Transcript: Mayor Adams Announces Progress on $30 Million Community Health Center, Strengthening Health Care Access to Families in Underserved Far Rockaway

February 25, 2025

Dr. Mitchell Katz, President and CEO, NYC Health and Hospitals: Hey, good morning, everybody, and thank you for coming out to what will be the future Gotham Center in Far Rockaway. We're so glad to see you all. I'm Dr. Mitchell Katz. I'm the proud president of New York City Health and Hospitals and a practicing primary care doctor. 

One of the things that makes me most proud of the center that we are in is that I have a close friend who works in a private health care system, and when they want to build a new health center, what they do is they look at the map and try to figure out where are the most people with Cadillac health insurance. So they want to put whatever the center is wherever they feel surest that they're going to get the people who can pay the most. And we at Health and Hospitals, we're exactly the opposite. 
We put out the same maps, but we say, where do people need us the most? Where are the places that we find the largest number of people who don't have a primary care doctor, don't have access to care? And that's where we put the center. So this is one of those centers that we agreed when we came on needed to happen. And so today is a very big part of that. I'm very proud to be able to introduce our mayor and point out that people think that he is going to be the public safety mayor. But as he always says, no, he's the health mayor. And that's because he's done so many good initiatives for health. Mr. Mayor.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Thank you so much, Dr. Katz. And I recall when we were campaigning, sitting down and speaking with you of some real aggressive, visionary things we wanted to do, like our lifestyle medicine started out with only Bellevue Hospital and expanded, taking a more proactive approach to dealing with health care and not a reactionary approach. And Dr. Katz really had an amazing vision, even as we deal with the mental health crises that our city and state is currently facing. He has been just on the forefront of some of the initiatives that we put in place. 

You can't get this done without partners and those who believe wholeheartedly, and moving these important health care initiatives forward. Dr. Long, your role from dealing with the migrants and asylum seeker crises, making sure the proper screening we're in place, making sure that we dealt with the health care issues across the city. So it's important to have good, sound, smart thinkers dealing with the healthcare crises that we are facing. 

But when you talk about looking into communities, as Dr. Katz pointed out, you have to have those community leaders that realize the demographics and what is important in their various districts. We have a saying, when it comes down to this borough president, Queens gets the money. You know, Queens just continues to get the money. I don't know how many ribbon cuttings, how many openings. You know, we should call you Donovan Bank. But B.P. Richards is a loud voice for the people of Queens, and he is just open to having projects that are here on many different levels. And you think about it borough-wide, but we also want to zero in on the councilmanic district. 

Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers has been fighting for this issue. Really just believe that we know the desert when it comes down to Rockaway, places like Rockaway and Staten Island. We must come up with real ways to ensure that they can get the health care services that they deserve and ensure that they don't continue to be considered as the outer boroughs or the outer bounds of our health care system. And so with the partnership of both the borough president and the partnership of the councilwoman, we are seeing this amazing announcement right on time, the councilwoman. We're seeing this amazing announcement here. They both pushed hard for this, and they wanted it to happen, and we're now seeing this actualized. 
And when we took office, we were clear. We did not want to keep feeding the healthcare crisis. It was our goal to change it. And that is what we are doing every block at a time, every corner and crevices of all of our communities. And as I said at our State of the City address last month, our goal is to make our city the best place to raise a family. And keeping families healthy is essential to keeping families in the five boroughs. So today, we start construction on the future of health care. And Far Rockaway with this new state-of-the-art community health center. 

The community health center will expand access to primary care, women's health, and mental health services, as well as dental, vision, and podiatry care. For too long, lack of access to services, we know, it has been a barrier to health care and community opportunity for underserved communities throughout this entire city. In particular, but in general, but specifically when you look here in the Rockaways in the borough of Queens. 

With this facility, we are bridging the health care gap and investing $30 million to provide vital medical equipment for everyday New Yorkers in real time and in real terms. The new center means families will, here in Far Rockaway, will have things such as mammograms, and reproductive care. It means knowing you won't break your bank to stay healthy, and it means people do not have to go another day without the care they need. 

