Congressman Gregory Meeks took his “community projects tour” to the Rockaways on Wednesday, Feb. 15, where he presented a check for $3 million in federal funding to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital to renovate the 18,000-square-foot inpatient behavioral health unit, which was last updated in the 1950s.
Construction will begin in April, with an expected completion date of December 2023.
“It’s time. A newly-renovated behavioral health unit will encourage patients and the patient’s families to seek admission to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital when appropriate,” Meeks said. “Mental health is a growing concern, particularly here in the Far Rockaway community and the challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic have only exacerbated existing problems creating new barriers to treatment.”
Hospital administrators asked the community what they thought St. John’s needed to provide, and the number one issue was increased mental health and behavioral health services across the peninsula.
“Our inpatient units are extraordinarily busy, so it’s essential that we continue to provide the same service and experience, the patient experience, because patients heal better in a great environment,” SJEH CEO Gerard Walsh said. “We really think it’s extremely important that we pay attention to the behavioral health needs of our patients and community especially coming off the pandemic, which has really made things come to light that people are really suffering and going through a crisis.”
Meeks drilled down on the subject.
“New York was the epicenter of COVID-19 and then we stand here today coming out of all that to move forward and to be progressive,” he said.
The project will create more open space for therapeutic groups and family visiting, modernize patient rooms and allow for the design of the hospital’s first comfort room, designed to teach patients comforting techniques. Meeks said the project will also create additional long-term positions for registered nurses, social workers, and peer advocates.
“That will be a tribute to every citizen that lives on this peninsula,” Meeks said. “To the administration of this hospital, to all of the workers of this hospital, and the community as a whole.”
Meeks continued his barnstorming of the Rockaways to present funding to Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center and the Roxbury Volunteer Emergency Services. The day before, Meeks made presentations at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, York College, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, and YMCA of Greater New York in Jamaica, bringing the grand total of federal funding distributed during the two-day tour to $16.3 million.
“The new federal funding headed to my district is a huge victory for my constituents,” Meeks said. “The funding provides support to organizations that have vital needs and will expand critical health care services, education, business development, and youth engagement. The federal dollars will certainly enhance the livelihood of the communities I represent.”
Additional reporting by Paul Frangipane.
