A respected doctor was laid off earlier this month after nearly 40 years at Coney Island Hospital, sparking outrage from former co-workers.
More than 300 doctors and nurses have signed a petition demanding the rehiring of 68-year-old cancer surgeon Dr. Quamer Amirudin, 1010 WINS reports.
The August 7 firing came as a surprise, as Amirudin was let go just as he completed performing surgery.
“Immediately the barcode on my ID card was taken away,” Dr. Amirudin told 1010 WINS. “I couldn’t get on to computers.”
He was one of 12 doctors laid off at Coney Island Hospital, and one in thousands that the city’s Health and Hospitals Corporation announced they’re laying off this year. Officials say budget cuts are to blame.
According to 1010 Wins, Amirudin drops in often to visit patients, but has refused work offers elsewhere.
For those tired of eating fruits and vegetables that have traveled farther than the eater ever has, relief is here. Coney Island Hospital has partnered with Harvest Home Farmer’s Markets to bring local produce to the streets of Sheepshead Bay throughout the summer and into the fall.
Sheepshead Bay’s farmer’s market set up shop for the first time on July 9, with vendors lining the pedestrian median in front of the hospital (Ocean Parkway between Avenue Z and Shore Parkway). The seven vendors will hawk fruits, vegetables, baked goods, juices, nuts and olive oil every Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. until November 19.
“[The market] is part and parcel of our efforts to support a healthy lifestyle, healthy eating and reduce incidence of diabetes and chronic disease in our community,” said James Saunders, associate executive director of Coney Island Hospital.
Those who’ve been reading Sheepshead Bites for a long time know that one of our pet peeves is the lack of art and music in Sheepshead Bay. Scratch that – it’s not so much the lack of those things as the absence of any organization or infrastructure to promote cultural activities in the neighborhood. One thing we’ve learned here is that there’s an abundance of creative, talented people in our ‘hood, but there’s no local outlets.
Wait, scratch that, too. There is Arthur Melnick and the Brooklyn Streetcar Artists’ Group (BSAG). We first told you about BSAG last September, when they held their first exhibit at Coney Island Hospital, featuring 49 installments from 22 local artists.
Melnick, the group’s director, and the BSAG coalition returned to Coney Island Hospital on June 4 with a larger exhibit. The opening featured performances from musicians and a silent auction to raise funds for victims of the earthquake in Haiti. The exhibit remains open to the public on the second flood of the hospital’s main building until the end of the summer.
Over this one we’re feeling pretty silly. Here we are, constantly complaining that we need more outlets, and when Melnick invites us to the opening it ends up falling through the cracks. So to Melnick, BSAG and our readers, we apologize. Above is a video report produced by Bay Currents in lieu of our own coverage.
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz’s office reported today that his third annual blood drive was a “big success.”
People may have noticed the big ol’ bloodmobile – a.k.a. the New York Blood Services donation van – parked on the corner of Sheepshead Bay Road and Emmons Avenue. And good thing, too, because the office said they collected 25 pints of blood, potentially saving as many as 125 lives.
We’ve said before how important donating blood is, and there’s no shortage of opportunities to do so in our neighborhood. So if you haven’t donated recently (or ever), next time you see a donation truck, stop in, roll up your sleeve, and save a life.
And for those who did stop by yesterday – good on you. Thanks for your service, and hopefully you’ll do it again when you become eligible in 56 days.
We’ve written before about the need for blood donations, and how it’s a simple, quick way to save a life. Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz is organizing a blood drive, so you have the opportunity once again to turn over some sangre. Cymbrowitz’s drive is also accepting appointments, so make one today to make your visit even more hassle-free.
