Ginsburg Family Helps Unveil Bronze Statue of Former US Supreme Court Justice
Edited by: TJVNews.com
In a historic ceremony on Thursday morning, NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island staff, patients, and community members gathered to celebrate the future opening of the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital, marking a new era of health care services for the South Brooklyn community.
A 7-foot bronze statue of the late Supreme Court Justice was unveiled with the help of members of the Ginsburg family who took great pride in the enormous impact that Justice Ginsburg made during her illustrious career on the bench and elsewhere. The magnificent statue will be prominently located in the lobby of the new hospital, which expects to admit its first patients in early 2023.
New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) is managing the construction of the state-of-the-art facility, which will be part of the renamed NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health campus. The nearly completed hospital will feature a storm-resilient design, a flood-proof Emergency Department, private patient rooms and modern equipment to serve South Brooklyn and its neighboring communities. It is the first new public hospital in New York City since 1982, when the health system opened NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull. Today’s community celebration also included first-time tours of the completed new hospital spaces.
The ceremony marks a major milestone in the extensive process to repair and protect the health care campus after sustaining significant damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Construction of the new hospital is funded by $923 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and includes upgrades to the rest of the health care campus, including a 4-foot wall to withstand a 500-year storm and flood-resilient power, heating, cooling, and water systems.
“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s story began in Brooklyn and she spent her life fighting for our nation’s most vulnerable, so it’s only fitting that we now name this brand new hospital that will serve our city’s most vulnerable after this hero,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “I want to thank Justice Ginsburg’s family for allowing us to honor her legacy at NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health and I’m proud that this state-of-the-art facility will help us build a healthier city for all, serving generations of New Yorkers to come.”
“For decades, Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought for fairness, justice, and for the rights of every American,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “Her name will now forever adorn a hospital within our public hospital system that serves every person, every New Yorker, regardless of their ability to pay or immigration status. Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital honors the late justice’s legacy and will welcome every person through its doors in Coney Island.”
“As New York City grapples with multiple health crises and longstanding inequities in access to care, it is imperative that our city builds new community health institutions to serve our communities,” said Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “With the anticipated opening of the new Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital, the residents of South Brooklyn and beyond will benefit tremendously from the services and care provided here. The hospital will stand as a fitting tribute to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her family, whose impact on Brooklyn and the entire country are immeasurable. Her legacy will live on through this public hospital and the future generations of community members it will serve.”
“The Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospital is a beautiful new hospital with skyline views, private patient beds, and state-of-the-art operating rooms,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “We are honored the Ginsburg family trusted us to carry on the Supreme Court Justice’s legacy with a hospital in her name, and we can’t wait to welcome patients to the new space. With the new Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospital, South Brooklyn is ready for the next major storm.”
“My family and I are honored and delighted that the new South Brooklyn Health is being named for our mother, Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” said Jane C. Ginsburg, Daughter of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Morton L. Janklow Professor of Literary and Artistic Property Law at Columbia University School of Law. “Born and bred in Brooklyn, Joan Ruth Bader benefitted from the Borough’s public institutions, including its schools and its libraries, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. It is therefore fitting that another Brooklyn establishment, dedicated – like those of her youth – to the public welfare, share in her legacy of striving for the betterment of all.”
“At South Brooklyn Health, we believe that every person deserves excellent medical care and a family-centered experience that treats each person with dignity and respect,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health CEO Svetlana Lipyanskaya. “I am deeply honored that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s family allowed us to name the hospital after a true Brooklyn legend. As a team we are excited to carry on her legacy and champion equity to ensure that South Brooklyn Health will be the health care destination of choice serving our community and beyond – today and for future generations.”
The Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital
NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital will feature a new emergency department double the size of the current space and located on the second floor to sustain flooding and ensure continuity of care during natural disasters. The new hospital will also feature:
- A surgical suite comprised of eight state-of-the-art operating rooms
- Robotic surgery
- An endoscopy suite
- Inpatient dialysis
- 80 private medical-surgical beds
- 60 behavioral health beds with panoramic views of Brooklyn and the New York City skyline
- Diagnostic and interventional radiology
- Clinical laboratories
Patients, staff and visitors to the new hospital will be welcomed by the impressive bronze statue that was unveiled at the ceremony today. Designed by Gillie and Marc Schattner and donated to the hospital by City Point, the sculpture is 7 feet 2 inches high and weighs 650 pounds.
The Health & Wellness Institute
Once the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital building opens in early 2023, the existing Main Building on the campus will be renovated and renamed as the Health & Wellness Institute. On the first floor will be a modernized, 26,000 square foot ambulatory care practice that will provide patient- and caregiver-centered primary and specialty care in over 50 new exam rooms. The institute will also house outpatient behavioral health services, a comprehensive dental practice, outpatient radiology, a new CT scanner, ultrasound, and 3D mammography equipment.
“Congratulations to NYC Health & Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health on the new Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) Hospital,” said MetroPlusHealth President and CEO Dr. Talya Schwartz. “The new state-of-the-art health care complex is a beautiful honor to the late RBG, which will provide critical services to the South Brooklyn community and beyond. RBG’s fight for women’s rights and health equity will be remembered for generations to come.”
