Far Rockaway Primary Care Facility to Close

By Katie McFadden

As Rockaway fights for more healthcare access, another primary care facility is leaving the peninsula. On March 15, patients of the Far Rockaway AdvantageCare Physicians (ACPNY) primary care facility, or the Rockaway HIP Medical Center, were notified that the facility would be closing permanently on April 5.

A message on the facility’s website says, “April 5, our Rockaway Medical Office will close. Patients may continue their care at the nearby Cambria Heights, Valley Stream, Forest Hills, or Jamaica Estates offices, or any of ACPNY’s 30+ locations across the New York metro area.”

The staff of the Far Rockaway facility, located at 29-15 Far Rockaway Boulevard, will be relocating to the Cambria Heights location, and patients were notified that their upcoming appointments after April 5, will be transferred to that location specifically.

“Dr. Dacia Devian Hazarian and her Care Team will relocate to ACPNY’s Cambria Heights Medical Office for ongoing patient care. To assist in your continuity of care, all appointments scheduled at the Rockaway office after April 5 have been automatically transferred to the Cambria Heights office at the same date and time. We will contact you to confirm the date and time of your appointment. No action is needed.”

On Tuesday, March 28, Assemblyman Khaleel Anderson released a statement about the impending closure.

“The impending closure of the Far Rockaway AdvantageCare Physicians (ACPNY) primary care facility is deeply disappointing and underscores a careless disregard by the healthcare provider for the local community. On March 15, ACPNY ‘notified’ more than 2,000 patients that they would soon lose their primary healthcare effective April 5 due to the provider shutting its facility, also known as the Rockaway HIP Medical Center.

“With little to no warning and zero community engagement, ACPNY decided that 2,100 patients, many of whom are senior citizens and people with disabilities, must now travel across Southeast Queens to Jamaica to see their trusted physician.

“As I fight alongside my government colleagues to improve and expand public transit and healthcare access across the district, this scenario caused by ACPNY’s ‘business decision’ further jeopardizes the health and well-being of a disadvantaged and vulnerable community.

“My office is actively working with local healthcare providers to ensure the continuity of care and the expansion of healthcare services in the region to address the void left by ACPNY,” Anderson said. “Shame on ACPNY for leaving the Far Rockaway community high and dry.”

This closure comes as the effort to bring more healthcare to the Rockaway peninsula continues. Late last year, Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers teamed up with NYC Health + Hospitals to form the Far Rockaway Trauma and Healthcare Access Taskforce to evaluate healthcare access across the region, including the feasibility of a trauma hospital in Far Rockaway, and the creation of a plan around strategic health infrastructure in the community.