Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2012  

HHC Receives $8.8 Million from New York State to Expand Ambulatory Care Services, Increase Access and Lower Costs

New York, NY - The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) will receive $8.8 million in healthcare grants from New York State to expand ambulatory care services in dentistry, geriatrics, psychiatry and ophthalmology to meet increased patient demand at three hospitals in Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn. The grants will fund projects to renovate and expand dental and oral surgery clinics at Harlem Hospital in Manhattan; geriatric and psychiatric clinics at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx; and ophthalmology and dental practices at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn, including the addition of a pediatric dentistry service.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the HHC funding on Friday as part of $301.1 million in grants made available through New York State's Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law (HEAL NY). The HEAL NY grants will help 40 hospitals and nursing homes across the state improve primary and community-based care, eliminate excess bed capacity, and reduce over-reliance on inpatient care in hospitals and nursing homes.

“We are grateful to Governor Cuomo and the State Department of Health for making these strategic investments that will allow HHC to enhance our ambulatory care services to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to high-quality treatment in these targeted areas where the need continues to outstrip the supply,” said HHC President Alan D. Aviles. “These funds will help us further our efforts to create patient centered medical homes where patients have ongoing relationships with primary care doctors and staff members collectively coordinate to serve patients’ needs across healthcare settings.”

"As a result of the hard work of the Medicaid Redesign Team and our actions to transform the state's health care system, we have already taken important steps toward reducing costs and improving care for patients," Governor Cuomo said. "These grants to hospitals and nursing homes in New York City will help our health care facilities deliver better quality care in a more efficient and cost effective manner so all New Yorkers have access to the best care possible when it is needed."

HHC will receive $8.8 million in HEAL NY grants to fund the following projects:

• $3,858,653 to Harlem Hospital Center to relocate and expand the Dental and Oral Surgery clinic and upgrade the 23-year-old equipment to accommodate the increased need for these services in the Harlem community. The improvements will allow Harlem Hospital to increase patient capacity while decreasing the length of patient visits, wait times and operating costs. Each treatment room will be outfitted with digital imaging and other modern equipment capable of accommodating pediatric, adult and geriatric patients. The renovation design will be a patient-centered model that will allow patients to receive all dental and oral surgery services in one fully equipped treatment room.
• $2,851,044 to Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center to:
  • Relocate and expand the Geriatric Clinic and integrate behavioral health services for patients ages 65 and over. This project will adopt an integrated, patient-centered primary care model to expand the coordination of patient care to elderly New Yorkers by providing both medical and mental health services in one setting.
  • Construct a Medical Clinic adjacent to the existing Psychiatric Clinic to expand the coordination of care for behavioral health patients by providing psychiatric and primary care services in one setting.
• $2,124,850 to Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center to create a pediatric dental practice, expand the adult dental practice and expand the ophthalmology practice. The project will also upgrade and reconfigure dental and ophthalmology administrative and resident educational space.

  In addition, the hospital will upgrade the Nurse Call Center, using state-of-the-art software to more efficiently direct new patients, and to follow up on existing patients using their electronic medical records. This will reduce reliance on the emergency room.

The HEAL NY grants will help implement recommendations from Governor Cuomo's Medicaid Redesign Team, including enabling health care facilities to deliver more efficient, higher quality care through restructuring, merging, and realigning operations. The awards are allocated through the New York State Department of Health (DOH) and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) and are part of nearly $3 billion in funding that has been invested in health care reform through 20 separate HEAL NY phases over the past seven years.

Contact: Ian Michaels (HHC) (212) 788-3339

About HHC

The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is a $6.7 billion integrated healthcare delivery system with its own 420,000 member health plan, MetroPlus, and is the largest municipal healthcare organization in the country. HHC serves 1.4 million New Yorkers every year and more than 475,000 are uninsured. HHC provides medical, mental health and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, four skilled nursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and more than 70 community based clinics. HHC Health and Home Care also provides in-home services for New Yorkers. HHC was the 2008 recipient of the National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission's John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/hhc or find us on facebook.com/nycHHC or twitter.com/HHCnyc.