Southeast Queens is about to receive a significant injection of funds stemming from the City Council’s $112.4 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2025.
The budget, which passed on June 30, includes over $59 million in investments for District 31, including a long sought-after Level 1 or Level 2 Trauma Center in Far Rockaway. The council has also set aside $7.5 million for a recreation center at Brookville Park; $4.45 million for upgrades at the Springfield Gardens Gotham Health Center; and $5 million to fully fund the reconstruction of the Sunrise Playground in Rosedale.
“After months of intense negotiations and advocacy, I am thrilled to announce that we have secured vital funding for the programs and services that matter most to the residents of Council District 31 and New Yorkers across the city,” Council Moman Selvena Brooks-Powers said in a statement.
Council Member Joann Ariola, who represents District 32 in southeast Queens, added that it is “well past time for Rockaway to have a trauma center of its own,” and praised Brooks-Powers for her advocacy.
Ariola said that residents living on the peninsula have had to endure the long journey to the mainland to receive life-saving care for too long.
“Thanks to my colleague Selvena Brooks-Powers for her leadership on this issue. Together, we will undoubtedly save lives and make Rockaway an even better, safer place to live for all,” Ariola said.
The investment in the trauma center represents a joint effort by Brooks-Powers, Speaker Adrienne Adams and Mayor Eric Adams to fund it. The funding announcement follows the recently released Far Rockaway Trauma and Healthcare Access Taskforce report, which called for a level 1 or level 2 center to be developed on the eastern portion of the Rockaway peninsula.
In late June, elected officials joined supporters of the Far Rockaway Trauma and Healthcare Access Task Force, which was established to advocate for a trauma center on the peninsula, for a rally in front of the Rockaway Community Justice Center at Mott Avenue. Rallygoers urged Mayor Adams to include funding for the trauma center in the budget.
