A ribbon-cutting celebration was held Feb. 25 for the opening of a spacious new facility for the greatly expanded New York Eye and Ear Infirmary Ear Institute on E. 14th St. at Second Ave. At the ceremony, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer presented Infirmary C.E.O. and President D. McWilliams Kessler with a proclamation declaring “New York Eye and Ear Infirmary Ear Institute Day.” The facility combines ear specialty services from The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, Beth Israel Medical Center and The Children’s Hearing Institute. Above, from left, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer; City Councilmember Robert Jackson; Dr. Jane Madell, director of the Hearing and Learning Center; Congressmember Carolyn Maloney; D. McWilliams Kessler, the infirmary’s president; Leonard Boxer, a Children’s Hearing Institute trustee; Dr. Max Gomez, WCBS-TV health reporter; and Jenn Zappola, Radio Disney deejay, joined children of all ages who had their hearing successfully restored with cochlear implants in cutting the ribbon. Hearing loss is America’s number-one birth defect and is a rapidly growing health impairment affecting people of all ages. The $2.7 million renovation, which encompasses 15,150 square feet and the entire ninth floor of 380 Second Ave., will provide care to approximately 15,000 patients annually. For children, the institute is distinguished, in particular, for its extensive Educator Liaison Program dedicated to assisting children with cochlear implants, hearing aids or both to succeed in mainstream schools. The program serves more than 1,000 children a year in more than 100 schools. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary is the oldest specialty hospital in the Western Hemisphere.
