By Anna Gustafson and Stephen Stirling
New York Hospital Queens officially unveiled a new orthopedics center in Fresh Meadows last week, a move it said will provide space at the main hospital and boost outpatient rehabilitation services.
Last week, hospital officials cut the ribbon on the 7,200-square-foot Center for Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Medicine at 163-03 Horace Harding Expwy. in Fresh Meadows.
Dr. Jeffrey Rosen, chairman of the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, said the new facility will instantly be a boon for patient services.
“Prior to the opening of the center, the physical therapy unit was somewhat disjointed. It was a poor flow of patients and was generally operating less efficiently than we’d like,” Rosen said. “So we built this facility to be a one-stop shop for all musculoskeletal therapy needs.”
Patients who attend the facility, open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, will find services for all musculoskeletal care. The new patient care center houses the practices of three board-certified orthopedic surgeons, a digital X-ray machine, a full range of physical therapy services and occupational therapy services.
Rosen also said moving the Department of Orthopedic and Rehabilitation care will free up space at the main hospital in Flushing as New York Hospital Queens prepares to move into a new multimillion-dollar expansion later this year.
New York Hospital Queens will hold another event in Fresh Meadows this Thursday, an open house in its Cardiac Health Center at 174-03 Horace Harding Expwy. from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
John Nicholson, medical director of the Cardiac Health Center, said the event aims to familiarize Fresh Meadows and other borough residents with the services the center provides for heart disease prevention and recovery, including everything from stress reduction courses to yoga.
The event will include live demonstrations and educational lectures on healthy cooking; stress reduction techniques; cardiac surgery, cardiac rehabilitation and living with diabetes; and alternative medicine, including acupuncture, yoga, tai chi, and reiki, a Japanese technique designed to provide relaxation and healing by improving a sense of balance.
Residents at the open house will learn of the center’s weight management program.
“We will sit you down with a nutritionist and set a plan for caloric intake, when you’ll eat and then we have them get into an intensive exercise program,” Nicholson said. “Once a week, they’ll have an educational program where they learn how to read labels and figure out what they can eat.”
Reach reporter Anna Gustafson or Stephen Stirling by e-mail at timesledgernews@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300.
