A New Look at Our History: Part I

1 1 MOUNT SINAI QUEENS 0 2 r e b m e v o inside N A New Look at Our History: Part I In this issue of Inside Queens, we tell the story of our Hospital’s very beginnings up through the 1930s. We will continue the story from the postwar years to the present in the December issue. Up until 2010, the accepted thinking was that our history dated to 1910. Based on that date, we thought we reached our centennial as a hospital. In fact, research shows that Mount Sinai Queens can trace its history back almost 120 years to 1892, when Astoria was hailed as “one of New York’s fairest suburbs,” a magnet for the wealthy and successful. It was nearly 20 years earlier than we first thought, in 1892, that the Hospital was founded by a group of Astoria philanthropists, led by Mrs. Frank E. Hagemeyer and included Mrs. Blackwell, Riker and Rapelye—a who’s who of the elite in northwestern Queens. The original Astoria Hospital opened in a former private residence leased by William Steinway of the Steinway piano family, and was CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 The original hospital, today’s Annex Look Focus On: Emergency Department inside Whether patients walk in or arrive by ambulance, the Emergency Department (ED) sees a wide range Joining the Medical Staff: of emergency cases—stroke, cardiac, broken bones, Melissa S. Lee, MD infections, asthma and those needing stitches, the Take a Bow list is long. “What we do hasn’t changed over the years,” says Deborah Dean, MD, Acting Interim Great American Smokeout Director, shown here to the right, second from the September Employee of right. Also shown in the photo, from left to right, are the Month Daliah John, PA, Jimmy Lee, PA, and Denise How Mount Sinai Queens Chuang, DO, Associate Director. Takes Care of Diabetes “Our volume certainly has changed in the ED,” says Dr. Dean. “We are currently seeing about 50,000 patients a year in our ED, which speaks to our efficiency.” Some of the Emergency Department staff CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 Patient Point of View After falling, my father was seen in your Emergency Department by Dr. Deborah Dean. Had it not been for her quick action, I doubt Dad would have survived the injury. Once Dad was transferred to the ICU, Dr. Sotirios Kassapidis took over. Dr. Kassapidis immedi- ately had a plan of action and he put our worst fears to rest. His work along with that of the respiratory specialist and nurses in the ICU saved my father’s life. Today Dad is home and looking forward to spending time with his grandchildren. — L.M. A New Look at Our History: Part I (continued from page 1) located on Astoria Boulevard, nationality. The new facility In 1925, Marie Daly, the wife of give birth. In the 25 years then called Flushing Avenue. boasted two operating rooms, Dr. John F. Daly, bought the between 1925 and 1949, the Mrs. Hagemeyer, a constant in separate wards for men and Hospital and it reopened as Hospital grew steadily. The newspaper society pages and women, a dining room, a train- Daly’s Astoria Sanatorium, a 1931 Journal of the American a generous benefactor, paid the ing school and apartments for private sanatorium and mater- Medical Association (JAMA) Hospital’s rent for three years. nurses (young women could nity hospital. Dr. Daly, a 1917 hospital survey reports that attend for free), and even a graduate of Fordham Medical the sanatorium admitted 793 By 1894, the Hospital, deemed horse stable and ambulance in School, served as medical patients that year; by 1949 this a success, saw the need for a the rear. The Hospital could director during the sanatori- number had nearly doubled. larger building. Mrs. Hagemeyer treat 50 patients. Five private um’s early years. By 1930, The sanatorium also con- again led the way, promising “memorial rooms,” furnished by Dr. Daly had taken up residence tributed to the postwar baby $6,000 toward the construc- benefactors in memory of oth- in the building on Crescent boom, as the number of births tion of a new building if other ers, were available for $10 to Street and, in 1932, the sanato- increased steadily from 358 in donors would match her $16 per day. The goal was to rium was legally incorporated 1931 to more than 800 in the pledge. In 1894, the Hospital run the hospital as “a model of as Daly’s Astoria Sanatorium, late 1940s. purchased a plot of land on completeness and comfort.” continuing the name. Crescent Street near 30th In December’s Inside Queens: Avenue and, in 1895, it held a In 1898, however, various inde- With 30 beds and 22 bassinets, Look for the next and final chap- successful fair to raise funds pendent