NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility Celebrates its 10 Year Anniversary Serving Medically Complex New Yorkers
Over the last 10 years, Carter has met the needs of more than 1,000 medically complex New Yorkers who require specialized therapeutic support, rehabilitation, and other post-acute care services to improve their quality of life
Nov 30, 2023
New York, NY — NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter today celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Long-term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH) and Nursing Facility based in East Harlem. Over the last 10 years, Carter has met the needs of more than 1,000 medically complex New Yorkers who require specialized therapeutic support, rehabilitation, and other post-acute care services to improve their quality of life. The facility is named in honor of Wheelchair Charities, Inc. Founder, Henry “Hank” J. Carter, who has devoted over 50 years to supporting New Yorkers with disabilities, contributing more than $25 million in donations to NYC Health + Hospitals. NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter has a 5-star rating from the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, ranked #6 in Newsweek’s 2024 Best Nursing Homes in New York State; and was one of US News & World Report’s 2024 Best Nursing Homes for Short-Term Rehabilitation.
“It’s remarkable to see what can happen in just 10 years when you foster great partnership, nurture shared vision, and build on longstanding legacy,” said Carter CEO Floyd Long. “Congratulations to the Carter team, not only for their compassionate care delivery, but for creating a strong sense of community connection among its patients and residents; reflective of the [Hank] Carter legacy.”
“It has been an incredible decade, and I vividly remember the cold winter day we carefully and successfully moved the patients and residents from Goldwater to their new home in Harlem” said Wheelchair Charities CEO Henry (Hank) J. Carter. “I was very honored that the hospital was named after me. But a name is just a name, and the credit for this wonderful facility goes to God and to the caring hospital staff. The soul of the hospital is the dedicated staff who give their all, and do their very best each and every day to bring comfort and healing to the patients and residents.
Among Carter’s array of specialty services, the Ventilator Weaning Program has demonstrated significant success in weaning hundreds of patients from their dependence on ventilators, many of whom were considered “unweanable”. An expert team of doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists are responsible for managing these complex patients, many of whom have been on ventilators for prolonged periods of time and struggle with multiple chronic diseases. To date, Carter’s Long-Term Acute Care Hospital consistently helps more patients who need prolonged mechanical ventilation to be weaned off the ventilator with a 72% success rate, higher than the industry average of 50%.
“In our shared commitment to the City’s public health mission, I am proud of the amazing work by NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter to deliver on its promise to provide highly-specialized, short and long-term care to all New Yorkers regardless of how medically-complex the need,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President of Post-Acute Care Dr. Khoi Luong.
“As Chair of the Senate Committee on Aging, and as a fierce advocate for the continued health, safety, and longevity of community, I applaud the tremendous and life-changing work of the Henry J. Carter Specialty Hospital,” said New York State Senator Cordell Cleare. “When injury and illness occur in our lives and the lives of our families, the road to recovery can be long and hard to navigate, at times. The services provided by the amazing staff at the Carter Hospital for Specialty and Long-term Acute Care go the distance in making the journey to healing that much easier.”
This 400,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility offers residents and patients the most technologically advanced care available. Carter is designed to provide on-site specialized clinical support around the clock — an offering that distinguishes it from other long-term care settings that often require a patient to transfer to an outside facility when medical needs escalate. Hundreds of Carter staff are committed to providing a person-centered care approach to maximize independence, quality care, safety and patient-resident satisfaction.
“I am so proud that New Yorkers are choosing to receive their long-term care and rehabilitative services right here in Harlem,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Board Member Jackie Rowe-Adams. “It’s incredible to see what NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter has accomplished in just 10 years and I’m excited to see what’s next.”
“Without the kind and caring staff at Carter, I would not have come this far in my healing journey and, for that, I am grateful,” said long-time Carter resident Harry Perks.
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About the Henry J. Carter Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility
The Henry J. Carter Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility at 1752 Park Avenue and 122nd Street in Manhattan features 365 beds for two distinct types of healthcare services: long-term acute care and skilled nursing care. Carter’s 201-bed Long-Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH) provides specialized clinical support around the clock. This includes physicians on site at all times, and sub-specialty care that is always accessible, including pulmonologists, infectious disease specialists, cardiologists, and a full complement of clinical support services such as clinical labs, radiology, respiratory care and pharmacy. The long-term acute care hospital serves high acuity, medically fragile patients, many of whom require ventilator support, and patients with multiple chronic medical conditions that significantly impact life functioning, such as respiratory failure, congestive heart failure, uncontrolled diabetes, complex infections and complex wounds. Carter’s 164-bed Skilled Nursing Facility serves residents whose medical needs require management and care that cannot be provided at home. The facility features technologically advanced support equipment and a highly qualified on-site staff that are available 24/7. To learn more about the NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter – Long-term Acute Care Hospital and Nursing Facility or to schedule an appointment/tour, please call (646) 686-0000 or visit https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/locations/carter-nursing-facility/. To take virtual tour of NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter, click here.
About Henry J. Carter & Wheelchair Charities Inc.
Henry J. “Hank” Carter grew up in the Queensbridge Projects, Long Island City, New York. He was educated in the public school system and attended Baruch College. Mr. Carter served in Vietnam, and was awarded the Army’s Good Conduct Medal, a Bronze Star, and other military honors. Upon his return to New York, he began a successful career in the banking industry. Nearly 40 years ago, Mr. Carter visited a friend at Coler-Goldwater Hospital on Roosevelt Island who had been paralyzed by a gun shot. He was touched by the special needs of the patients and residents there, and inspired by their perseverance in the face of extraordinary challenges.
To help alleviate suffering and provide independence and hope, Mr. Carter created Wheelchair Charities, Inc. Through Wheelchair Charities, Hank Carter has donated more than $25 million to NYC Health + Hospitals for a variety of equipment and programs for patients and residents with profound disabilities. This includes thousands of manual and motorized wheelchairs, specially equipped buses, pressure sensitivity beds, therapeutic equipment, and more than 1,000 state-of-the-art computers that feature voice recognition, zoom-text, and a pointer device to facilitate use by quadriplegic individuals. Many devices are the most technologically sophisticated available and can be operated by the movement of a patient’s eye.