Dear Editor:
In The Rockaway Times last week (June 18th) there was an article quoting Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers and her advocating for a Trauma Center in Far Rockaway.
I understand that while Ms. Brooks-Powers represents the east end of the Rockaway peninsula, a Trauma Center is not needed just for the east end of the peninsula (as she suggests) but for the entire Rockaway peninsula. The center should be placed in the middle of the peninsula, maybe about in the 60s.
To quote Ms. Brooks-Powers, she says that “we must continue investing in this project and ensure that healthcare access is determined by need, not by zip code.”
She is so right in that respect. Having a trauma center in Far Rockaway, in her district, does nothing for the rest of the peninsula. People from Breezy, The Point, Neponsit, Belle Harbor, etc. should not have to travel nine miles to Far Rockaway for a trauma center. It should be in the center of the peninsula so that it is easy to get to from either end of Rockaway.
It is just too far to have to travel to Jamaica Hospital for a trauma center. Possibly, if we had one here, Officer Diller would still be alive.
Mayor Mamdani, please help us get a trauma center in Rockaway. It is desperately needed, and by the way, a hospital on the West End wouldn’t hurt either.
Sharon Gabriel
(Editor’s Note: A city-owned plot of land on Beach 62nd Street and Arverne Blvd., has been designated as the future site of the trauma center.)
