Tag Archives: Bellevue Hospital

Bellevue fighting to delay federal healthcare cuts

State Senator Brad Hoylman said he doubted his colleagues would support a increase in reimbursements to cover inflation. (Photos by Sabina Mollot)

By Sabina Mollot

Bellevue Hospital, along with all the other facilities that are part of the city’s public NYC Health + Hospitals network, are bracing for the impact of an expected loss in federal funding in the next couple of years.

The cuts have loomed on the horizon since the Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2010. Hospitals including H+H had been receiving Disproportionate Share Hospital or DSH funding for uninsured and Medicaid patients, but when the ACA went into effect, the thinking in Washington was that hospitals wouldn’t continue to need it due to more people being covered.

However, as Bridgette Ingraham-Roberts, associate vice president for government and community relations and planning for H+H, told hospital staff and supporters on Friday, 1.1 million New Yorkers are still uninsured and H+H serves around 415,000 uninsured patients. (Together, there are about 700,000 uninsured and Medicaid recipients in the health system.)

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Kips Bay man, 83, dies after being hit by car

Mar8 343 E 30th

343 East 30th Street (Photo via Google Maps)

By Sabina Mollot

On Thursday, an elderly Kips Bay man died after being hit by a car as he crossed the street a day earlier.

The victim, later identified as Gilberto DiBernardo, 83, had been crossing the street Wednesday afternoon on Second Avenue and East 30th Street when he was struck by a driver in a Chevrolet Silverado. DiBernardo, who lived nearby at 343 East 30th Street, was taken to Bellevue Hospital.

According to police, the 53-year-old driver, who was going south, had a steady green traffic signal when DiBernardo was attempting to cross Second Avenue from east to west in the crosswalk. The driver told police he tried to stop the car from hitting DiBernardo, but was unable to do so, and he was knocked to the pavement. The driver remained at the scene and wasn’t arrested. Police later said no criminality is suspected.

Flu cases double at Bellevue, Doctors say: Just get the shot

Bellevue Hospital offers the flu vaccine free to New Yorkers without insurance or who are under-insured throughout flu season.

By Sabina Mollot

Over 5,000 New Yorkers have become bedridden with the flu this season, according to Senator Charles Schumer.

Calling it a “historic outbreak,” on Monday, Schumer called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to designate a special “domestic flu surveillance team” for the state, which he believes will help “augment the work of inundated hospitals and budget-strained localities.”

Locally, the increase is being seen at Bellevue Hospital, where doctors have already seen 200 patients with confirmed cases of the flu, up from 100 for the entire season last year. Out of the 200 positive tests, 60 people were admitted to the hospital, while the rest went home. In a typical season, 100 people come in with the flu and 20-40 get admitted.

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Police Watch: Suspect arrested for Kips Bay mugging, Teen busted for lewdness

SUSPECT ARRESTED FOR VIOLENT MUGGING IN KIPS BAY LAST YEAR
Police arrested 22-year-old Jonathan Rivera last Thursday for a robbery that allegedly took place at the corner of East 29th Street and First Avenue last November 22. Police said that Rivera, along with two other people who weren’t arrested, punched the victim several times and broke his eyeglasses before swiping his Beats headphones and fleeing.

TEEN ARRESTED FOR LEWDNESS AT WASHINGTON IRVING
Police arrested a teenager for public lewdness inside the Washington Irving Campus at 345 East 15th Street last Friday at 4:08 p.m. Police said that the teen pulled down his pants and exposed himself to a female student inside the school. The teen’s name is being withheld due to his young age.

WOMAN ARRESTED FOR THEFT ALSO CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED BANK ROBBERY
Police charged a 35-year-old woman with a 2015 attempted bank robbery in the Lower East Side last Wednesday after she was arrested for an alleged grand larceny and possession of stolen property.
Police said that Sheena Bellinger was employed by the MADE Hotel at 44 West 29th Street and while she was working on November 2, 2017, she allegedly took someone’s wallet containing a debit card, MetroCard and ID that had been left on a bar stool. After she was in custody for the theft, police found through further investigation that she allegedly tried to rob an HSBC at 307 Grand Street on Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 4:08 p.m. She allegedly passed the teller a demand note underneath a black plastic bag but the teller didn’t comply with the request and Bellinger allegedly fled the scene with the note.

