16 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Jamaica clinic renamed for former
NY fi rst lady will be expanded
Cops save injured man on commercial
boat off the coast of Queens
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
Th e NYPD made a daring rescue aft er
learning that a man on a boat, which
was far off the coast of Queens, was in
need of medical assistance.
At 1:20 p.m. on Sept. 21, offi cers
assigned to the 100th Precinct were
notifi ed that a 24-year-old man had suffered
a fall on-board a commercial vessel
named High Courage, which was
located 16 miles to the south of Breezy
Point, and needed medical assistance.
Th e NYPD Aviation Unit then launched
two helicopters and were overhead at
approximately 1:40 p.m.
Detective Christopher Maher, who
was the pilot in charge of the rescue mission,
deployed an Emergency Service
Unit medic, Detective Mel Maurice,
down to the vessel. Once Detective
Maurice was on board, the victim was
stabilized and prepared to be hoisted
back up to the helicopter by Detective
Maurice.
Th e victim was transported to Staten
Island University North Hospital in stable
condition.
BY THE QUEENS COURIER STAFF
editorial@qns.com / @QNS
Numerous dignitaries gathered outside
Brightpoint Health’s Jamaica clinic
on Sept. 22 to not only ceremonially
start the center’s expansion, but to
also name it for one of New York state’s
most infl uential women.
Th e facility located at 105-04 Sutphin
Blvd. will be renamed the Matilda Raff a
Cuomo Health Center, in honor of
the wife of the late former Governor
Mario Cuomo and mother of current
Governor Andrew Cuomo. Th e renaming
recognizes Matilda Cuomo’s many
charitable and humanitarian contributions
to the center and the state.
Brightpoint Health is also embarking
on a major expansion of the Cuomo
Center to off er improved primary care
and behavioral health services in the
community. Th rough its network of
medical center, Brightpoint Health
serves more than 60,000 patients and
clients and employs nearly 800 people
across the fi ve boroughs.
“My mother has dedicated her life to
helping the less fortunate and uplift ing
New Yorkers in need, and I applaud the
renaming of this facility to honor her
long career of service,” said Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo. “Th e new Matilda
Raff a Cuomo Health Center will provide
much-needed services to the
Queens community and support our
eff orts to make a stronger, healthier
New York for all.”
“Matilda Raff a Cuomo and the entire
Cuomo family have done so much to
help the people of New York State,
including their founding of this organization,”
said Paul D. Vitale, CEO of
Brightpoint Health. “We are so thankful
to the entire Cuomo family, and
proud and honored to name this clinic
the Matilda Raff a Cuomo Health
Center.”
“Former fi rst lady Matilda Raff a
Cuomo continues to this day to be a
fi erce, unwavering and eff ective advocate
for health, children and families.
She is a global inspiration of what it
means to embody service,” said Queens
Borough President Melinda Katz. “Th e
Matilda Raff a Cuomo Health Center
here in Queens named in her honor, as
well as the fi rst-class, integrated healthcare
now available to so many in underserved
communities, are fi tting tributes
to the legacy of a true, lifelong humanitarian.”
A dedicated advocate for women,
children and families, Matilda Raff a
Cuomo has led state, national and
international initiatives that heightened
visibility to such causes as children’s
rights, volunteerism, and mentoring.
She currently chairs the New York State
Mentoring Program, recently reinstated
by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Cause still
unknown in deadly
Ozone Park fi re
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
Fire marshals are continuing to
investigate what sparked a fi re at a
Ozone Park home early on Sunday
morning that claimed the life of a
68-year-old man who lived there.
More than 60 fi refi ghters along
with offi cers from the 102nd Precinct
responded to a 911 call about the blaze
at 2:37 a.m. on Sept. 24 inside the
house located on 97th Avenue near
107th Street.
Th e Daily News reported that
Mohinvei Singh, 68, was on the fi rst
fl oor of the residence when he saw
smoke coming out of the basement
and went down to investigate. While
others inside the home managed to
leave, he never made it out.
Firefi ghters managed to put out the
blaze at about 3:40 a.m., but found
Singh unconscious and unresponsive
in the basement. Paramedics on the
scene pronounced him dead.
Singh’s body was taken to the medical
examiner’s offi ce for an autopsy to
determine the cause of death.
Photo courtesy of the NYPD
Photo by Robert Stridiron
The investigation continues into what
caused a deadly fi re at this Ozone Park home
on Sept. 24.
Photos courtesy of Brightpoint Health
Matilda Raff a Cuomo and Assemblywoman Vivian Cook at the opening of Brightpoint Health’s renovated
Health Center in Jamaica