Page 18 - The Indian EYE 050925

NORTH AMERICAN Newsline MAY 09, 2025 | The Indian Eye 18

NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens dedicates

“Claire Shulman Pavilion” in Honor of Late

Queens Borough President

Ceremony celebrates Shulman’s legacy as nurse, advocate, and healthcare champion

OUR BUREAU
Queens, NY
YC Health + Hospitals/
Queens unveiled the newly
Nrenamed Claire Shulman Pa-
vilion during a ceremony honoring
the late Claire Shulman, Queens’
first female Borough President and
a trailblazer for equitable healthcare.
The renaming, approved by the
NYC Health + Hospitals Board of
Directors, commemorates Shulman’s
lifelong dedication to public health,
beginning with her career as a nurse at
Queens Hospital in the 1940s and cul-
minating in her historic 16-year tenure
as Borough President (1986–2002).

Shulman’s advocacy led to the President Donovan Richards Jr. “To President and Chief Executive Offi- care and professionalism of its op-
creation of the Queens Cancer see Claire’s career and legacy come cer Mitchell Katz, MD. “Her lifelong eration and saved the hospital from
full circle with the renaming of the dedication to quality healthcare and privatization.”
Center of Excellence and crit- Pavilion after her is moving beyond love of nursing saved our public hos- Dr. Lawrence Shulman (Dep-

ical upgrades to emergency words. I’m proud to have fought to pitals from the threat of privatization uty Director for Clinical Services,
make this day possible, and I thank in the mid-1990s. It is only fitting we Abramson Cancer Center at UPenn)
services, ensuring access to all our partners for their shared be- honor her by naming the Pavilion af- and Dr. Ellen Baker (NASA astro-
care for over 400,000 annu- lief in the importance of honoring ter her. I want to thank Queens Bor- naut, physician, and veteran of three
the greatest champion for Queens ough President Donovan Richards Space Shuttle missions), Claire Shul-
al patients. Renderings of the families we’ve ever known in this for his advocacy on this issue and his man’s children, shared a joint state-
renamed pavilion, displayed at way.” support for Queens and Elmhurst ment: “Our mother was deeply com-
“Claire Shulman’s journey began Hospitals. He has been a true friend mitted to the hospital and the critical
the ceremony, showcased the in these halls as a nurse, where she and supporter of NYC Health + role it plays in providing excellent
permanent tribute to her con- met her husband, Dr. Melvin Shul- Hospitals.” healthcare for the people of Queens.
man, and developed an unshakable
Melinda Katz, former Queens And while she never felt the need
tributions. commitment to this hospital and Borough President (2014–2019) and to be honored in this way, we feel it
the people of Queens,” said Neil J. current Queens District Attorney, is a fitting acknowledgement of her
Queens Borough President Moore, MBA, MPA, FACHE, CEO played a pivotal role in advancing commitment to the hospital and her
Donovan Richards, Jr., who like of NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens. Shulman’s vision by securing critical commitment to quality healthcare
Claire Shulman is a fierce supporter “As Borough President, she fought funding for hospital upgrades during for everyone. Thank you so much for
of Queens Hospital and equitable privatization threats, secured over her tenure. Katz praised Shulman’s honoring her in this way.”
healthcare, spearheaded the call to $150 million to modernize Queens enduring impact by saying, “Claire Claire Shulman began her ca-
rename the pavilion in Shulman’s and Elmhurst Hospitals, and trans- Shulman, the first woman to serve reer as a nurse at Queens General
honor. Borough President Richards formed healthcare for generations. as the Queens Borough President, Hospital (now NYC Health + Hos-
reflected on her fight to protect pub- Renaming this pavilion ensures her was a trailblazer, a fierce leader and pitals/Queens), where she met her
lic healthcare. “It is an indescribable legacy of courage, compassion, and a beacon of hope who dedicated husband, Dr. Melvin Shulman, a psy-
honor to call Claire Shulman my pre- service lives on.” her life to bettering the lives of all chiatrist. Her political career started
decessor, my mentor and my friend. “Claire Shulman was an extraor- Queens residents. She was pivotal as chair of a local community board,
But the way she’s impacted my life dinary champion of our health sys- to the vibrancy and prosperity of this eventually leading to her election as
pales in comparison to how she saved tem, securing more than $150 million borough, something that we continue Queens Borough President. During
lives during her time as a Queens for a major modernization project to enjoy today. During her tenure as her tenure, she prioritized health-
Hospital healthcare hero, or how she and upgrading of both Queens and Borough President, Claire secured care access for immigrant communi-
saved the hospital itself from being Elmhurst Hospitals to ensure the millions in capital funding for the ties, expanded emergency care, and
sold during her tenure as borough highest quality care for Queens fam- extensive modernization of Queens championed modernization projects
president,” said Queens Borough ilies,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Hospital, which raised the level of at Queens and Elmhurst Hospitals.

www.TheIndianEYE.com