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Soapbox: A PCV employee saved my life

By David Chowes

On Tuesday, October 24 at 4 p.m., I was alone in my apartment; I was trying to find a particular magazine from a large stack in my bedroom. Having fallen 10 years ago, my balance continued to be affected.

As I bent down, attempting to find this publication, within about one-tenth of a second I fell and everything in the room seemed to explode. Somehow the box-spring ended up on top of the mattress and the blanket and bed cover seemed to disappear.

I tried to get up – but in vain! I was on the carpeted floor and tried to get my bearing – and having hurt my right shoulder I was in continuous and excruciating pain.

But no matter how much effort I made, I just crawled and added to my misery.

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Police Watch: BI employee arrested for theft, Shoplifting suspect busted for fake gun

BETH ISRAEL EMPLOYEE ACCUSED OF THEFT FROM HOSPITAL BATHROOM
Police arrested 46-year-old Alexis Vasquez for alleged grand larceny in front of Mount Sinai Beth Israel at 288 First Avenue last Thursday at 5:09 p.m. Police said that Vasquez stole the victim’s purse, which contained her credit cards and cash, from the hospital’s bathroom. The victim told police that she had left her bag in the bathroom by mistake and Vasquez was allegedly the next person to go into the bathroom after the victim. Police said that Vasquez is a manager in the cafeteria at the hospital and allegedly admitted to police that he took the purse. Vasquez was also charged with possession of stolen property.

SHOPLIFTING SUSPECT ARRESTED FOR FAKE GUN ON EAST 23RD
Police arrested 59-year-old Richard James for alleged weapons possession inside 6 East 23rd Street, which is home to Outlette jewelry shop, last Friday at 1 p.m. Police said that an employee at the store saw James taking items from a display shelf and concealing them and allegedly attempted to leave without paying.
After he was stopped, police found that he was in possession of an imitation firearm that was tucked in his waistband. Police also recovered alleged heroin that was stamped with “Starbucks” as well as alleged hydrocodone bitartrate. James was also arrested for petit larceny, possession of stolen property and possession of a controlled substance.

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Police Watch: Bomb threat at Sony building, Man arrested for weapon at Bellevue

MAN CHARGED WITH MAKING BOMB THREAT, KICKING WOMAN IN SEPARATE INCIDENTS
Police arrested a man in Union Square last Monday for an alleged bomb threat inside the Sony building at 25 Madison Avenue over the summer. He was caught by police after allegedly attacking a woman on a train in Harlem.
Police said that 35-year-old Sherman Tolbert went inside the Sony building lobby on July 20 at 11:30 a.m. and shouted “bomb!” multiple times, then allegedly left three letters with the word “bomb” and signed his name. Police said that Tolbert went back to the building’s lobby about 25 minutes later and shouted “bomb!” again multiple times, causing panic and alarm.
Tolbert was arrested last Monday at 4:50 p.m. after he allegedly kicked a woman on her hand as they were on a train at the 4/5/6 station at Lexington Avenue and East 125th Street. Police apprehended him when the train pulled into Union Square.

MAN ARRESTED FOR WEAPON AT BELLEVUE
Police arrested a 41-year-old John Doe for weapons possession inside Bellevue Hospital at 462 First Avenue last Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Police said that they were responding to reports of an emotionally disturbed person in the Sixth Precinct and when they arrived, the man was holding spackling tools. Police told him to put the tools down but he reportedly refused and was arrested. When police were attempting to restrain him in the hospital bed, the suspect reportedly jerked his arm in a way that injured one of the officers.

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Police Watch: Gunpoint robbery at Pinkberry, Teen arrested for groping classmate

One of two robbery suspects

TWO MEN WANTED FOR GUNPOINT ROBBERY AT PINKBERRY
Cops are looking for two men believed to be behind a gunpoint robbery at a Pinkberry near West 14th Street.
Police said that the suspects turned a gun on employees at a Pinkberry at 523 Sixth Avenue last Wednesday and ordered them to the back of the shop. The men assaulted the employees, forced them to open the safe and remove $1,600 in cash as well as their personal property. The suspects then fled south on Sixth Avenue and the victims were taken to Lenox Hill Hospital to be treated for bruising and cuts. The first suspect is a black man who was wearing a jacket with a hood and a backpack and the second suspect is a Hispanic man who was wearing a jacket with a red symbol on it.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.

