By Patrick Donachie
St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway will receive more than $10 million in funding to help improve its health care delivery, according to state Sen. James Sanders (D-South Ozone Park).
“St. John’s is the only hospital in my district, and indeed, all of Rockaway,” Sanders said in a statement announcing the allocation. “Having reliable health care services is literally a matter of life and death. This funding will go a long way in ensuring St. John’s is better prepared to meet our increasingly high demands.”
The funding comes from $672.9 million in grants for New York to help improve health care services throughout the city. Awards were announced March 4, but needed approval from state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office. Sanders learned this past week that the grant to St. John’s received the okay from DiNapoli.
After Peninsula Hospital filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011 and closed in April 2012, St. John’s, which is at 327 Beach 19th St., was the only remaining hospital facility servicing the more than 130,000 year-round residents on the Rockaway peninsula. St. John’s operates with about 240 beds, more than 400 physicians and 1,500 employees, according to the hospital’s site.
The $10.15 million is being appropriated through the Capital Restructuring Financing Program and the Essential Health Care Provider Support System.
Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdona
