Chairman Crowley Leads Queens Congressional Delegation Letter Calling for Rehabilitation of Hospital Facilities at St. Albans Community Living Center
(Queens, NY) – Today, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (D-NY), along with members of Queens’ congressional delegation, announced they are calling on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to explore the rehabilitation and reopening of the hospital facility at the St. Albans Community Living Center of the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System. In a letter to Secretary David Shulkin, the members point out that despite Queens being home to the largest number of veterans in the New York City area, veterans are referred to VA centers outside of the borough for ER services or acute care.
“As our borough’s veteran population continues to age, it is likely that their medical needs will increase in both volume and complexity,” wrote the lawmakers. “As such, we would like to explore the feasibility of having the old hospital facilities on the St. Albans campus updated or rebuilt to modern standards.”
There has not been an operating hospital facility on the premises since 1989.
In addition to Crowley, the letter was signed by Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney, Nydia Velázquez, Gregory Meeks, Hakeem Jeffries, Grace Meng, and Thomas Suozzi.
The full text of the letter is below:
October 12, 2017
The Honorable David J. Shulkin
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Secretary Shulkin:
We are reaching out as members of the Queens Delegation to inquire about the possibility of rehabilitating the hospital facilities at the St. Albans Community Living Center, located at 179-00 Linden Blvd, in Jamaica, Queens. While this location currently offers a slate of rehabilitative and primary care services for elderly veterans, there have not been hospital facilities on site since at least 1989.
As you are likely aware, Queens is home the largest number of veterans in the New York City area, and is the county with the third largest veteran population in the entirety of New York State, with nearly 59,000 veterans in need of access to medical services. Despite this, veterans from Queens are referred to the Brooklyn or Manhattan VA centers for ER services, acute care, and other specialized medical conditions.
As our borough’s veteran population continues to age, it is likely that their medical needs will increase in both volume and complexity. As such, we would like to explore the feasibility of having the old hospital facilities on the St. Albans campus updated or rebuilt to modern standards. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. We look forward to receiving your response.
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