Open Thread Wednesday

NYU LANGONE EMERGENCY ROOM (EX-LICH)

As is the case with many of you, I was devastated by the closing of Long Island College Hospital (LICH). The lack of a quality hospital frightened me – especially as I move further into my senior years.

I knew that NYU Langone was operating an Emergency Room in the old LICH building but I wondered if they would be equipped to handle such traumatic events as stroke or heart
attacks. My original perception of NYU Langone’s facility was that it was not much more than a glorified ‘walk-in.’

The stories I had heard from Brooklyn Hospital were not encouraging. Both Lutheran and Methodist are good hospitals but, even in an ambulance, the trip to either would be too long with much precious time lost.

Last month I was fortunate to have a tour of the ER facilities on the NYU Langone ER on Amity and Hicks Street. [Let me assure you that I have no relationship with NYU other than as a patient and that this is my unbiased opinion.] I walked away impressed and comforted. This is a first-class, full-fledged emergency room. As such, no patient can be turned away
for emergency care.

Should a patient require attention that goes beyond ER care, NYU has ambulances at the site to transport the patient to Lutheran Hospital (now part of NYU) or NYU Langone in Manhattan or to the hospital of the patient’s choice and/or the best location for the treatment necessary.

The first thing I noticed upon entering was the cleanliness and the emptiness of the waiting room. [Anyone who had been to the LICH ER in its final days will appreciate this.]

NYU’s goal is to have patients out of the waiting room and into the treatment room within 10 minutes!

The treatment room was also spotless and the staff was busy but organized.

The facility is staffed 24/7 with board-certified emergency medicine physicians as well as nurses with emergency training. There is a 24/7 radiology suite with low-dose CAT scan, x-ray and ultrasound. There is also an on-site lab and pharmacy with oral and intravenous medications for serious illnesses…as well as emergency blood transfusion capabilities. Full time respiratory therapists are available on-site.

Clot busting medication is available for stroke patients if needed. There is a telecommunications facility allowing for direct access with NYU specialists as needed.

NYU Langone expressed their desire to become an integral part of the neighborhood. They will have a presence at the Atlantic Antic and will run a Health Fair of their own in October.

They are working towards creating a Cobble Hill campus which will encompass a new ER, outpatient lab and radiology center, and offices for primary care and specialist physician offices and an ambulatory surgery center.

Following my visit, I have much less anxiety about my (emergency) health care. I wanted to share this with my neighbors.

That’s the space upstairs now occupied by a “hot yoga” studio.

Wednesday, during a heat wave. What better time for old postcards of BH? Here’s the Hotel Margaret on Columbia Heights, destroyed in a disastrous fire decades ago. Remember when Claude interviewed H.G. Wells, when he stayed there?

To the right, you can see what was there before the Witnesses put up their enormous dormitory building.

https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8369e48beeb3bbfa367ab01de3e023a2d56c3de34f0ee5a6f121164ddd97a604.jpg

Gosh! Did Claude also interview Darwin–or for that matter, Elizabeth I?

Both of them, I’m told, also stayed at the Hotel Margaret.

Are you shaming someone for not having read every single post on this blog?

Rental apartments

Maybe for not reading the sign, it clearly says “2nd floor”

From the BHA: Learn How You Can Save with Solar Panels

The NYC Solar Partnership, which exists to expand access to clean, reliable and affordable solar energy, is now organizing building owners in Community Board 2 so they can decide whether to install solar panels on their homes or businesses.

A Community Engagement Meeting will take place on Tuesday, August 1st, 6:30 – 8:30 PM, at the Urban Future Lab at 15 Metro Tech Center on the 19th Floor.

The event is free and open to the public, but interested persons must RSVP at info@nyc2030.org or register online at:

http://tinyurl.com/y74y4z2r

At the meeting, you will learn about how you can receive a free solar site assessment; guidance on the process of installing solar on your home or business; a limited time offer for program enrollment; educational workshops on NYC’s changing energy policies and how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and how to save on the installation of your solar energy system.