FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 14, 2022

CONTACT: media@nycha.nyc.gov

NYCHA, Congressmember Carolyn B. Maloney, and The Floating Hospital Open On-Site COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination Center at Astoria Houses

The center is made from repurposed shipping containers and will bring services directly to public housing residents

New York, NY – The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), Congressmember Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), and The Floating Hospital — a local non-profit that provides medical services to underserved areas — today opened a temporary center to provide COVID-19 testing and vaccination services at Astoria Houses in Northwest Queens. The facility is made from 40-foot-long repurposed shipping containers and was designed by a research and development consortium comprised of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and The Tuchman Foundation. The public-private partnership was made possible through a joint marshalling of resources and coordination for this unique health initiative. Congressmember Maloney worked closely with NYCHA, the City of New York, the State of New York, NJIT, the Tuchman Foundation, and The Floating Hospital to secure the donation of the medical unit. NYCHA contributed nearly $100,000 to install and prepare the facility and will also support the ongoing maintenance of the site. Medical professionals from The Floating Hospital will staff the facility to ensure that COVID-19 detection and treatment is even more accessible to public housing residents – in an immediate neighborhood that includes Astoria Houses, Ravenswood Houses, and Queensbridge Houses.

"We need to make sure New York's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is inclusive, equitable and fair,” said New York State Governor Hochul. "That's why it's so important to have sites like this new medical care unit at the Astoria Houses, bringing much-needed resources and services to communities that had been left behind for far too long. I'm grateful to the hard-working medical professionals who will ensure local residents have tests and vaccines, and thankful to my friend Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney whose advocacy has been instrumental in making this project a reality."

“The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of bringing healthcare facilities capable of coronavirus detection and treatment to as many communities as possible,” said NYCHA Chair & CEO Greg Russ. “We are grateful to Congressmember Maloney and The Floating Hospital for working with us to establish this testing and vaccine clinic– which will ensure that the continued health and safety of public housing residents is a top priority.”

“I am proud to have partnered with The Floating Hospital, the New York City Housing Authority, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and the Tuchman Foundation to bring this temporary medical care unit to Astoria Houses,” said Congressmember Carolyn Maloney. “Health care is and always should be a human right. This has not been more evident than in the past two years, as we confronted the coronavirus pandemic and millions of people were unable to access COVID-19 tests and vaccinations. Currently, there is only one permanent vaccination site within half a mile of Astoria Houses, and two permanent vaccination sites in the 11102 zip code. The lack of access to vaccines at Astoria Houses has led, in part, to a COVID-19 case rate within this zip code that is more than double the Queens and New York City case rates. No one should be denied healthcare based on where they live, and that is why I worked so hard to get this temporary medical care unit on the ground at Astoria Houses for COVID-19 tests and vaccinations.”

“Everyone should have immediate and easy access to the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine. I am incredibly proud of the effort by NYCHA to invest in this vaccine center and to work so closely with Rep. Maloney to make this a reality,” said New York City Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz. “We will continue to work with our partners in the federal government to not only put the pandemic completely behind us but to also continue fighting for a healthy, safe and stable NYCHA for the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who live there.”

The site will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is expected to be operational through March of next year.

In January 2021, NYCHA with city and state authorities to open vaccination clinics in close proximity to multiple developments throughout the five boroughs, particularly at sites with high concentrations of seniors. That initial effort soon expanded into a fluid, stable, and long-term vaccination plan for all NYCHA residents, with the Authority partnering with nonprofit organizations, testing services, and area health providers to operate roving pop-up vaccination clinics at 69 different campuses throughout the city.

The Authority also worked to ensure that residents had access to reliable information about the importance of getting tested and vaccinated. Through NYCHA’s Department of Community Engagement & Partnerships (CEP) and in coordination with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), more than 123,000 individual phone calls and 77,000 direct conversations were made to at-risk public housing residents, to inform them about precautions against COVID-19 and to identify whether anyone in their household had special needs.