The issue is personal to me. Many of you know when I was impacted by type 2 diabetes, I knew firsthand the impact of what chronic diseases can just hijack your life. But I was lucky. I was able to reverse the conditions and save my eyesight. But healthcare should not be about luck, it should be about access. That is why we are here today, and too many New Yorkers don't have the access they deserve. We know that healthcare costs, lack of access, and chronic diseases, they have a burden on working people with prescriptions, paperwork, and bills piling up. We must address health care inequities across the five boroughs, especially in communities of color. That is what this is about today. 

I really want to thank Councilwoman Brooks-Powers and our borough president, President Donovan Richards, for understanding the needs of their community and making sure, in a very humane and dignified way, we provide the health care that will lead to a healthier lifestyle for children and families. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Katz.

Katz: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We really appreciate your being here with us today. I next have the pleasure of introducing another primary care doctor. When I came here, I wanted to make sure that there was a primary care doctor running our ambulatory care, and I came up with six exclamation point Ted. I'll only point out for people to know, recently I sent him an idea and he said, I'm on it, with two exclamation points. So I wrote back, what's the matter? You don't like my idea? I was sure that, you know, with only two exclamation points, there must be a serious problem. So with that, my deputy senior vice president, Dr. Ted Long.

Dr. Ted Long, Senior Vice President of Ambulatory Care, New York City Health + Hospitals: Well, thank you, everybody, for joining us today. I want to say a couple of words about why today and this clinic are so important. In this community, in your community, adults have a one-third higher rate of avoidable hospitalizations compared to the rest of Queens and the rest of New York City. A lot of this, as the mayor said, is driven by chronic disease. In fact, adults in your community also have a one-third higher rate of diabetes compared to also the rest of Queens and the rest of New York City. 

When the Department of Health has gone out to see what's going on and done surveys, far too many people from your community have specifically said that in the past 12 months, they've had to go without the medical care that they needed. Today, we are at this groundbreaking to fix these problems and address these underlying health inequities that have plagued this community for far too long. I'm excited to be here because we're going big today. 

We're opening a huge state-of-the-art health center, as the mayor said, that will offer world-class primary care, dental care, vision care. You actually right now are in the radiology suite. We're going to have state-of-the-art mammogram machines and even a CT scanner that the whole community can access to get the care that they deserve.

But we wouldn't be here today, and I want to say two very special thank yous, if it wasn't for the borough president and the mayor. So Borough President Richards, as you know, the borough president raised for us these issues and how critically important it was that we address these health issues of this community long ago. And he literally did not sleep until we made a good, clear plan with him. And we came here today at this groundbreaking, so now you can go to sleep. We will take care of it from here ,but thank you. We really would not be here if it wasn't for you. 

Mayor Adams, I want to say your committed support for this clinic over the last several years has made me proud to be a New Yorker. We could have, when we realized the health concerns of this community, opened a small primary care office somewhere. But that's not how Mayor Adams does things. Here we are in a massive new state-of-the-art clinic that can offer every service to the community here to keep the community healthy and finally give this community, which has the health inequities that we talked about earlier. The care they deserve. And that's thanks to you, Mayor Adams. Thank you. And with that, I will turn it back to Dr. Katz. Thank you for coming today. 

Katz: Thank you, Ted. I am going to ask one of my health and hospital heroes, Manny, to stand up because Manny has built this center. We do not know how Manny keeps all of the infrastructure of Health and Hospitals going. We, ourselves, we track what the week is like by the number of times Manny has woken up in the middle of the night because a pipe has burst or the roof is leaking. We think that if it's less than three, we're having a very good week. So Manny, we really appreciate everything you do to keep all of our buildings going. And as Ted has said, we have a great friend in you, Mr. President, not just this center here, but whenever I need something for Queens Hospital, whenever I need something for Elmhurst Hospital, you're always there to support us. And we greatly appreciate that. Thank you, sir.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards: Well, good morning, Far Rockaway. To the mayor, when you come to Queens, you have to use Nas' theme music, by the way. We don't do Jay-Z, but we're going to give you a pass today. Queens get the money. But it is truly an honor to be here. 

Finally, after 12 years, and I was reminiscing back with [Tracy], who back in my days in the council, we sat down at my small conference room table at 250 Broadway, and we started this endeavor. And what was really astounding about that conversation is when she pulled the data on how many Rockaway residents had to get on the A train to get to an H&H in East New York. And we said that is totally unacceptable. So finally, years after advocacy and negotiation, we now will have a New York City Health and Hospitals clinic right here in Far Rockaway.

