______________
UNIONDALE _____________
HERALD BEACON
Celebrate Juneteenth
Come join the Rotary
Hang out with the Kiwanians
Page 4
Page 5
Page 16
JUNE 15 - 21, 2023
FREE
A woman leads Uniondale F.D. Jessica Ellerbe aims to inspire girls By BRANDON CRUZ bcruz@liherald.com
Lisa Combs/Herald
Father-son time Uniondale held its first ComeInUnity since 2019 last Saturday. Jaylen Jean Pierre, 2, and his father, Chris Jean Pierre, had a ball at the event. Story, more photos, Page 3.
Uniondale is paving the way forward with the appointment of the county’s first woman fire chief, Jessica Ellerbe, who was sworn in in April. Ellerbe’s achievement is a significant barrier breaker not just for women, but especially for Black women, who, according to the Pew Research Center, experience significantly more discrimination than white women in most careers. Her election not only highlights her exceptional capabilities, but also serves as a powerful symbol of progress. Born and raised in Uniondale, Ellerbe says she was inspired to pursue a career in civil service by her father, Uniondale fire-
fighter Leonard Ellerbe. At age 13 she joined the junior firefighters, and eventually graduated and joined the department’s Company Guard. “When I finally turned 13, I loved it,” Jessica said. “My dad was the adviser for the juniors, and it was the coolest thing ever. I just knew this was something that I wanted to do.” She credits her father for helping mold her into the passionate and hardworking firefighter and chief she became. He encouraged her to seriously consider a career in civil service and doing what she loved to do, she said, rather than getting a regular job just to survive. Ellerbe recognized the chiefs Continued on page 10
Proposed NYU Langone Hub hospital raises concerns By REINE BETHANY rbethany@liherald.com
Experts have raised concerns that Nassau University Medical Center could feel the financial effects if NYU Langone builds a $3 billion, privately funded hospital complex on the grounds of Nassau Community College. From its beginnings in 1935 as Meadowbrook Hospital, NUMC has been Nassau County’s only public hospital, funded by taxpayer dollars and expected to treat all patients, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced the pro-
posal for the new hospital two days after the county voted to give the lease for the 72-acre Hub development to Las Vegas Sands, which plans to build an integrated resort that would include a large casino. NUMC is two and a half miles from the NCC campus and the Hub. Blakeman’s announcement did not mention it. Nurse practitioner Theudia Chambers lives in Uniondale and works for NUMC. She made it clear that she was not speaking as a representative for her employer, but her reaction to Blakeman’s words was blunt. “We already have a medical facility six to eight minutes from
N
UMC is a critical link in our regional matrix. SIElA BYNOE
Nassau County Legislator the development site,” Chambers said. “What is the need for an NYU Langone development on NCC property?” She noted that NUMC is a teaching hospital with a Level 1 trauma center, airlift capability, a renowned burn unit that treats Nassau County firefighters, and
the capacity to handle mass casualties. When Hofstra University hosted a presidential debate in 2012, NUMC was the hospital designated to treat then President Barack Obama if he needed medical services. “So how is it good enough for the president, but not good enough for Blakeman to support?” Chambers said.
She added that she believed the proportion of less-insured patients coming to NUMC for treatment might increase if a new NYU Langone facility were built — which could take five years. “Underinsured and uninsured come here, including undocumented immigrants in Continued on page 10