Call for Accountability from St John’s/EHS

Dear Editor:

Last week I checked in for my twice-weekly Occupational Therapy session at the EHS St John’s Outpatient facility on Rockaway Beach Boulevard and Beach 105th Street. Laying on the reception desk was a memo that announced the entire department “will be permanently closing effective November 19, 2025.”

It was as shocking to me as to the staff, I quickly learned.

Not even the courtesy of an explanation. No recognition of the blow it represents to people trying to recover their faculties, strength and dignity from illness, accident and disability. People for whom getting from place to place is a challenge in itself. And now, the place of recovery, hope and competent support slams shut. A fait accompli handed down from on high on a cool piece of paper laying on a desk.

What exactly precipitated EHS’ decision to abruptly cut a popular, singular medical service that gets us Rockaway residents back on our feet into the workplace after injuries, surgeries and accidents and keeps us mobile and self-sufficient as we age?

What on earth could have prompted EHS to abruptly cut this necessary service from the people of Rockaway who need it so badly? People who turn to it faithfully working on their difficult recovery process week after week?

The need is indeed steady and strong. 75% of the Peninsula’s residents are notoriously underserved, and health-disadvantaged from access to fresh food to medical care. The hospital that was razed for residential development has never been replaced. We have no trauma center.

Our health, mortality and poverty statistics are among the worst if not the worst in the city, according to the Comptroller of the City of New York’s most recent report. This particular medical facility sits among tens of thousands of residents in ‘the buildings’ in a twenty-block radius to the east. A very high proportion are seniors, folks who increasingly depend on periodic ‘spurts’ of physical therapy to recover to full self-sufficiency over the years.

And it’s not like the department seems to be failing its mission. To the contrary, it is bustling with upbeat activity, always booked well ahead. The therapists literally rejoice at their clients’ progress. The facility and equipment set a high standard worthy of our community. There is no comparable alternative in my view.

The department therapists are all licensed professionals in Occupational and Physical Therapy who work closely with the prescribing doctors located on the same floor. This kind of obvious, close communication between the docs and the hands-on therapists has kept my recovery moving forward smoothly, and I imagine it is the ideal therapeutic set up. I have encountered only fellow patients who are delighted with the quality and encouraging attitudes of all the department staff. And they too are aghast at the precipitous decision by EHS to shut it down in a couple of weeks.

In fact, only three days before I saw the memo, I ran into the head of Medicine at St. John’s and commended her on the extraordinary performance of her staff there, including the admin and support staff.

What on earth precipitated EHS’ drastic action?

Why would EHS think it could cooly slam shut this vibrant community service? The institutions that are licensed to support the wellbeing of Rockaway residents are here to serve us, not dictate, and must be held accountable for where, when and why they would abruptly withdraw highly effective resources that support our peoples’ wellbeing.

What on earth precipitated this drastic action?

And what can we do about it at the community level and through the officials we elected here, at the State and in Washington D.C.?

EHS needs to explain itself and to collaborate with the community it serves. Not issue decrees and pull life-restoring systems by fiat. The community has elected officials to protect its wellbeing. I call on the collection of elected officials to TOGETHER AS ONE, bring EHS to the table, publicly, and work through this before our people suffer even more debilitating conditions at the hands of imperious authority.

Elsie Maio

Editor’s Note: This letter is only in regard to EHS’ physical therapy program at the St. John’s Medical Group property at 105-38 Rockaway Beach Blvd. In the memo, patients were given contact information for several private physical therapy offices on the peninsula to consider as an alternative. The Rockaway Times reached out to EHS for further explanation about the decision to close their program.

In a statement to The Rockaway Times, EHS said, “Episcopal Health Services, Inc. has made the strategic decision to close its Ambulatory Physical Therapy Office, effective November 21, 2025.

“This decision was not made lightly. Over the past several years, there has been a significant increase in the number of private physical therapy practices within our surrounding community. These offices provide ample access for patients to receive high-quality outpatient rehabilitation services close to home. In light of this expanded network, EHS determined that consolidating our resources was the most responsible and strategic course of action.

“The closure aligns with EHS’ broader focus on strengthening and expanding our core clinical and ambulatory service lines-areas where we can have the greatest impact on patient outcomes, community health, and organizational sustainability.

EHS remains deeply committed to ensuring patients have access to the care they need. We have provided guidance to assist patients in transitioning their care to private physical therapy providers in the area.”