NEW YORK (WABC) — The Bellevue warming center is located in the hospital’s H Building, toward the back of the campus and close to the southeast lobby.<\/p>\n
Both entrances are open 24 hours a day, and no one is ever turned away. The hospital is quietly emerging as a model for humane treatment in a crisis. We toured the facility today and were impressed with the level of care.<\/p>\n
Forty-nine-year-old Victor Arcila says he has been homeless for five months and staying at Bellevue for two weeks, adding that he prefers it to city shelters.<\/p>\n
“A unit shelter in a room with 16 people? It’s no place to go. They beat you as well,” Arcila said.<\/p>\n
Bellevue’s warming center includes 22 cots available from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., each with fresh sheets. The waiting room is open 24 hours a day, as are the hospital’s religious spaces: two churches, a synagogue, and a mosque, all staffed by a chaplain. Regular meals are provided as well.<\/p>\n
“At 6 a.m., there’s muffins, sandwiches, water, milk, and beverages,” said Bellevue’s Chief Operating Officer, Erfan Karim. “At 7 p.m. there are sandwiches and milk and beverages as well as hot soup.”<\/p>\n
Bellevue is one of the oldest hospitals in the country, and staff take pride in its public-minded mission.<\/p>\n
“We do not turn anyone away. Bellevue Hospital is here for everyone, and we’re here to serve the city,” Karim said. When asked if there is a limit on how long someone can stay, he replied, “There’s no limit. We’re not taking people out. We make sure we’re able to provide the services that the residents of the city need day in and day out in this particular challenge.”<\/p>\n
Guests benefit not only from meals and shelter but from regular cleaning and hospital security.<\/p>\n
During our visit, we saw trained hospital police de-escalate disturbances and take agitated guests on a short walk to the psychiatric ward for evaluation, allowing others, like Victor, to focus on getting paperwork in order to apply for a job.<\/p>\n
“I’ve been without a job for at least a year and a half, two years,” he said. “I’ll tell you, 65% of the people here, they don’t have IDs.”<\/p>\n
Hospital officials say they are proud of Bellevue’s ability to keep New Yorkers safe while ensuring their dignity and connecting them to clinical and social services.<\/p>\n
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