On Friday, July 24th, the staff of One Brooklyn Health (OBH) held a Plaque Dedication and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony to honor the legacy of the late Dr. Patricia O’Neill, former head of the trauma unit at Brookdale Hospital Medical Center (BHMC).
The ceremony took place in the newly renovated Trauma Bay at 1 Brookdale Plaza and was attended by OBH leadership including Chief Executive Officer Dr. Sandra Scott, who spoke about the vision she and O’Neill had for a state-of-the-art trauma bay, someday, that would have the best possible environment for healing. “And today is that day,” Scott announced. “While I would much prefer to have her standing here with me, it is my honor and my pleasure to have her family here. I want you to know that her footprints and her fingerprints are on every aspect of this trauma bay, and we’re going to live up to her expectations and continue to deliver the highest quality of care possible,” she added.
O’Neill, whose medical career began as a nurse caring for patients at their bedside, was hailed by OBH leadership and former colleagues at BHMC as a pioneer after she became a physician, then a surgeon and later a trauma surgeon “who played a pivotal role in advancing trauma care, mentoring future surgeons and strengthening emergency services for the Central Brooklyn community.”
“She truly broke many glass ceilings,” BHMC’s Chief of Surgery Dr. Kavi Kothuru announced. “This dedication is so meaningful. This plaque is going to be a monument and daily reminder to the entire team here on how to carry her dedication, her empathy, her surgical skills to our injured patients every single day,” he stated.
Several elected officials including Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, Councilwoman Mercedes Narcisse and Councilman Chris Banks, as well as a representative from State Senator Roxanne Persaud’s office, also attended the ceremony. They gave brief remarks praising O’Neill, a visionary who, unfortunately, did not live to see her dream of a state-of-the-art trauma bay in a medically underserved area in Brooklyn realized.
“High-quality affordable healthcare should be a right available to everyone, and this trauma bay will help bring that right to life in Brownsville, in East New York and in East Flatbush,” Jeffries asserted as he lauded O’Neill’s innovation and expressed gratitude for “the incredibly compassionate, comprehensive and caring service that she provided.”
The congressman also thanked O’Neill’s family, several who are also in the medical field, for their presence and commitment “to carrying out the spirit of service that she provided to the people of this community, consistent with the notion that we believe that in this country, access to high quality and affordable healthcare can’t simply be of privilege, available only to the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected,” Jeffries stressed.
“Just hearing that this was her vision makes us filled with so much love and pride,” O’Neill’s niece, Erin O’Hanlon, who was accompanied by her cousins Megan Mulholland, Shannon Gulbin and Laura Schneider, told the Canarsie Courier. “We’re truly honored by this and so happy to be included,” Ann Schneider, O’Neill’s twin sister, added.
