BlackDoctor.Org Names NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem as One of the Best Hospitals for Black America
Harlem Hospital is one of 76 hospitals named to the list
Feb 24, 2025
NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem today announced it was recognized as one of the 2025 Best Hospitals for Black America by national leader in Black health and wellness, BlackDoctor.org (BDO). Harlem Hospital is one of 76 hospitals to receive the prestigious distinction, which recognizes hospitals that provide exceptional care to Black patients, an achievement of significance in today’s healthcare landscape. For the first time, this year BDO asked 1,000 US Black doctors one important question as part of the selection criteria: “Which hospitals do you trust most with providing quality and equitable care for your family members?” Harlem Hospital was formally recognized during an awards ceremony and symposium last month. According to BDO, the 2025 Best Hospitals for Black America list will play a fundamental role in driving further conversations on how to eliminate healthcare disparities that continue to disproportionately impact Black patients. The full list of those awarded can be viewed here.
Advisory board members, who are not employed by BlackDoctor.org, reviewed the selection criteria and made recommendations for the award winners. The selection criteria for the nominations include the following:
- Feedback from the nation of Black doctors who recommended hospitals they trust to provide care for their families
- Quality of Care and Patient Satisfaction Scores
- Representation of persons of color and women in senior leadership roles
- Initiatives that positively impact urban communities
- Supplier diversity and procurement margins
- Commitment to equitable care for the Black community
- Presence of a Chief Equity/Diversity Officer within the organization
“Thank you to BlackDoctor.org for this esteemed honor,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem Chief Executive Officer Georges H. Leconte, MPA, FAB. “We are deeply committed to offering the highest standard of patient care to our community. Knowing that a wide range of services is delivered by our best-in-class, world-renowned providers and efficient clinical teams who prioritize compassionate, patient-centered care, assures me that we are continually doing everything in our power to maintain the trust of our patients. All patients deserve to receive consistent, exceptional, and high-quality care, and we are proud to provide that to our community here at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem.”
“I am certain that having the majority of our doctors representing the population we serve leads to the best patient care and outcomes,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem Chief Medical Officer Maurice Wright, MD, FACP. “We recognize the relevance of adjusting care models to meet the needs of our population. These care models focus on decreasing the risks of complications from chronic diseases, thereby enhancing the quality of life. We are proud to be one of the best hospitals to do so.”
“We are honored to be recognized as one of the 2025 Best Hospitals for Black America by BlackDoctor.org,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem Chief Nursing Officer Esteen Ladson Barnes, DNP, MPA, RN, CCRN, NEA-BC. “This distinction reflects our commitment to delivering compassionate, high-quality, and equitable care, inspiring us to continue advancing health equity for our community.”
“It’s no longer enough to have DE&I measures alone within our health systems, as it’s getting confusing, so BlackDoctor.org cut to chase this year and got personal with Black doctors to ask them who they trust most to care for their families,” said BlackDoctor.org CEO Reggie Ware. “This is an historic moment for our country and our organization, and we plan to support sharing hospitals’ best practices, so care improves overall in the US for the Black community.” Ware adds, “The disparities in healthcare that affect Black communities are well-documented, and it is imperative to identify and promote hospitals that are making substantial strides in addressing these issues. By highlighting these institutions, we can guide patients to facilities where they are more likely to receive more compassionate and effective care.”
“BDO continues to deliver on the promise to make every Black family as healthy as possible with our 2025 Best Hospitals for Black America listing,” said BlackDoctor.org Chief Marketing Officer Derrick Lane. “As a nation, the importance of recognizing hospitals that deliver exemplary care to Black families address a critical need in our healthcare system: ensuring Black patients receive equitable, high-quality care in hospitals with positive outcomes.”
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MEDIA CONTACT: Philip D. Cooke and Jeanette N. McGill, NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, 212-939-1372
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About NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem
NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem is a 268-bed hospital that provides a broad array of preventive, primary and acute care services including general medicine and medical subspecialties, general surgery and surgical subspecialties, infectious diseases, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and neonatology, critical care, imaging, radiology and nuclear medicine, rehabilitation medicine, psychiatry and substance abuse services, dental and oral surgery, physical, speech and occupational therapies. They are an Area-Wide Burn Center and Level II Trauma, with Centers of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery, Breast Imaging and Sexual Assault Forensics, a designated Stroke and AIDS Center, a World Health Organization’s UNICEF Designated Baby Friendly. For more information, visit https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/harlem.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About BlackDoctor.org
BlackDoctor.org (BDO) – in its 20th year in 2025 – has a mission to make every Black family to be as healthy as possible and overcome health inequality by building trusted connections between Black patients and the Healthcare System. BDO is the largest and most trusted health platform for Black consumers with more than 6 million monthly website visitors and more than 17,000 culturally relevant articles and videos. BDOs most popular health tools are the BlackDoctor Search and the BlackDoctor Chatbot, an AI tool that provides culturally relevant answers to BDO users.
