Clinic Supporting Bayside Kids Who Use Wheelchairs Gets $10K Boost

QUEENS, NY — Bayside kids who use wheelchairs will soon be able to get extra support from a local hospital thanks to a generous donation.

St. Mary's Hospital for Children, a local hospital that specializes in caring for kids with complex medical conditions and disabilities, received a $10,000 donation from The Provident Bank Foundation in support of its wheelchair clinic, the hospital announced Thursday.

Launched last month, the clinic aims to help children who use wheelchairs and other seating devices through personalized evaluations in and around Bayside.

Like many of its award-winning services, St. Mary's wheelchair clinic is costly, and this grant will help expand the program's reach, hospital officials said.

"At St. Mary’s, we’re always exploring new ways to bring our facility’s programs and services into the community," Dan Devine, St. Mary's director of institutional gifts, said in a statement.

"With this grant from The Provident Bank Foundation, our wheelchair clinicians will be able to change the lives of kids in communities such as Bayside, Astoria, and many more."

Through the wheelchair program, a hospital clinician will meet with a child one-on-one and adjust their seating to ensure maximum comfort and help prevent some seating-related negative health outcomes, the hospital said.

Samantha Plotino, executive director of The Provident Bank Foundation, said the wheelchair clinic helps to "strengthen the lives of residents in our communities."

"We will continue to provide support to these important organizations that have identified an immediate need in the community and for the individuals they serve," she said of the foundation.

St. Mary's, which is located on 216th Street near Crocheron Park, offers programs for children with all kinds of severe injuries and medical conditions, including the state's sole medical day care program for young adults with disabilities.

Many of the hospital's patients cannot receive the support they need elsewhere, and are only able to access the hospital's services — which often exceed the cost of what families are able to afford — with the help of generous donations.