Hospital Hopes

Dear Editor:

I would like to comment on Katie Larkin’s column that ran last Thursday. While I agree there is a clear need for a second Rockaway hospital, I would like to point out a few issues. First of all, I refer the reader to my letter about a trauma center that ran on June 27. Building a hospital from scratch, especially one with a trauma center, is hugely expensive. $25 million won’t even cover design costs. Peninsula Hospital closed for two reasons. The first was the community didn’t support it. By support, I don’t mean give it money, I mean use it. Federal data showed that over 80% of Rockaway residents who required hospitalization did so off the peninsula (they didn’t go to St. John’s either).

Secondly, the NYDOH was of the opinion that Rockaway had too many hospital beds (which, in light of the prior sentence, is not surprising). The Burger commission, which I attended as CMO of Peninsula, wanted Peninsula and St. John’s to merge and construct a new, state-of-the-art facility in the center of the peninsula. St. John’s did not agree with this, plus no funding was provided, so it didn’t happen.

So my suggestions to all the politicians and political wannabes who are clamoring for a new hospital and trauma center in Rockaway are: 1. Will the NYDOH permit/allow the construction of a new facility here?; 2. Hospitals can no longer stand alone. St. John’s has Episcopal Health Services behind it. What healthcare entity, such as Northwell Health, will fund and operate the new facility?; and 3. Will Rockaway residents use and support the facility, and not just for trauma and emergencies? $25 million is just pocket change. These realities need to be addressed before getting peoples’ hopes up.

Peter Galvin, MD