Rockaway trauma center goes mostly unfunded in city budget
Capital funding for a new trauma center on the Rockaway peninsula was left out of the city’s $126 billion budget passed by the City Council Tuesday, despite growing calls from the community to finance the project in the isolated area in Queens.
The Fiscal Year 27 budget, which was passed by a vote of 45-6, includes $10 million for the project out of Speaker Julie Menin’s budget, but does not include any capital funding from the city. Without the city money, locals say they still need about $140 million to start construction on what they say is a much-needed hospital where those suffering major traumas, like gunshot wounds or drownings, can be treated.
Far Rockaway Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers, the main legislator behind the trauma center push, voted yes on the budget but criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his administration for not including funding for the plan.
“My community faces longstanding health and infrastructure challenges,” Brooks-Powers said. “Just four days ago, the…