TEEN ARRESTED FOR GROPING CLASSMATE
Police arrested a teenager for sexual abuse inside the Washington Irving building at 40 Irving Place last Wednesday at 12:59 p.m. The victim told police that while she was standing on the platform in Union Square waiting for a Queens-bound N train two days earlier, the suspect forcibly kissed her, as well as groped her breasts and vagina over her clothing. She told police that she repeatedly asked him to stop but he continued to grope her on and off for the entire ride into Queens. Police said that the victim and the suspect knew each other and are both students of a school at the Washington Irving campus. The suspect’s name is being withheld because of his age.
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UPDATED: Police looking for Union Square hit-and-run driver

This story has been updated. 

Police are looking for a driver who hit a pedestrian in Union Square, leaving the man in critical condition without stopping.

It was on Tuesday shortly before 1 a.m. when police said a dark colored 2016 Jeep Renegade, traveling east on East 14th Street, made a left to go north on Union Square East and struck a 34-year-old man. The man was knocked down into the street but the driver stopped only briefly before fleeing the scene.

The victim, who suffered trauma to his head and body, was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

According to the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad, the victim was walking eastbound on East 14th Street at the intersection, within the marked crosswalk, when hit.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at nypdcrimestoppers.com or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.

UPDATE: Police reported that the victim, 34-year-old Brooklyn resident Adrian Blanc, succumbed to his injuries at Bellevue Hospital. Blanc’s family has been notified and the investigation is ongoing.

Police Watch: Teen arrested for threatening rape, Teen busted for pushing student into tracks

TEEN ARRESTED FOR THREATENING TO RAPE GIRL AT WASHINGTON IRVING
Police arrested a teenage boy for sexual abuse, aggravated harassment and harassment inside the Washington Irving campus at 40 Irving Place last Friday at 9:55 a.m. The victim told police that the teen has been touching her without her permission, including her breasts and side. Police said that the teen also kissed the victim without her consent.
The victim told police that the teen said he wanted to have sex with her and when she said no, he said, “I will rape you.” The victim said that the teen also told her in Spanish, “You are trash and have a sh–ty body. You’re only good for sex.”
The teen’s name is being withheld because of his age.

TEEN ARRESTED FOR PUSHING STUDENT INTO TRAIN TRACKS AT UNION SQUARE
Police arrested a teenage boy at Union Square East and East 14th Street for assault last Thursday at 10:40 a.m. Police said that while waiting for the train, the teen and two other suspects who weren’t arrested punched the victim in the face, causing the victim to fall onto the train tracks. Police said that once the victim got back onto the train platform, the teens continued to punch him, causing an injury to the back of his head. Police said that both the victim and the boy who was arrested attend Manhattan Academy for Arts and Language in the Norman Thomas Campus at 111 East 33rd Street.

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Bellevue gets 3D mammogram machine

3D mammogram machine (Photo courtesy of NYC Health + Hospitals)

By Sabina Mollot

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Bellevue Hospital has recently invested in new 3D mammogram imaging technology, which studies have shown leads to earlier detection of breast cancer. The hospital has also purchased new biopsy machines, which are needed to read the images from the mammography technology, known as Digital Breast Homesynthesis.

Dr. Hildegard Toth, section chief of breast imaging at Bellevue, said the new technology was a very important development in breast imaging as it reduces false positives, which in turn reduces the chances patients will be called back for follow-up visits. According to peer-reviewed papers that have looked at the technology as used in 13 centers, the number of patients being called back for followup appointments was reduced by 15 percent.

It also is able to detect early cases of cancer, which means in those cases, patients have more options for treatment.

“Generally, these are small cancers, less aggressive and would not have been found otherwise,” Toth said.

The way the imaging system works is that it’s able to produce a series of images of the breast, which can then be broken down and reconstructed to show breast tissue in multiple slice-like sections, not unlike a loaf of bread.

