Congressman Gregory Meeks took his “community projects tour” to the Rockaways on Wednesday, Feb. 15, where he presented a check for $3 million in federal funding to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital to renovate the 18,000-square-foot inpatient behavioral health unit, which was last updated in the 1950s.
Construction will begin in April, with an expected completion date of December 2023.
“It’s time. A newly-renovated behavioral health unit will encourage patients and the patient’s families to seek admission to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital when appropriate,” Meeks said. “Mental health is a growing concern, particularly here in the Far Rockaway community and the challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic have only exacerbated existing problems creating new barriers to treatment.”
