Dear Editor,
I am the chief executive officer of Brooklyn Plaza Medical Center (BPMC), located in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. I’ve read with great interest Christopher Edwards’ well-written article regarding the event in July, which honored Dr. Josephine English by naming President Street at the corner of New York Avenue, “The English Way.”
I attended the event, along with BPMC’s Practice Administrator Donna Hayes, on behalf of BPMC. Indeed, I first met BPMC while practicing as a young attorney serving not-for-profit community-based organizations almost three decades ago.
Dr. English’s accomplishments and legacy are immeasurably profound and vast. Your article indeed captures examples of prominence. Yet, there is even more, if you can imagine as much. Indeed, a description of Dr. English’s many accomplishments and her legacy would not be complete without reference to BPMC itself. BPMC is the successor to an organization that Dr. English established almost 50 years ago, in 1978, which was named “Health Is a Right for Everyone,” or “HIRE.” In 1989, HIRE changed its corporate name to Brooklyn Plaza Medical Center, and relocated to 650 Fulton St., where BPMC has resided ever since. In fact, we are proud that Dr. English’s image is prominently displayed in a mural that adorns our building.
Dr. English established HIRE almost 50 years ago out of concern for the medically underserved and the health care disparities that existed at the time. Those very conditions remain despite the passage of time, and we, BPMC, are proud to carry out Dr. English’s mission and vision to this very day. In sum, BPMC would not exist but for the efforts of our matriarch, Dr. English.
In conclusion, it was with divine intervention that the street naming event occurred within two blocks of our new 24,000-square-foot medical facility, located on President Street at the corner of Bedford Avenue, which is scheduled to commence operations towards the end of this year. BPMC’s arrival in such proximity surely demonstrates how Dr. English’s legacy has come full circle.
Philip J. Onorato, Esq., is the chief executive officer of Brooklyn Plaza Medical Center.
