rallied for equal rights for women
throughout his campaign.
“I’m a man, and as a man, the state
of New York does not tell me what to do
Photo by Jenna Bagcal
with my body. The state of New York
does not restrict me in the choices
that I make with my own body,” Liu
said. “But they always made those
restrictions on women. So today
is not only a matter of protecting
women’s choice, it is a simple matter
of achieving equality; equal rights
for women. The government should
not be telling women what to do with
their body.”
Those in attendance at the Jan.
25 press conference included patient
advocate and co-creator of the RHA
Vote campaign, Erika Christensen;
President of Queensboro Hill Flushing
Civic Association, Maureen Regan;
Rokeya Akhter, Executive Director of
NAVA PAC; Doctor Neeta Jain, District
Leader of 25th AD; and Sandra Ung,
special assistant to Congresswoman
Grace Meng.
Christensen recalled learning
about New York’s “unconstitutional
abortion law the hard way.” The
mother and advocate said that when
she needed a late abortion for a
“complicated pregnancy” she was
told that her doctor could not help
her since she was past New York’s 24-
week cutoff.
“I would have to leave the state,
spending thousands of dollars for
last-minute travel and out-of-pocket
medical care to be cared for by one of
the few later-abortion providers — this
one in Colorado,” Christensen said.
Through her journey, Christensen
learned how fortunate she was to be
able to afford the care she needed
when so many others may not be
able to do the same. She encouraged
everyone to visit talklikeapro.com
to learn more about the RHA bill and
become better-informed citizens.
Reach reporter Jenna Bagcal by
e-mail at jbagcal@qns.com or by phone
at (718) 224-5863 ext. 214.
Elderly and Frail
Renovated unit features amenities for patients
dealing with physical and mental health issues
(Elmhurst, NY—January 28, 2019) NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst has
opened a newly renovated Behavioral Health unit designed to meet the special
needs of geriatric and frail patients, the hospital announced today. Located on the
hospital’s 11th floor, the new unit can serve up to 11 inpatients, providing a warm and
welcoming atmosphere in a setting designed for individualized care and enhanced
safety for a particularly vulnerable population.
The new unit features specialized amenities for patients coping with both physical
and mental health challenges. To address the physical challenges of a geriatric
or otherwise frail population, the unit has skid-free flooring to decrease the risk of
falls, handrails in the bedrooms and lounge/day area, chairs that help lift patients
to a standing position, and raised toilet seats. The lounge/day rooms are bright and
spacious, with a calm and inviting tone, designed to reduce the anxiety that many
patients with behavioral health needs experience. To increase safety at night, patient
rooms have functional night lights, and bed alarm technology is in place.
A therapist is assigned to the unit to provide appropriate group activities.
“We are very happy to open this beautifully renovated space for patients dealing
with both physical and mental health issues,” said Israel Rocha, CEO of NYC Health
+ Hospitals/Elmhurst and vice president of NYC Health + Hospitals. “We are also
enormously proud of the teamwork involved between the departments of Behavioral
Health and Medicine that have made this new unit into a reality. This successful
collaboration will help us provide improved care for our elderly and frail patients
as they undergo treatment for mental and physical health issues in a supportive
environment.”
“I congratulate NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst for their new inpatient behavioral
health unit for the elderly and frail,” said New York State Assembly Member Brian
Barnwell. “As our population ages, we need to adapt and make sure our hospitals
expand to reflect this reality. I applaud Elmhurst for this expansion that will provide
safe individualized care for our seniors, and I’m thankful that Elmhurst continues to
put patients first.”
“NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst continues to differentiate itself by its
phenomenal attention and care to our community’s needs,” New York City Council
Member Francisco Moya said. “This modernized Behavioral Health unit will provide
much-needed amenities to tend to some of our most vulnerable neighbors. As our
population ages, it is incumbent on us to ensure elderly and frail patients receive the
superior care they deserve. I applaud Elmhurst for its leadership in that effort.”
The renovation project cost $750,000.
For more information on Behavioral Health services at NYC Health + Hospitals/
Elmhurst, please call 718-334-1259
About NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst is a major provider of hospital and ambulatory care services
in the borough of Queens. The 545-bed hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Center, an Emergency
Heart Care Station, and a 911-Receiving Hospital. It is a premiere health care organization
for key specialties, including surgery, cardiology, women’s health, pediatrics, rehabilitation
medicine, renal services, and mental health services. Last year, the hospital’s robust primary
and specialty care practices handled nearly 700,000 ambulatory care visits and its emergency
medicine teams responded to more than 130,000 emergency room encounters.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation, serving more
than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s
five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty
care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes,
post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11
essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees is uniquely focused
on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more
information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/NYCHealthandHospitals or Twitter at @NYCHealthSystem.
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