“It affords the ability to reduce the effects of tissue overlap, because sometimes you have breast tissue that is superimposed and you’ll be unable to distinguish an abnormality from something that’s benign,” Toth said.

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Man arrested for arson at Bellevue

Bellevue Hospital Center (Photo courtesy of HHC)

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

A 24-year-old man was arrested after allegedly setting fires inside Bellevue Hospital.

Police said that a security guard saw Jason Peterson-Ridge on video surveillance starting multiple fires on three different floors shortly after he was discharged as a patient at the hospital on September 24 at 10 p.m.

According to the Manhattan district attorney’s office, Peterson-Ridge approached a hand sanitizer stand inside the hospital and filled the catching tray with hand sanitizer, then lit the vapors, causing them to ignite and start a fire.

The FDNY said that the fire caused the dispenser to melt, resulting in damage to the floor and additionally caused charring to the wall and smoke damage to the wall and ceiling.

Police said that he fled to his apartment nearby, where he was arrested a few hours later at 1:46 a.m.

Peterson-Ridge’s attorney could not be reached for comment.

 

Police Watch: Man breaks EMS worker’s nose, Person assaulted on L train

MAN BREAKS NOSE OF EMS WORKER AT BELLEVUE
Police arrested 27-year-old Jeremy Santiago for allegedly assaulting an EMS worker in front of Bellevue Hospital at 462 First Avenue last Monday at 4:02 a.m. Police said that Santiago acted uncooperative while an EMS worker was trying to get him inside an ambulance and he allegedly behaved erratically by running towards oncoming traffic. Police said that the EMS worker attempted to grab Santiago and pull him out of the road to prevent him from getting hit by a car and in the process he allegedly hit the worker in the face, causing a broken nose.

MAN ARRESTED FOR L TRAIN ASSAULT
Police arrested 24-year-old Curtis McIntosh for allegedly assaulting a fellow straphanger on the L train last Wednesday at 5:45 a.m. Police said that McIntosh punched a passenger in the back of the head on the L train as it was at Union Square/East 14th Street. The district attorney’s office said that McIntosh received a desk appearance ticket for the incident.

MAN ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT AT EAST 16TH AND FIRST
Fifty-year-old David Wilson was arrested for assault at the corner of East 16th Street and First Avenue last Saturday at 9:06 p.m. Witnesses told police that they heard a commotion outside and broken glass, and when they went to check, they saw that Wilson was allegedly on top of the victim, who had sustained a cut on the back of his head. When the victim struck the sidewalk, Wilson allegedly fled. Another witness said he had seen Wilson tackle the victim to the ground. Police searched the area and Wilson was arrested shortly after.

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Police Watch: Senior arrested for threats, Bellevue patient arrested for assault

SENIOR ARRESTED IN KIPS BAY FOR THREATENING MAN WITH KNIFE
Eighty-year-old Sergio Richiez was arrested after allegedly pulling a knife on a man who confronted him for urinating in the street.
Police said that according to the victim Richiez was urinating at the corner of East 28th Street and First Avenue last Monday at noon. When the other man angrily demanded to know why he was doing this, in response, the octogenarian allegedly pulled a kitchen knife out of his pocket and waved it at the victim. He was arrested for menacing and weapons possession. There were no injuries.

BELLEVUE PATIENT ARRESTED FOR ASSAULTING OFFICER
Police arrested 55-year-old Harvey Henry for assault of a peace officer in front of 421 First Avenue last Thursday at 12:33 p.m. Police said that Henry was being discharged from the Bellevue Psych ward and an officer was attempting to handcuff him for transport when he allegedly punched the officer, causing an injury that required five stitches.

MAN ATTACKS FEMALE DUANE READE EMPLOYEE
Police arrested a 32-year-old man after he beat up a woman working at a Kips Bay Duane Reade. Police said that the man entered the store at 465 Second Avenue between East 26th and 27th Streets last Sunday and began harassing the employees there, causing alarm. The employees told him to leave multiple times and he refused, then began following one of the employees around the store and allegedly grabbed her hair, punching her in the face and head, and purposely broke the victim’s glasses. Police said that the man refused to give his name or date of birth.
“John Doe” was arrested for assault and criminal mischief

MEN BUSTED FOR HEROIN ON IRVING PLACE
Thirty-year-old Max Goren, 38-year-old Jason Hawk and 32-year-old Igor Pasikov were arrested for possession of a controlled substance at the corner of Irving Place and East 15th Street last Thursday at 3:25 p.m. Police said that the three men were in possession of heroin that was in plain view on a public sidewalk. Goren was also in possession of alleged cocaine and police said that Hawk was in possession of alleged Clonazepam.

