Jan. 17, 2020 By Allie Griffin
A New York hotel workers union broke ground on a $75 million health center in Long Island City this week.
The New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council held the ground breaking Wednesday to mark the beginning of construction of a five-story, 90,000-square-foot health center at 43-06 38th St.
The health center will provide the union’s 40,000 members, as well as their families and retirees, with no-cost care — including medical, dental and optical care.
The Hotel Trades Council secured an agreement with the Hotel Association of NYC to build the new facility. The building is being constructed next to the current Queens Health Center, at 37-11 Queens Blvd., so that members can have continuous service.
The center is expected to be completed in 2021. Upon completion, the Queens Boulevard facility will be sold to help cover the development costs.
The new center will be a one-stop shop for all health care needs.
Union members will be able to go to the center for surgical, anesthesia, obstetrical, diagnostic X-Ray and lab, emergency care and preventive care. Their prescriptions will also be filled on site.
The president of the union, Peter Ward, said it was fitting that the facility is in Queens — home to largest population of immigrants among counties in the U.S. — as many hotel workers are immigrants.
“[Queens] is the true melting pot of New York City and it’s no accident that the majority of hotel workers that are in our union live in Queens,” Ward said. “I’m very proud to be able to provide a health center for those people — the people who make our city work, the people who support this very important industry.”
6 Comments
Hope this project gets completed. The new movie theatre building and the hotel next to the ymca, have not made any progress in some time.
white guys in suits tossing a shovelful of dirt, what a classic!!
Where’s Jimmy and his insta-podium? He missed a good one.
De Blasio’s bringing us back to 70s-era levels of tossing shovels of dirt.
DeBlasio already champing at the bit until he turn it into a homeless shelter!
Can regular and common neighbors take any advantage of it?
A welcome addition to the area. Shame they had to have his honor mayor useless at the ceremony.