“It is an honor to receive Justice Ginsburg’s statue by artists Gillie and Marc into the Arts in Medicine collection at NYC Health + Hospitals,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Director of Arts in Medicine Larissa Trinder. “This gift from City Point illustrates her advocacy for equal rights and aligns with our mission to serve all regardless of circumstance or background. This enduring statement through public art will be a lasting commentary on the importance of the continued fight for human rights for all.”
“South Brooklyn will soon have the state-of-the-art hospital it needs and deserves,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Andrew Kimball. “Named after a true Brooklynite who fought for equality and justice, the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital will offer critical, lifesaving health care services to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. NYCEDC is proud to manage the hospital’s construction and work closely with NYC Health + Hospitals, the elected officials, and community members to deliver a world-class hospital they can be proud of.”
“The values underlying Justice Ginsburg’s dedication to equal rights align with NYC Health + Hospitals’ service to all regardless of circumstances or background,” said Paul Travis, Founder and Managing Partner of Washington Square Partners and Partner of City Point, a 1.8 million square foot mixed use development located in Downtown Brooklyn. “Three years ago, when City Point decided to acquire Gillie and Marc’s bronze statue, we could not have envisioned a more perfect home for its permanent installation. We are proud to contribute to our community as we enter a new era of health care service.”
“I am so glad to be celebrating the completion and future opening of the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital, built with the federal funding I helped secure after Hurricane Sandy,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. “This hospital, which is right where I grew up, and was where my mother-in-law worked, is near and dear to my heart. By delivering nearly $1 billion through FEMA for this hospital campus renovation, nearly 1 million New Yorkers who live in the South Brooklyn community will have access to state-of-the-art facilities. By carrying the name of my former neighbor and fellow alum of James Madison High School – the late, great Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg – NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health will continue her legacy of lifting up those without by providing the highest quality and accessible health care for years to come.”
“I commend NYC Health + Hospitals for its continued commitment to providing quality health care for all New Yorkers by naming its latest addition after one of the biggest champions for justice and equality. As the first new public hospital in New York City since 1982, the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital will provide Brooklyn residents with state-of-the-art health care services and facilities,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “Much like the Brooklyn icon for whom it is named, the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital will serve to help our most underserved communities and the borough at large, providing top-flight, world-class care to those in need. I look forward to seeing the opening of the hospital and the many benefits it will provide to the South Brooklyn community.”
“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of Brooklyn’s favorite daughters,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. “She was a giant of the Supreme Court who fought tirelessly for equal treatment and justice under the law. It is fitting that this hospital and wellness center will stand in her honor, and I look forward to celebrating her life and legacy with the South Brooklyn community very soon.”
“NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health is a beacon for unparalleled high-quality and compassionate health care,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis. “As the first new public hospital in New York City in 40 years, the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital will provide South Brooklyn residents with easy access to exceptional health and wellness services for generations to come. Congratulations to all on this achievement and I am proud to have played a role in ensuring our community continues to receive patient-centered care by securing $2 million in federal funding for this hospital this year’s federal budget.”
“NYC Health + Hospital/South Brooklyn Health’s new campus is not only a huge win for our Coney Island community, but for the thousands of others in nearby neighborhoods,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “Brooklyn’s health has been a top priority of mine, specifically maternal health, and it has been a privilege working with our borough’s public hospitals – like South Brooklyn Health – to ensure that renovated and redesigned birthing facilities will be part of this new chapter in Brooklyn’s healthcare. I’m so grateful for the dedicated leaders, medical experts, and hospital staff who will ensure these state-of-the-art, lifesaving services reach each and every one of our neighbors.”
“Throughout our history, reinvention has always been an important part of growth. This is true for people, for communities, for nations, and for institutions like Coney Island Hospital,” said Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Brooklyn). “Today’s celebration builds upon this hospital’s long history and many strengths to embrace the exciting promise of 21st century medicine. It is exciting that everyone in southern Brooklyn and across our borough, people of all ages, will be able to come to the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital and Health and Wellness Institute to receive accessible, state-of-the-art care for a wide variety of their health care needs.”
“I am delighted to join in the celebration of the opening of the first new public hospital in our city in 40 years,” said Council Member Mercedes Narcisse. “This facility will serve the totality of the community’s healthcare needs, improve the quality of care delivered in the area, while positively addressing healthcare disparities which exist in our borough. The future of healthcare in south Brooklyn is much brighter given the opening of the state-of-the-art Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital.”
“Pleased to offer my congratulations on the newly transformed critical services structure building in my district, which will serve patients and meet the needs of our community for many years to come. Please accept my best wishes in celebrating the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital and Health Wellness Institute,” said Council Member Inna Vernikov.
“This has been a long-awaited day for the South Brooklyn community,” said Rosanne DeGennaro, Chair of South Brooklyn Health’s Community Advisory Board. “As a patient at South Brooklyn Health and a community leader, I am proud of the hospital and excited for what will be a bright future ahead.”
