Page 41 - 2021 Queens Economic Development Guide

ability became critical on March
31, when the hospital was overrun
with COVID patients and used load balancing – safely transporting some 500 COVID patients to other Northwell sites that had bed availability over
the next few weeks – in order to keep the hospital open for the health care needs of the community.
April 2020:
‘Here Comes the Sun’
In April, the Beatles’ “Here
Comes the Sun” became a familiar celebratory sound at the hospital with the song played each time a COVID patient was discharged. FDNY’s Engine Co. 305 and 287 and Ladder Co. 136 and 151, along with Battalion Chief 46 stopped by with sirens blaring to salute the LIJ Forest Hills health care heroes. This, along with donations from local businesses and 7pm clapping and cheers by community residents for hospital staff, were how the community gave back to the hospital for helping them through the pandemic.
June 2020:
The Eye of the Storm
By early June, hospital volume had stabilized, and there was some return to normal daily operations. LIJ
Forest Hills continued its state of
readiness for the second surge in early 2021, however, the hospital’s focus on programmatic development continued unabated.
October 2020:
National Recognition
In October the ICU at LIJ Forest Hills became the only intensive
care unit in Queens to receive an American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Gold-Level Beacon Award. The award recognizes the critical care interdisciplinary team for their use of evidence-based methods to achieve nationally-regarded clinical, patient experience and employee engagement outcomes.
December 2020:
Administering the First Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine
As the pandemic wore on, the nation waited anxiously for the FDA to grant emergency use authorization to Pfizer for its development of a COVID vaccine. On December 14, the wait was over as LIJ Forest Hills received the first dose of the just-approved Pfizer vaccine. It was mixed by hospital pharmacist Anthony Longo and then transported to LIJ Medical Center where it was administered to ICU nurse Sandra Lindsey, the first known American to be vaccinated.
With 2021 came new milestones for LIJ Forest Hills, including the acquisition of a state-of-the art surgical robot, continued recruitment of highly skilled physician faculty from Zucker School of Medicine, and expansion of Northwell’s Queens- based ambulatory care network.
“As an active member of the Queens Chamber
of Commerce, LIJ Forest Hills supports and collaborates with Queens’ businesses and Queens’ residents to ensure our services are aligned with our vibrant, growing community, which is the most diverse in the United States.”
www.queenschamber.org 39