Young visits children at St. Mary’s

Assemblymember Ellen Young crouched over an infant with premature birth complications. Although he cannot talk, he blew her kisses, which is rare for this particular patient. Young cried out “say more to Auntie Ellen!”
On Thursday December 6, Young made her way through St. Mary’s Hospital for Children in Bayside, on an hour-long tour to wish patients a “happy holidays” and show her support for the children, especially Austin and Bordin, two patients from her district.
“Protecting children is one of my primary concerns. It is important that we take care of them during this time of year, especially those without families,” she said.
St. Mary’s Hospital for Children has been a national leader in comprehensive childcare for patients with extensive medical needs. The Bayside healthcare center has 97 beds (or cribs) but through its homecare services it serves over 4,000 children in the five boroughs and surrounding counties.
“We think of the whole family as the patient; not just the child. It is our goal to get the patient back on track so that the parents can manage the child at home,” remarked President and CEO, Dr. Burton Grebin.
Most patients residing at St. Mary’s were born with birth defects, have chronic conditions such as asthma or diabetes that can’t be managed in an outside setting, are recovering from a severe injury or are burn victims. Often the patients have four to five medical devices attached to their bodies, to assist their breathing, for example.
Young said that the visit reminded her of the importance of pushing for “Child Health Plus,” a state program to provide medical coverage for the children of the uninsured, who meet certain income level requirements.
Young wants to expand the number of children covered by the program. She has been an ardent advocate of Child Health Plus, which also has strong support from the Governor and Legislature.
Funding at the federal level is uncertain, however.
St. Mary’s fully supports expansion of this plan as many health care providers do. According to Grebin, uninsured patients face major barriers to receiving the type of high-quality medical care that St. Mary’s aims to provide.
“I learned so much today, Young said as she was leaving the facility. “ It is our responsibility to take care of these kids. I am committed to restructuring Medicaid costs for the 400,000 uninsured children in our state.”