NYC Health + Hospitals Cuts the Ribbon on a New Neighborhood Clinic in Bedford-Stuyvesant
Expanding Access to Community-Based Primary Care in an Underserved Community
Aug 21, 2018
NYC Health + Hospitals held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to announce the opening of a new neighborhood clinic in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Funded by a $3.1 million capital investment through Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Caring Neighborhoods Initiative, the NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health neighborhood clinic is the latest addition to the public health system’s transformation, expanding access to community-based ambulatory care, especially in underserved neighborhoods.
The NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health site is initially offering pediatric care. Additional services will be added, including adult primary care and women’s health services starting in mid-September.
Located at 485 Throop Avenue, the neighborhood clinic is expected to serve nearly 3,000 patient visits in the first year, growing to more than 15,000 annual visits over time, as staffing grows to accommodate the anticipated patient demand. The clinic includes six exam rooms and a welcoming décor intended to help patients who may not be feeling their best to feel a little better.
“With this new neighborhood clinic, we are opening the door to better care for residents here in Bed-Stuy,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Herminia Palacio. “The clinic is part of this administration’s promise to expand community-based care by equitably serving neighborhoods across New York City. I look forward to seeing how our coordinated, multi-agency efforts will continue to create a healthier community.”
The neighborhood clinic is a co-located partner with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. “Discussions are underway about how we can work together to pursue public health priorities for the benefit of our patients,” said Theodore G. Long, MD, MHS, vice president for ambulatory care at NYC Health + Hospitals. “As a primary care physician, I am especially excited by the opportunity to be a collaborative partner with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.”
“I’m pleased to be a part of the opening of this brand-new neighborhood clinic,” said Stephanie Rose, MD, one of the pediatricians who will serve at this location. “The patients we are seeing love this new space and are pleased to have access to care right here in their community. It’s a good feeling to know we are addressing such an unmet need.”
“Expanding comprehensive health care services is critical for an underserved neighborhood like Bedford-Stuyvesant, which has endured decades of economic and social disadvantage,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams. “I applaud NYC Health + Hospitals for opening a new clinic in the heart of this community to serve local residents and their diverse health needs, including primary care, pediatric care, and women’s health services.”
“Mayor de Blasio’s Caring Neighborhoods Initiative set out to bring accessible and affordable primary care services to families who are in desperate need of basic health care, and this investment is living proof of that mission,” said New York City Council Member Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. “I commend the Mayor and NYC Health + Hospitals for taking this important step toward more fully addressing the health care needs of ALL New Yorkers.”
Launched in October 2015, Mayor de Blasio’s Caring Neighborhoods Initiative is a program to significantly increase primary care access for thousands of residents in underserved neighborhoods across New York City. Spearheaded by NYC Health + Hospitals and the New York City Economic Development Corporation, Caring Neighborhoods builds primary care capacity in neighborhoods where over a million New Yorkers have faced limited options for convenient and affordable health care services. This opening brings to fruition the initiative’s final investment, which has proven an effective catalyst for the expansion of health care services in New York. Six neighborhood clinics have been opened or remodeled thanks to this initiative.
The just-opened Brooklyn neighborhood clinic is currently seeing pediatric patients on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Over time, office hours will expand, including planned evening and Saturday hours. The center’s patients will also have 24-hour phone access to clinical advice. To make an appointment, patients can call 1-844-NYC-4NYC (1-844-692-4692).