towns of Queens County Daly’s Astoria Sanatorium was ter of our history, which recounts for construction. Soon, total merged with Manhattan and the site of many births, as well how the Hospital grew to a size donations topped $20,000. Brooklyn, and Queens became as deaths. Several prominent that at one point served more Ground was broken on a pic- one of the five boroughs of local citizens drew their last patients and delivered more turesque plot, which had a New York City. As part of the breath there, including the babies than any other private sweeping view and was right consolidation, the City took over chief otolaryngologist of St. hospital in Queens. across from the historic stone hospital funding. There were two John’s Hospital and the pastor Church of the Redeemer. hospitals in the area, Astoria Hos- of St. Joseph’s Church. The Our thanks to the Archives and pital and St. John’s, the latter in sanatorium also seems to have Records Management Division The cornerstone was laid on what was then downtown Long had a reputation as an out- of Mount Sinai Medical Center November 1, 1895. When the Island City. Because the St. John’s standing maternity hospital, as and the Greater Astoria Historical masons set the stone in place, area was more populated and many Queens County doctors Society for their invaluable research Mrs. Hagemeyer tapped it with had greater political clout than brought their wives there to assistance. a trowel. suburban Astoria, the City directed its funding towards St. John’s. The new Tudor-trim building Astoria Hospital wasn’t able to was completed in April 1896 earn enough to keep going just and opened with a gala recep- from private physicians. Unable Recreation Office tion on May 4, 1896. The to sustain itself financially, the Employee Discounts! Hospital was “a fitting monu- Hospital closed in 1898. For discounts on tickets to movies, theater ment to the women who built and sports events, as well as discounts it,” according to The New York Records show that in 1910 for shopping, travel and more, check out the Times, and a source of pride several former doctors from the intranet at http://intranet1.mountsinai.org. Click on Employee Services for the community. Its doors Hospital attempted to revive (at the top), then Human Resources (on the right), then Recreation were open to all patients, with- Astoria Hospital, but they were (at the top). out regard to sex, creed or unsuccessful. Joining the Medical Staff: Melissa S. Lee, MD also serves as a clinical me, with my husband, to work She also received her medical provider at both practices. and live on the reservation, degree, cum laude from Yale. which we loved. Similarly, here, Her residency was completed Dr. Lee came to Mount Sinai my kids play in the same play- in the Harvard Combined Queens from the Indian Health grounds that my patients play Residency in Internal Medicine Service, as Chief of Primary in, we go to the same grocery and Pediatrics program at Care, Chinle Comprehensive store, and my eldest started Brigham and Women’s Hospi- Health Care Facility in Chinle, kindergarten at PS 166 in the tal, Children’s Hospital and Arizona. “I was there for six Astoria neighborhood.” Mass General Hospital, all in years and what I enjoyed about Boston. She is board certified my former job is that I cared Dr. Lee received her bachelor’s in both internal medicine and for both adults and children degree in biology and history pediatrics. and was able to serve leader- of science and medicine, cum ship roles in practice manage- laude from Yale University. Welcome, Dr. Melissa Lee! ment. I wanted to continue those elements, but back in my native New York. This job at Melissa S. Lee, MD Mount Sinai Queens was a Take a Bow! good fit,” she says. Melissa S. Lee, MD, joined Mera Ali, Cashier Supervisor, received her Master’s Degree in Health- the staff of Mount Sinai Mother to three children, ages care Management this summer from American InterContinental Queens in September 2011 five and younger, Dr. Lee’s hus- University online. Previously, after 23 years, she returned to school in as Medical Director of Ambu- band is also a physician and 2008 and graduated in 2009 with her associate of science degree in business administration. In 2010, she graduated with her bachelor of latory Care Services. Her from the East Coast. In fact, science degree in accounting and finance, suma cum laude. “It’s never administrative role includes Dr. Lee’s grandparents lived too late. Education is something that no one can take away from you,” the oversight of medical care in Astoria for more than 60 says Ali.

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