Photo by Dean Moses
Queens’ top health stories of 2021
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | DEC. 31, 2021 - JAN. 6, 2022 11
BY BILL PARRY
The COVID-19 pandemic continued
to dominate health coverage in
2021 especially as the surge of the
omicron variant led to rising angst
for residents across Queens.
There was, however, plenty of
good news as health care providers
opened new medical facilities across
the borough that will reduce pressure
on hospitals during future public
health crises in the future.
MetroPlus Health opens new flagship
storefront in Flushing
Few openings matched the pageantry
that marked the ribbon-cutting
as MetroPlus Health opened its
new flagship location at 136-13 Roosevelt
Ave. in Flushing during the
summer.
The affair was designed to allow
a community particularly hard-hit
since the onset of the pandemic a
much-needed respite while reminding
those in need they would have
access to affordable and even free
healthcare going forward.
Community Healthcare Network to
open Jamaica clinic
The impact of the pandemic in
southeast Queens was profound,
with a disproportionate death rate
among residents exposed the lack of
health care options available to the
community.
In February, as positivity rates remained
high more than a year after
COVID spread through the borough,
The Community Healthcare Network
announced plans to open a new
15,000-square-foot Tree of Life health
clinic at 89-46 164th St. in the heart
of Jamaica.
“If there is one thing this pandemic
has shown us, it is that lack of
health care infrastructure in communities
of color has truly devastating
effects in times of crisis,” Councilman
I.Daneek Miller said.
Oak Street Health’s new Cambria
Heights center provides primary
care for seniors
Oak Street Health, a network of
value-based primary care centers for
adults on Medicare, opened its second
facility in Cambria Heights at
222-19 Linden Blvd.
Patients can find an unmatched
healthcare experience that includes
quality time with their provider inperson
or via TeleHealth, a 24/7 patient
support line, individualized
preventative care plans, and access
to transportation to and from the
center for eligible patients.
Additional services, such as behavioral
healthcare, social health
support and Medicare educational
classes, are also offered to help older
adults meet their unique needs in
one convenient location.
St. John’s Episcopal Hospital
awarded grants to increase
healthcare access in Far Rockaway
The only hospital on the Rockaway
Peninsula is set to further increase
access to healthcare through
grant funding. St. John’s Episcopal
Hospital in Far Rockaway is the recipient
of two major grants — the
G.A. Ackermann Fund Grant Award
and the Expanded Access to Care
Grant — which will help the facility
improve services to a historically
underserved population that was
severely impacted during the COVID
19 pandemic.
Funding from the G.A. Ackermann
Fund Grant will go toward the
staffing and operations of St. John’s
new Mobile Health Unit, which is an
RV that travels throughout the communities
served by St. John’s to provide
health screenings and vaccinations
to the public.
The second grant, the Expanded
Access to Care Grant, is aimed at ensuring
equitable access to COVID-19
vaccinations and primary care services
in Far Rockaway.
The grants come months after
the hospital, elected officials and
community members rallied against
proposed drastic cuts to the hospital’s
capacity and services. The proposal
was later put on hold by the
state.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail
at bparry@schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4538.
YEAR IN REVIEW
link
/QNS.COM
link