And what you're standing on did not exist, right? We re-zoned Far Rockaway, I think, in 2017, secured about a $388 million negotiation through then-Bill de Blasio. And what you see before you, what you're walking into, is 1,800 new units of affordable housing. So as we talk about holistic development, right. How do we make sure we solve for healthcare? How do we resolve the food desert issue as we have a supermarket coming in on the corner? 

So for years, our Rockaway residents have been demanding better access to high quality health care for years. Families here have dealt with higher rates of disease, as it was discussed. One in 10 individuals suffer from diabetes, too, here. So even as the mayor talks about his own story, this is what everyday New Yorkers are living with in this community. And they're not even going to get the preventative care or care that they really need. So today we really are fixing that disinvestment. And we've long suffered. But those days are gone. 

You know, 10 years ago, like I said, we came to the conclusion that we need to do more here on health care and so much more. And this 30 million dollar new state of the art health clinic is a testament to this administration. Because I do want to pause and thank the prior administration, Bill de Blasio, for getting us close to the finish line. But when there was a shift in administration. It did not– Mayor Adams did not flinch once in making sure that this happened. So we really want to thank you for keeping that commitment, because when administrations change, priorities change and they could move certainly capital money that we secured. But today we're here. 

So once this opens 2027, Manny, 2027. Alright, no pressure. We'll be here, I'll be here with a hammer if you need me. We're going to make sure this is on time and on budget. But we'll have a full spectrum of preventative and general care right here. This site will service, I think Dr. Long said, over 47,000 people as this community continues to grow. This is where your kids will be able to see their pediatrician. This is where new moms can see their babies on an ultrasound for the first time and get that preventative care. This is where you can get your cavities filled or your eyes examined. All that, plus mental health services, cancer screening, disease management and much more will be available right here. 

Far Rockaway, once again, has been calling for a site like this for generations. I couldn't be more excited. I was so excited getting up this morning because I know what it was to walk this site, which was literally an empty mall that was desolate for 30 years. That really has become an oasis and will become an oasis for this community and thousands of units of high quality, affordable housing as we will top off the last building. If mayor wants to stick around, we're going to do that today and a new library right next door, new infrastructure under our feet and now a brand new health clinic. 

Health care is a human right. Everybody should have access to it, no matter what your socioeconomic status is or your zip code. I really want to thank the H+H staff who work with us. If y'all could stand, too, because this has really been, yes, a long endeavor. Many Zooms. Thank you. Thank you for all those Zooms. To Dr. Long. Thank you. This gentleman was here with us during COVID. He never left our side. We needed so many answers during COVID, but he never turned his back on us. I want to thank you and Dr. Katz it's always a privilege to see you because I feel like my wallet is a lot lighter every time I see you. With that being said, God bless you all. Congratulations. Big day for Far Rockwell. Thank you.

Katz: Thank you, Mr. President, for always supporting us. We really appreciate it. Of late, I've had an opportunity to work with our next speaker very closely, and we've had multiple community meetings. And I feel that she is a councilmember in the best sense of the word, as someone who really brings her community together, is always inviting her constituents into meetings to figure out what the future is. So with great pleasure, I bring to you the majority whip, Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers.

City Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers: Good morning, everyone. Good morning. Today, we celebrate a significant milestone for the Rockaway Peninsula with the groundbreaking of the Gotham Community Health Center. The Rockaways have seen tremendous new development in recent years, bringing new housing and new families to our community. But with that growth comes the urgent need for expanded services to meet the increasing demand. 

For too long, our community has faced challenges in accessing comprehensive healthcare. And this center is an important step in closing that gap. This facility will provide preventative care from primary care to mental health all under one roof, ensuring that families in Rockaway have access to these quality services they deserve. I want to thank the administration, particularly Mayor Adams, and Dr. Katz for their leadership and commitment to expanding healthcare access in historically underserved communities like ours.

