NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health Opens First of Three COVID-19 Centers of Excellence
COVID-19 Centers of Excellence will provide comprehensive short- and long-term care to support recovering COVID-19 patients. Site designed to meet the needs of patients recovering from COVID-19, including specialized services as such pulmonary and cardiology care, and mental health services
Nov 24, 2020
Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health today opened the first of three Community Health Centers of Excellence throughout the city. The new community health clinic located in Tremont, Bronx will support recovering COVID-19 patients beginning on Monday, November 30.
“It is no coincidence that communities of color hit-hardest by this pandemic are the very same communities without adequate access to high-quality health care,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray. “The opening of the Tremont COVID-19 Center of Excellence is a necessary step in an inclusive recovery to ensure Bronx residents get the comprehensive care they need and deserve from their city for years to come.”
“The road to recovery for some COVID-19 survivors will unfortunately be a long one, but NYC Health + Hospitals has invested in medical homes for these New Yorkers and we pledge to stand by your side and help address any lasting health impacts from this virus,” said President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals Mitchell Katz, MD. “Beyond our ongoing COVID-recovery, our new Tremont site will also provide this community critical preventative health services, ensuring everyone has access to the care needed to continue to fight against the threats of this pandemic.”
“Working with NYC Health + Hospitals, DDC was able to redesign this center to provide care for COVID patients and then finish the main construction in four months,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Lorraine Grillo. “Since March, under emergency construction rules, DDC has also built field hospitals, COVID testing sites and mobile testing trucks and has upgraded several Department of Health laboratories. I’d like to thank our team, which remains prepared to take on whatever construction the City needs to get through the pandemic.”
The new Center of Excellence site, located at 1920 Webster Avenue in the Bronx, is designed to meet the unique needs of patients recovering from COVID-19, including specialized services like pulmonary and cardiology care, radiology and diagnostic services, mental health services, and on-site access to medication.
The site will also offer comprehensive primary care health services for Bronxnites, including cancer screenings, dental and vision care, diabetes management, podiatry, pediatrics care, and much more. In June 2020, Mayor de Blasio and the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity announced the opening of three COVID-19 Centers of Excellence in communities of color that have been hardest-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, Bushwick, Jackson Heights, and Tremont. Construction of all three sites has been managed by the NYC Department of Design and Construction.
“Our new Centers of Excellence further prove our commitment to fighting every inch of this virus, from testing to intensive care, and the long-term recovery that many survivors will require,” said Senior Vice President for Ambulatory Care at NYC Health + Hospitals Ted Long, MD, MHS. “The Tremont section of the Bronx was one of our communities that was hardest hit from the COVID-19 pandemic. We are prepared to be right alongside our patients for everything they will need – physical and emotional – for the duration of their recovery.”
“I’m proud that we are able to offer comprehensive, high quality care to our community, especially those that have suffered the effects of COVID-19” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health CEO Michelle Lewis. “This new, state-of-the art Community Health Center of Excellence demonstrates that we are here to support the healthcare needs of our patients and fellow New Yorkers for the duration of their recovery and beyond.”
Patients can be referred to the Tremont COVID-19 Center of Excellence after a hospital visit or through their primary care provider to receive short- and long-term care to address their recovery from COVID-19. Positive COVID-19 test results, antibody or not, are not required to receive care at this site.
COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on communities of color, with Black and Latino New Yorkers dying around twice the rate of their white counterparts when adjusted for age. According to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, in sections of Jackson Heights, Queens, approximately 37 percent of people who have been tested for COVID-19 have been positive for the virus. This is also true for approximately 30 percent of people in the Tremont section of the Bronx, and 25 percent of people in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
“These COVID-19 Centers of Excellence will provide New Yorkers in underserved communities who have survived COVID-19 and are dealing with its physical and mental aftermath the short- and long-term care they need to ensure their successful recovery,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera, Chairman of the Senate Health Committee. “This pandemic has unearthed the profound health disparities faced by communities such as the ones I represent and it is encouraging that our City’s administration is allocating these essential resources and services where they are desperately needed.”
“In the last few months we’ve begun to truly understand how COVID-19 can drastically impact the long term health of patients recovering from the virus. We cannot disregard the heightened health risks recovering COVID patients face, and I am proud to see that NYC Health + Hospitals is taking this seriously with the opening of these new Centers of Excellence. These centers will ensure that New Yorkers recovering from COVID have access to short-term and long-term care they need, and I look forward to working further with NYC Health + Hospitals to address the long-term challenges COVID-19 has revealed in our City’s healthcare system,” said Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, Chair of the Committee on Hospital.
“The COVID-19 pandemic hit our borough very hard, and centers like this will play a key role in providing care and services to The Bronx community, and to our residents recovering from COVID-19,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “I want to thank Dr. Mitchell Katz of NYC Health + Hospitals, the Mayor’s Office, and all the healthcare workers that will be on the frontline treating patients in The Bronx.”
“My district was devastated by the Coronavirus in this previous year, and unfortunately with the numbers rising again throughout both my community and all of New York, any support is critical for my neighbors. The Tremont COVID-19 Center of Excellence will hopefully provide this much-needed care,” said Assembly Member Victor M. Pichardo. “I want to thank Mayor Bill de Blasio, Dr. Mitchell Katz, and all the incredible staff and medical professionals from NYC Health + Hospitals for bringing this center to my community, and for the crucial support it will provide.”
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Tremont will be open:
- Monday, 8:30AM-7:00PM
- Tuesday, 8:30AM-5:00PM
- Wednesday, 8:30AM-7:00PM
- Thursday, 8:30AM-7:00PM
- Friday, 8:30AM-5:00PM
- Saturday, 8:30AM-4:00PM
Visit /covid-19-center-of-excellence/ to learn more about NYC Health + Hospitals’ COVID Centers of Excellence, or call 844-NYC-4NYC to make an appointment.