LIJ Forest Hills Workers Get $2,500 Bonus Amid Coronavirus Crisis

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Workers at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital will receive $2,500 bonuses and a paid week off, in recognition of their efforts responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Northwell Health, which runs LIJ Forest Hills and 22 other hospitals across the state, will award the lump-sum payments and extra paid time off to an estimated 45,000 employees, according to an announcement Monday.

Nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists, environmental services workers, housekeepers and "other unsung heroes" are among those eligible for the benefits.

"Our dedicated staff’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been nothing short of heroic," Northwell President and CEO Michael Dowling said. “As an organization, we want to continue to support, motivate and inspire our team members. We celebrate their wins, recognize their heroic work and amplify the outpouring of community support they are receiving for their courageous actions."

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NewYork-Presbyterian and Mount Sinai have also offered bonuses to some health care workers, and the city's public hospital system may provide bonus pay to front-line workers, according to the New York Post.

Since the outbreak of the new coronavirus hit New York in early March, Northwell hospitals have treated and discharged more than 6,100 patients, according to a news release. More than 2,600 are still hospitalized.

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