The third and final community health clinic under the COVID-19 Centers of Excellence initiative has opened in Bushwick.
Located at 815 Broadway, the site will have specialized treatments for patients recovering from COVID-19 including cardiology care, radiology services and mental health support. The clinic will also include primary care services, pediatrics and cancer screenings.
“As we continue to learn more about the long-lasting health impacts of this pandemic, we’re being proactive to create medical homes for New Yorkers,” said NYC Health+Hospitals president and CEO Mitchell Katz. “This site will not only provide critical health support to those still recovering from COVID-19, but will also provide new opportunities for this community to access high-quality, ongoing primary care.”
All three of the centers are located in communities of color disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. According to city data, one in three Bushwick residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The first center opened in the Tremont section of the Bronx in November 2020. The second opened in Jackson Heights in February 2021. The facilities were able to open quickly thanks to emergency construction rules put in place during the pandemic.
“DDC was able to build three COVID-19 Centers of Excellence for the public hospital system in record time,” said Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Thomas Foley. “Several years faster than we could have under the usual lowest bidder contracting rules.”
Mayor Eric Adams also announced that beginning this week, 27 branches of the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library systems, as well as 14 cultural sites in the city, will receive COVID-19 test kits to provide to New Yorkers for free.
“The opening of this third COVID-19 Center of Excellence is amazing news for New York City’s comeback,” said Adams. “It was in these neighborhoods that this pandemic hit New Yorkers the hardest, and I’m proud that as we recover, the neighborhoods hit the hardest will have access to world-class health care and support.”
