Street is dedicated to Far Rockaway’s hospital

This is the way. The St. John’s Episcopal Hospital Way.

Far Rockaway’s hospital was celebrated last Wednesday as Brookhaven Avenue at Beach 20th Street was named St. John’s Episcopal Hospital Way.

“For almost 120 years, the religious communities have provided care for the people of Far Rockaway from this location,” said Bishop Lawrence Provenzano, chair of the hospital’s board. The facility had originally been operated by a Catholic — and later by a Jewish — institution.

Chief Executive Officer Gerald Walsh said that during his eight-year tenure, the hospital has rebuilt and forged new relationships with the community and elected officials.

The hospital, which provides general adult medical services, pediatrics, obstetrics and psychiatric services, will also soon be home to a cancer program, which has not been offered on the site since 2012, Walsh said.

“For over a century, St. John’s has provided healthcare on the peninsula to our residents and I am proud to honor the doctors, nurses and hospital staff that care for this community, said Councilwoman Selvena N. Brooks-Powers.

Brooks-Powers said that St. John’s earned its new honor because of its community service and the role it played during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“As [Vice President for External Affairs] Renee Hastick-Motes said, we don’t name streets after institutions, we name them after individuals after they have passed,” Brooks-Powers said. “This institution deserved to have a street named after it,”