Adams announces hospital plan at Elmhurst
/
Mayor Eric Adams stopped by Elmhurst Hospital Wednesday to announce new funding for Health and Hospitals facilities to support staffing needs. Eagle photo by Walter Karling
By Rachel Vick
Queens’ public hospitals are getting a financial boost from the city to help maintain staffing and operations as COVID-19 cases, self-quarantine and hospitalizations continue to rise.
Mayor Eric Addams stopped by Elmhurst Hospital Wednesday to announce the multi-million dollar plan to support public health, emphasizing that the greatest strength the city has today compared to the initial surge is infrastructure and foresight.
“This is 2022, not 2020, and New Yorkers should be confident that we are stepping up the fight against the Omicron surge to keep them safe,” Adams said. “This plan will ensure our frontline healthcare heroes have the resources they need to address staffing shortages, and continue providing top-quality care to every person who walks through their doors.”
Adams committed to directing $111 million toward expanding the Department of Health and Mental Wellness and H+H staffing needs, as part of the new COVID-19 response master plan. The city also added $33 million to the COVID-19 Hospital Loan Fund, serving safety net hospitals — the not-for-profit facilities outside the H + H system.
On Wednesday, 607 of Queens’ 2,769 Hospital beds were available — operating at 78 percent capacity. Citywide, hospitals are averaging 80 percent capacity, according to state Department of Health data.
The seven-day positivity rate for New York City is 34.82 percent, according to city data. Infection rates, hospitalization and deaths are increasing.
During the initial surge, H +H brought in over 5,000 additional nurses and 2,000 providers system-wide, and have brought in staff “as necessary since,” a spokesperson told the Eagle.
“The additional COVID-19 funding secured by Mayor Adams will help us further secure necessary staff that will not only help care for New Yorkers during our Omicron surge, but also provide relief to our healthcare heroes who have been on the frontline of this pandemic for nearly two years,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz. “Our public health system’s extraordinary COVID-19 response would not have been possible without the continued support and advocacy of our city-wide leaders and partners.”
During her State of the State address Wednesday, Gov. Kethy Hochul acknowledged the struggles and trauma of healthcare workers, and committed to providing financial support to retain and hire staff.
She proposed an outline to provide a retention bonus of up to $3,000 to health and direct care workers, and a $10 billion investment to support expanding the state’s healthcare capacity.
“We simply do not have enough healthcare workers in our hospitals or in our long-term care facilities in our ambulances or in the homes of our loved ones,” Hochul said. “The health of every New Yorker depends on a strong, stable, and equitable healthcare system and healthcare workers are its very foundation. Bold action is required - before any more time passes.”
