By Stephen Stirling
City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) addressed the board, which elected its officers last month. Liu said he was glad to be a part of the new chapter in the hospital's history, and said Flushing Hospital is an indispensible part of the community despite scares of closure over the last decade. “Flushing Hospital has always been a mainstay in the community, especially for those that don't have adequate health care plans,” Liu said. “I think its extremely important for an institution like Flushing Hospital to have a dialogue with the community at large.” The board is made up of several community leaders, activists and hospital officials with the goal of helping the hospital identify and address the needs of the community. Dr. Robert Crupi, the director of emergency medicine, said he thought the meeting was productive and was a firm building block toward helping the hospital better serve the community. The session was closed to the press.”For the first meeting I thought it was very productive,” Crupi said. “Most of them (board members) have extensive involvement in the community and were able to give us their ideas.” Crupi said although the board is in its infancy, he is optimistic that a deeper community involvement will produce great benefits for the hospital as the year progresses. “The intention is to have a community partnership. We want to develop services around community needs,” Crupi said. “We're just sort of setting the foundation for our future.”Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
