St. John’s Hospital staff in Far Rockaway receives Covid vaccine

The Covid-19 vaccine is being administered to frontline health care staff at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway, hospital officials said. St. John’s, the only hospital on the Rockaway Peninsula, treated the first Covid case in Queens and dealt with the Rockaways being overwhelmed with coronavirus as by May the area recorded the second highest Covid death rate in New York City. During the peak of the pandemic, ambulances carrying Covid-19 positive patients were lined up behind the hospital’s Emergency Department’s doors, spilling into the street.

“I am extremely proud of our staff who bravely come to work each and every day,” Jerry Walsh, St. John’s chief executive officer stated in a news release. “Some of our staff became sick, and many lost family members to this disease. We recognize their hard work and sacrifices. They deserve this vaccine, and I hope it brings them comfort to know that they are protected.”

St. John’s, a 257-bed facility, provides emergency, inpatient and outpatient medical care to the Rockaway’s 140,000 residents, and serves the Five Towns. Health care disparities exist in the region, and the Rockaway area is home to 17 nursing homes that house many elderly and medically compromised individuals. This is the largest cluster of nursing homes in all of New York City.

“Through all of this, one thing remained a constant, our staff showed up to work each day ready to face this deadly disease head-on,” Dr. Donald Morrish, the hospital’s chief medical officer said in the release. “They worked countless hours and sacrificed time with their loved ones. “We are truly grateful to all those who made procuring the vaccine to protect our staff members possible including the New York State Department of Health, the New York City Department of Health, and the federal government.”