Thursday, April 21, 2022

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney And Governor Kathy Hochul Unveil Astoria Houses Repurposed Shipping Containers Covid Testing And Vaccination Medical Unit Designed By NJIT & Tuchman Foundation - Can Roosevelt Island Get One Too?

Last Thursday April 14, a mere eight minute East River Ferry ride from Roosevelt Island, NY State Governor Kathy Hochul, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and businessman/philanthropist Martin Tuchman announced the opening of a new temporary medical care unit at Astoria Houses to provide free COVID-19 vaccines and tests.

The temporary medical care unit is made from 40-foot-long repurposed shipping containers and was designed by a research and development consortium composed of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and The Tuchman Foundation. Congresswoman Maloney worked with the NJIT, the City and State of New York, New York City Housing Authority, the Tuchman Foundation, and The Floating Hospital to secure the unit for placement at Astoria Houses. 

The unit will be operated by the Floating Hospital, a NYC-based charity hospital that provides healthcare services to anyone in need. The site will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 am to 5 pm.

Congresswoman Maloney said at the opening of the new Astoria Houses Covid Testing and Vaccination facility:
Quality healthcare should be a fundamental human right. 

Of all the inequities in life, not having access to life-saving health care may be the greatest. We all need to commit ourselves fully to ending that as we are doing today with this very innovative health unit.  

I, we've worked so hard to get this medical care unit here in Astoria. It will be providing tests,  vaccinations and boosters to all residents in the area. Before today, there was only one permanent vaccination site within half a mile of Astoria houses and just two permanent ones in our zip code. It was just too hard for the residents.  You'd have to walk literally a mile to go to the testing site or the vaccination site...
According to Governor Hochul:
... I just had a chance to tour this. You think about shipping containers that have gone around the world, have seen everything. And now, this is their home. Three of them put together. It's ingenious, to be able to bring this facility right here because you open those doors. It's not just to a place, it's a place of opportunity, and a healthier living. And so, we're going to do tests here. We're going to do vaccinations here. We're going to get the job done....

And I want to thank Mr. Tuchman for his generosity and bringing this to us.
Martin Tuchman added:
....I'm proud of  the way our various teams working together to make this a successful installation. 

It  took every bit of our engineering training, mechanical, electrical, civil and school of architecture to make this happen.  At NJIT, the school of management proved once again,  that one can have all the technical know-how to create something but you need an efficient management team to pull it all together. That's a perfect example.

In closing, I want to dedicate this facility in memory of my good friend and business colleague Cliff Maloney who founded this company with me over 40 years ago where we were pioneers in the international shipping industry.

There are currently 25 million of these containers throughout the world. I very much appreciate you allowing me to install a few of them on your property.

I asked Congresswoman Maloney how to get a similar Covid testing/vaccination facility for Roosevelt Island. Ms Maloney answered that the community has to ask for it, find a suitable location and then fight with her to get it done.

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Rossana Ceruzzi, who was able to obtain a Covid Test Site for several weeks earlier this year, said she thinks the shipping container Covid test/vaccination unit is a very good idea and RIRA will explore trying to secure a similar facility for Roosevelt Island with the help of Congresswoman Maloney.

Watch the full presentation at Astoria Houses including remarks from residents and representatives of the Floating Hospital

Unfortunately, on April 19 after taking a home test and confirmed by a lab PCR Test, Ms Maloney tested positive for Covid 19.  According to Ms Maloney:

I am in good spirits, just feeling a bit like I have a bad cold. But I'm also feeling grateful that testing is now easily and widely available, so I won't unknowingly spread the virus to friends and family. And I am especially grateful that I have had my COVID vaccine shots and my Boosters. I hate to contemplate what I might be facing were that not the case. We're all in a much better place than we were 2 years ago at this time. Per CDC guidance and the advice of the Attending Physician of the Capitol, I am quarantining at home in New York City. Maybe I'll use the time to read some banned books.
  Here's more on the NJIT shipping container medical units.  

Hopefully, Congresswoman Maloney 

and Governor Hochul 

can help residents bring a shipping container Covid Testing/Vaccination medical unit to Roosevelt Island. 

By ROOSEVELT ISLANDER at 8:10:00 PM

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