Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Shocker: rampant development without more hospitals = bad situation

Since the launch of the Arverne Urban Renewal project - slated to bring 3,950 housing units to the area - hospital resources have been spread thinner in an already underserved area, officials said.

A wave of 23,307 new residents have moved to the peninsula since the project first began in 2002, according to a Long Island Power Authority census. With only half the construction completed, officials worry that already long ER waits will become not only tedious but hazardous.

"The population is growing in leaps and bounds and they need help," said Queens Borough President Helen Marshall.

At Peninsula Hospital - surrounded by new developments - ER visits rose 4.7% from 20,483 in 2005 to 21,449 in 2006, according to the latest figures from the state Health Department.


Emergency rooms filled as population rises in Rockaways

Local resident Cherie Fleet, who was at the St. John's ER recently after injuring her hand in a boating accident, said going to a hospital on the peninsula is a frustrating experience.

"You can't get any worse than out here," the dance teacher said of the long waits. "It's ridiculous, it makes you get up and leave."

"Those people moving out here in these new buildings and apartments - they better hope they don't get sick," Fleet said.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"The population is growing in leaps and bounds and they need help," said Queens Borough President Helen Marshall.

And, to demonstrate her sincerity, she is in full-throated support of taking property from businesses in Willets Point and transferring it to wealthy developers who will build accommodations for thousands of people.

None of those accommodations will include any medical facility, police, fire, or school buildings.

So, why is she now so concerned? Is it the highest-bidder syndrome?

C said...

another reason for st john's to avoid peninsula.... peninsula has the shittiest service ever... you're better off dead than in peninsula.

with the influx of people, why not leave it at 2 hospitals? it's not enough, even now.

Anonymous said...

Duh, uh, really?

It took some superior gray matter to come to this conclusion.

You could have read all our previous warnings about this
on "Queens Crap".

Ha, We told ya so!

And by the way MTA, I guess your proposed "standing room only" subway cars are also a bad situation resulting from over development, h-m-m-m!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, imagine all those yuppies who bought into their Queens West "luxury" condos being forced to go to Astoria General for "quality care" in case of a medical emergency!

Didn't think of asking the sales rep about that contingency...eh? !!!

Anonymous said...

All part of the plan folks.

If somebody "croaks" because of
sparsely located or overburdened hospitals, that only frees up their property for more development!

Anyway, forget about these gloomy details.

Nobody gets sick in Mayor Bum-berg's new Disneyland/NYC !