From left to right, Cari Harewood, Gotham Health CEO Michelle Lewis, Gotham Health Regional Medical Director Dr. Peter Tesler, Gotham Health patient Katherine Guiracocha and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. Photo by Shane O’Brien.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced more than $1 million in capital funding for major upgrades across a pair of NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health clinics in Queens.
Richards joined Gotham Health officials at the Roosevelt clinic in Jackson Heights on Monday morning to announce a series of upgrades for the clinic, such as new pediatric exam rooms, new dental exam rooms, space for an on-site social worker and a new staff kitchen at the Jackson Heights location.
Gotham Health, a major network of Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers (FQHC) in the NYC Health + Hospitals system, provides affordable healthcare to communities across the city, including clinics in Jackson Heights and LeFrak City, offering community-based primary and preventative care.
Richards speaks at Monday’s announcement. Photo by Shane O’Brien.
Richards said he was “sending a message” to the federal government by allocating $1,055,000 in capital funding for two Gotham Health locations, including $1 million for Gotham Health Roosevelt and $55,000 for Gotham Health LeFrak City.
“This is an investment in the community,” Richards said Monday morning. “I always say healthcare is a human right. Your socioeconomic status or zip code should not determine whether you have access to quality healthcare.
“May we continue to invest in healthcare and send a message, once again, to the federal government that these investments are critical.”
Richards announced the capital funding alongside NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health CEO Michelle Lewis, Gotham officials and Gotham patients on Monday morning.
Cari Harewood, Gotham Health’s regional administrator for Queens and Staten Island, said the funding will allow the Roosevelt clinic to expand its pediatric services.
Cari Harewood, Gotham Health’s regional administrator for Queens and Staten Island. Photo by Shane O’Brien.
At present, Harewood said, Gotham Health Roosevelt lacks a dedicated pediatric space, leaving pediatric services “intermingling” with adult care.
By adding dedicated pediatric exam rooms, Gotham Health will be able to serve more young patients while also making them feel “like they belong,” Harewood said.
“There’s truly no dedicated pediatric space where a child can come and sit at kiddie furniture and really feel like they belong,” Harewood said. “[At present] it’s not child-friendly. It’s really just generic.”
The funding also aims to add new dental exam rooms at the Jackson Heights location, which Harewood said would help the clinic expand its affordable dental options.
“In Queens, there’s a big deficit for affordable dentistry that is actually affordable,” Harewood said. “We really need to expand dentistry.”
Harewood did not have a timeline for how long the renovations would take to complete and said Gotham Health may need extra funding to fund the total project.
However, she said the planned staff kitchen and lounge would provide a major boost for employees at Gotham Health, noting that the clinic’s 60 employees currently have to take their breaks in a small conference room with one table and three chairs.
“This will give them the break that they need,” she said. “They deserve it.”
The capital funding will also provide for upgrades to medical storage at Gotham Health LeFrak City, Richards announced.
Katherine Guiracocha, a patient at the Roosevelt location along with her young daughter Gemini, said the proposed upgrades were made with patients in mind.
“We notice when people invest in the places that we depend on,” Guiracocha said at Wednesday’s announcement.
Katherine Guiracocha speaks on Monday. Photo by Shane O’Brien.