Rockaway
JOURNAL Since 1883
www.liherald.com
FEBRUARY 19 - 25, 2026
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EHS receives $150K Mother Cabrini grant Episcopal Health Services has received a $150,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to continue providing free, individualized and culturally responsive support to pregnant women of color in the Rockaways. The money will support a maternal health initiative aimed at reducing disparities in pregnancy outcomes in historically marginalized communities by addressing social, economic and environmental factors that influence maternal and infant health. Through the program, EHS plans to provide comprehensive support services to 120 participants, regardless of gestational age. Participants receive individualized care plans tailored to their medical, social and emotional needs, with a focus on continuity of care, culturally competent engagement and community-based support. Health officials say those components are key to improving maternal health outcomes and strengthening family stability. “This grant allows us to advance our commitment to mothers who face disproportionate risks during pregnancy,” Dr. Jacqueline M. Marecheau, chairwoman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at EHS said in a news release. “By addressing not only clinical needs but also the social conditions that influence health, we are creating a more equitable system of care for families on the Rockaway Peninsula and surrounding communities.” This marks the fourth grant Episcopal Health Services has received from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. Previous funding helped establish and expand maternal health programming, including St. John’s Episcopal Hospital’s doula program, which provides additional support to expectant mothers before, during and after childbirth. “Our grantee partners are navigating an incredibly challenging landscape, and yet their commitment to serving their communities continues to deepen,” Gregory Mustaciuolo, CEO of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation wrote in the release. “These grants demonstrate our resolve to stand with them by addressing urgent needs today, while strengthening the systems and workforce that will support New Yorkers’ health for years to come.”
Courtesy Episcopal Health Services
Jacqueline M. Marecheau, chairwoman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Episcopal Health Services. Hospital officials said the Maternal Social Determinants of Health Program is part of a broader effort by Episcopal Health Services to expand women’s health services in the Rockaways and strengthen its role as a regional hub for comprehensive care. EHS Certified for Excellence What distinguishes Planetree Certification among other health care quality awards is its distinctive focus on personcentered care, defined as a model of
care delivery in which health care professionals partner with patients and families to identify and satisfy the full range of patient needs and preferences. Performance improvement on traditional quality indicators, review of policy documents and, most importantly, how patients and staff assess the organization's person-centered culture are the judged criteria. Silver Certification was awarded
to EHS after a series of focus groups with patients and their loved ones, as well as staff from a multitude of disciplines and divisions within the organization. Considered collectively, these discussions with patients and staff attested to a genuine culture of personcentered care. "The experience of EHS shows what can be accomplished when a team of deeply committed, supremely innovative and highly-driven caregivers take the courageous leap to re-define priorities and re-organize systems to put patients first," Michael Giuliano, president of Planetree International, said in a news release. "Planetree Silver redesignation confirms that person-centered care has remained a foundational operating principle at EHS," Dr. Donald Morrish, CEO of Episcopal Health Services said in the release. "Through periods of transformation, investment and growth, our physicians, nurses and team members have sustained care that is clinically strong, operationally sound, and defined by dignity, respect and partnership with every patient." The criteria that EHS satisfied to achieve Planetree Silver Certification reflect what patients, residents, family members and healthcare professionals in hundreds of focus groups say matters most to them during a healthcare experience. "This redesignation demonstrates that the patient and family voices continue to be systematically integrated into how care is delivered at EHS," said Edison Bond Jr., EHS’s chief patient experience officer said in the release. "From how feedback is collected and analyzed to how teams communicate and make care decisions, we have built processes that keep the experience aligned with what matters most to patients and families." –Melissa Berman