Councilman Mathieu Eugene (D—East Flatbush) presented a check of $1.4 million to Kings County Hospital earlier this month. The hospital was awarded the money by the city council to purchase the latest modernized equipment for patients.
With the money, the hospital will get more medical equipment such as surgery tables, x-ray machines, monitors, and other tools contributory to healthcare, said the councilman.
“They’re going to get very important materials and instruments that they need to provide the best care possible,” said Eugene.
The additional and state-of-the-art machinery the hospital will purchase is especially important in the wake of a lot of hospital closures in recent years, he said. The councilman said that many of the closures were partly due to the monetary expenses that hospitals were unable to meet, and by supporting Kings County he is helping to prevent this.
“Hospitals face many economic challenges and a lot of hospitals have closed,” said Eugene. “All of those closures are because of financial challenges and we know that a hospital like Kings County is a great institution that provides medical care to people in my district and beyond.”
The new machinery at the hospital will not only save patients locally, but also save them costly and lengthy trips into the city, he said. A year ago when Kings County purchased the cancer cell killing machine, the Linear Accelerator (LINAC), it gave cancer patients the ability to seek care in Brooklyn.
“Before when people were suffering from cancer, they had to go to Manhattan to get treatment, but because of money provided to the hospital, they were able to purchase the most sophisticated and advanced machine to treat cancer — that puts Kings County at the forefront in leadership in treating cancer and patients don’t have to go to Manhattan,” he said.
Eugene said he was always a passionate champion of healthcare, and he will continue to push for medical necessities for his constituents.
“It’s very important that as a city council member I do everything within my resources to get everyone the best access required, to continue to save lives of people in Brooklyn,” he said. “Health is my top priority — we want to give doctors and nurses the equipment they need to save lives.”