MAN ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING AT GUITAR CENTER
Police arrested 42-year-old Dashan Pinckney for criminal trespass inside the Guitar Center at 25 West 14th Street last Thursday at 6:16 a.m. An employee told police that when he was opening the store that morning, he saw Pinckney sitting inside on a staircase without permission to be there. Police said that Pinckney had gained access to the store while it was closed.

MAN ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING AT BETH ISRAEL
Police arrested 32-year-old Jamel Holiday for criminal trespass inside Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital at 281 First Avenue last Wednesday at 4:26 p.m. Police said that Holiday was medically cleared to leave the hospital but he refused to leave after being discharged.

MAN ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT ON WEST 23RD
Police arrested 21-year-old Issaga Sow for assault in front of 171 West 23rd Street last Thursday at 9:02 p.m. Police said that Sow punched the victim in the face, causing a number of cuts. No further information about what prompted the attack was available.

MAN NABBED FOR BURGLARY AT CLEANERS
Police arrested 22-year-old Philyaw Najre for burglary inside Apple Cleaners at 149 West 24th Street last Friday at 1:23 a.m. Police said that Najre could be seen on surveillance video through a live feed inside a closed business without permission to be there. Police said that Najre could be seen walking away from the store and when he was searched immediately afterwards, he was allegedly in possession of items stolen from the store.

MEN ARRESTED FOR UNION SQUARE BURGLARY
Police arrested 24-year-old Blake Cummings and 25-year-old Sow Alioune for burglary and possession of stolen property last Friday at 1:43 a.m. at the corner of Fifth Avenue and West 15th Street. Police said that Cummings and Alioune entered the basement of a nearby building and took items without permission. Police said that the basement is a restricted area, but no further information was available about the specific building.

MAN BUSTED FOR HEINEKEN THEFT
Police arrested 24-year-old Gary Williams for petit larceny at the corner of Union Square West and East 14th Street last Friday at 2:32 a.m. Police said that Williams took a 12-pack case of Heineken beer in a nearby store and attempted to walk out without paying. While police were attempting to place Williams in custody, he allegedly resisted by pulling his arms away, tensing up his body and refusing to be handcuffed. He was also charged with resisting arrest and possession of stolen property.

MEN ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT
Thirty-year-old Reginald Wilson and 24-year-old Shaquille Urgent were arrested for a fight in front of 37 West 24th Street last Sunday at 5:17 a.m. Police said that Wilson and Urgent got into a fight with another person, causing swelling to the victim’s head and face, as well as a bloody lip and cuts to his neck and chest.

DRIVER ARRESTED AT FIRST AND EAST 23RD
Police arrested 53-year-old Aurelio Romero for allegedly intoxicated driving at the corner of First Avenue and East 23rd Street last Friday at 1:41 a.m. Police said that Romero was driving north on First Avenue towards East 23rd Street and was allegedly driving erratically, swerving in and out of the lane. Police conducted a vehicle stop and while talking with Romero, police found that he had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, along with slurred speech, bloodshot, watery eyes and an unsteady gait.

Man pleads guilty to slashings on East Side

By Sabina Mollot

On Tuesday, a man who slashed two people in unprovoked attacks, including one outside Bellevue Hospital, pled guilty to assault on Tuesday.
In exchange for doing so he is expected to be sentenced to 14 years in jail on July 11. Prosecutors had recommended 18 years.

The two slashing incidents were unrelated with the first one happening on October, 2015. Francis Salud, 29, pulled a knife on a 30-year-old acquaintance in the garden behind Bellevue before slashing the man’s arm and shoulder. The victim, who worked at the hospital, needed more than 70 stitches.

On January 16, 2016, Salud approached a stranger walking on East 6th and slashed the 30-year-old victim across his back and his face. The wounds caused the man extensive nerve damage.

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