Thanks to hard work and dedication at every level of government and with community partners, the temporary medical care unit is now OPEN at Astoria Houses.

The unit is open Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9am-5pm. pic.twitter.com/nVkDt3MKE8

Carolyn B. Maloney (@RepMaloney) April 14, 2022


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.

Thank you @RepMaloney for thinking outside the box & bringing @TheFloatingHosp to Astoria Houses.

Weve made great progress in our fight against COVID-19 & well keep making sure people have access to tests & vaccines especially as we prepare to gather for Passover & Easter. pic.twitter.com/kJzcquwd0F

Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) April 14, 2022

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

Happening Now: Join me along w/ @GovKathyHochul , DM Grillo, @NYCHA , @NJIT , Astoria Houses Residents, & @thefloatinghosp to unveil a #COVID19 medical services unit I helped bring to Astoria Houses. https://t.co/E16zTnXdXQ

Carolyn B. Maloney (@RepMaloney) April 14, 2022

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.

EXCLUSIVE: CARGO CONTAINERS NOW COVID CLINIC: Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney gave us a first look at these temporary medical care units. The goal is to reach more people in underserved communities. And its all free. @CarolynBMaloney @GovKathyHochul @NYCMayor @NJIT @NYCHA pic.twitter.com/uqY3AotpBq

Monica Morales (@monicamoralestv) April 13, 2022

Hopefully, Congresswoman Maloney

and Governor Hochul

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

Roosevelt Islander