From Assemblyman Cymbrowitz’s office:
Assemblyman Cymbrowitz Sponsoring Local Blood Drive
TRADITIONALLY, BLOOD SUPPLIES ARE LOW DURING SUMMER MONTHS
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz is sponsoring a blood drive in conjunction with the New York Blood Center, Thursday, July 8th, between 12 Noon and 6:00 pm outside his community office [1800 Sheepshead Bay Road]. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are appreciated. Most people between the ages of 17 and 70 may donate. Please call Assemblyman Cymbrowitz’ office at (718) 743-4078 to either make an appointment or for more information.
Did you know that when this building, at 3121 Ocean Avenue, was originally built, it won awards for design? That’s what the architect told us when we ran into him a few months back. So you’d think maybe they’d give it a paint job before they put the sign up. You know, gussy up the joint a bit; restore some of its glory.
Well, maybe this is a temporary sign. I didn’t bother to ask. Or maybe they’re waiting to get more money, since the city keeps stripping funds from public healthcare. I guess it’s better they spend the dough on something that’ll save someone’s life.
Anyway, in case you don’t remember, Maimonides reclaimed the building in the beginning of May. Before that, Coney Island Hospital owned it, but shut it down because of said healthcare cuts. And before Coney Island Hospital, it was converted from Beefsteak Charlie’s by Maimonides. Maybe when Maimonides is done with it, it’ll turn back into a Beefsteak Charlie’s and we can gather ’round and sing “Circle of Life.”
A doctors group that supplies medical services to Coney Island Hospital created a separate corporation that took in $4.2 million in fees that should have gone to the city hospital system — but it’s a mystery who authorized the spinoff, according to records obtained by The Post.
Now some of the doctors employed by University Medical Group Associates are themselves demanding answers from its leaders about the creation of the University Group Research and Education Fund.
Joseph Jerome, who oversaw the operation even though he isn’t an MD, collected $681,969 in 2006. That included $457,233 from the doctors group, $115,000 from the subsidiary fund and $109,736 in deferred compensation and benefits, according to IRS filings.
In 2007, he received a total of $695,079.
The group president at the time, Kemambady Sheka, chair of Coney Island’s surgery department, had earnings and benefits of $726,303 in 2006 and $694,136 in 2007 from the dual salary lines.
Minutes of the board of directors’ meetings show the doctors group created the fund as a depository for fees of about $1 million a year coming in from St. George’s Medical School in the Caribbean, which sent its students to train at Coney Island under the doctors.
Contrary to popular belief, I am not a superhero. Yeah, I’m pretty friggin’ awesome. But I can’t leap buildings in a single bound, I’m hardly as powerful as a locomotive, and I don’t go faster than a speeding bullet (or even a slowly moving shopping cart).
But what I can do is give blood. And donating blood saves lives. In fact, one donation can help as many as three people in medical centers across the globe. Despite that most of us have a little extra blood to spare, there are constant shortages as demand for complicated, but life-saving, medical treatments increase (a liver transplant, for example, can use 120 units of donated blood).
There are frequent blood drives in our area, not to mention anyone can donate any time at Coney Island Hospital. And now, parents from P.S. 52 have arranged for a neighborhood drive today. From noon until 6 p.m., you can stop by 2675 East 29th Street (between Avenue Z and Voorhies Avenue) and help save lives.
I may be no superhero … ::dramatic pause to emphasize cheesiness:: … but we can all be heros.
Maimonides Medical Center is putting the final touches on its newly-opened Sheepshead Bay Rehabilitation Center, but they’ve been admitting patients for a little over a month.
It’s not the first time Maimonides has had control of the 3121 Ocean Avenue building. Working in reverse chronological order, the building was occupied by Coney Island Hospital’s Sheepshead Bay Primary Care Center. Before that it was Maimonides, which originally converted the structure. And going back to the days of Sheepshead lore, there was our beloved Beefsteak Charlie’s (sigh… R.I.P., friend).
We’ve received reports of a fire at Coney Island Hospital (Avenue Z and Ocean Parkway). Several trucks and ambulances are on the scene and smoke is visible from across the street. We’re looking for more information. Please contact us if you know anything!