This investment brings us one step forward towards meeting the longstanding healthcare gaps in the Rockaways and reinforces our drive and commitment to continue fighting for the services we need here on the peninsula. We will continue to push forward for a level one or level two trauma facility on the Rockaway Peninsula and will work in tandem with Mayor Adams's administration on this critical mission. Together, we are building a healthier future for Rockaway. As we look forward to the center's opening, let's continue to work hand in hand to ensure our community's healthcare needs are met as we grow our community. Thank you so much for being here today.

Katz: Thank you so much, majority whip. I want to special thank you to Community Board Member Felicia Johnson, district manager. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. 

Okay, with that, we're going to close our program and move to the construction end where we have hammers. You can leave with your hard hat and we are greatly appreciative of your being here. Thank you so much. Thank you, everyone.

Question: I'll let whoever can best answer this decide who to answer. But you talked about these very disturbing details, the rate of adult onset diabetes, the high percentage of people who have avoidable conditions that could avoid hospitalization. What is it about this area, whether it's demographics or geography or economics, why is that a problem here?

Long: As the borough president said, healthcare is a human right. And the way that we realize that right in New York City is we offer access, we need to offer access to primary care to every New Yorker. So when we talked about adults in this community having a third higher rate of avoidable hospitalizations or a third higher rate of diabetes compared to the rest of Queens and the rest of New York City, the solution to that needs to begin with primary care. And today, it does begin with primary care. 

This new site will be able to help 19,000 people in this community across 47,000 visits a year when we fully ramp up. In our system, we know that when patients come to us, we now among our diabetic patients in Health and Hospitals, seven out of ten of them have good control of their diabetes since coming to us. We do a great job at Health and Hospitals, and we are very excited to do a great job taking care of this community and giving them the care that they deserve.

[Crosstalk.]

Borough President Richards: And so in Queens, Far Rockaway, one, has the highest concentration of public housing outside of Queensbridge housing. More than 30 percent, 40 percent of our residents are on some sort of income assistance. So this is a community that historically has been isolated. You just got here, right? It probably took you two hours. I often joke that it’s easier to get to Florida by plane than to Manhattan by bus and train from here. And the A train is shut down. So this really does leave us very vulnerable when it comes to being a healthcare desert amongst being a food desert. So with the new development that's happening, we're hoping to solve for all of those specific issues that have long hurt the communities here. I don't know if the councilmember wants that.

Councilmember Brooks-Powers: And while I'll attach myself to everything that's been said before, the real reality of this is there has been a lack of political will to invest in communities, particularly communities of color and under resource communities. When you overlay that with a community that is geographically isolated, it has been extremely challenging to be able to attract health institutions to come to communities like this. We should not have to saturate the community with housing just to get access to healthcare. We deserve healthcare. But the reality is it requires the will, and that's why I'm so honored to stand here today with this groundbreaking because it shows that there is the political will to improve the outcomes for communities, no matter what your zip code is.

Question: My question for the mayor, how high was this on your priority list? Because the councilmember, the borough president mentioned your help getting it over the finish line compared to some other priorities when you were coming into office.

Mayor Adams: I just really think, I hope it wasn't lost on us what councilmember Brooks-Powers stated that the will is important. And we came in with a working class agenda and not to dictate to these communities, but to collaborate with them. And they pointed this out, councilwoman Brooks-Powers was talking about access, access, access to these issues. [Borough President] Donovan Richards, which was a smooth transition from two different council persons just to continue the job. 

And so when we looked at our list of priorities, there are a host of things going on in the city, let's be honest. But you have to prioritize those who are in the highest needs. Far Rockaway should not be far for all of us. We know what is going on here from environmental issues to public safety issues, to the high concentration of public housing, to the lack of access to good quality food and healthcare. And if you don't have proximity to your healthcare institutions you kick off your appointments. Sometimes you don't want to visit. Sometimes you may not have the MetroCard that allows you to get on the subway to get to your primary care doctor. So when you bring it closer, more access, and you get a better result. 

And this was on the top list of my priorities because it wasn't professional, it was personal. I saw my mother, her lifestyle eroded because of diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, the American package. And she was in Queens. We only have, what, Jamaica Hospital? And I think one more hospital? You know, it's just the lack of access is a problem. And this was high on our list of priorities. And thanks to these two local electeds, we were able to get it done. 

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