The partnership between Congressmember Maloney, NYCHA, and The Floating Hospital is the latest effort to ensure that an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic for public housing residents is made possible by bringing COVID-19 testing and vaccination services to underserved areas. Currently, there are two permanent vaccination sites in the zip code where Astoria Houses is located. The lack of access to vaccines has led, in part, to a COVID-19 case rate within this zip code that is more than double the Queens and New York City case rates: about 30,450 per 100,000 individuals compared to approximately 13,350 and 12,600, respectively. Similarly, the COVID-19 death rate within this zip code is approximately 616 per 100,000 individuals, compared to about 448 in Queens and 408 in New York City.

For her part, Congressmember Maloney has continually advocated for a comprehensive preparedness and response effort to the COVID-19 pandemic, by calling on pharmaceutical manufacturers to set affordable prices for Coronavirus medication, and by introducing such legislation as the Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act,the Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act, and the Stop Overdraft Profiteering During COVID-19 Emergency Act.

Founded in 1866, The Floating Hospital was one of the first healthcare charities in New York City, dedicated to caring for the sick children of families living in tenement homes. Today, the organization maintains its historic mission by providing a healthcare safety net to families living in shelters and domestic violence safe houses throughout the city, as well as the medically underserved community of Northwest Queens: through primary medical, dental and behavioral healthcare services, in addition to select specialties such as optometry, podiatry, and cardiology. The organization also offers health and lifestyle education, self-esteem and life skills training for homeless youth, and summer camps.

The siting of the temporary medical center at Astoria Houses was made possible through a donation provided by the Tuchman Foundation and was done in coordination with the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Embedded within New Jersey’s technological university, the Martin Tuchman School of Management integrates fundamental business principles with technical knowledge and critical-thinking skills and leverages strengths across the university from engineering and computing to architecture and social science.

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About the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the largest public housing authority in North America, was created in 1935 to provide decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. NYCHA is home to roughly 1 in 15 New Yorkers across over 177,000 apartments within 335 housing developments. NYCHA serves over 350,000 residents through the conventional public housing program (Section 9), over 20,000 residents at developments that have been converted to PACT/RAD, and over 75,000 families through federal rent subsidies (the Section 8 Leased Housing Program). In addition, NYCHA connects residents to opportunities in financial empowerment, business development, career advancement, and educational programs. With a housing stock that spans all five boroughs, NYCHA is a city a within a city. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/nycha, and for regular updates on NYCHA news and services, connect with us via www.facebook.com/NYCHA and www.twitter.com/NYCHA.

About Congressmember Carolyn B. Maloney

First elected to Congress in 1992, Carolyn B. Maloney is a recognized progressive national leader with extensive accomplishments on financial services, national security, the economy, and women’s issues. She is currently Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and former Chair of the Joint Economic Committee, the first woman to hold both of these positions. Maloney has authored and passed more than 74 measures, either as stand-alone bills or as measures incorporated into larger legislation packages. Twelve of these bills were signed into law at formal (and rare) Presidential Signing Ceremonies. Rep. Maloney’s career has been a series of firsts. She is the first woman to represent New York City’s 7th Councilmanic district (where she was the first woman to give birth while in office); and was the first woman to Chair the Joint Economic Committee, a House and Senate panel that examines and addresses the nation’s most pressing economic issues. Only 18 women in history have chaired Congressional committees.

About The Floating Hospital

As a traditional charity hospital and Federally Qualified Health Center, The Floating Hospital provides primary and specialty healthcare that includes primary medical, dental and behavioral healthcare services, The organization’s integrated team of medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare providers tailor care to patients’ unique healthcare profiles, lifestyles and circumstances. This means that everyone can receive all the care they require under a single roof, a great relief to families already burdened by the insecurity and isolation of shelter living. The Floating Hospital offers more than healthcare, auxiliary services include free door-to-door transportation through our Good Health Shuttle, a five-borough program servicing more than 250 shelters and domestic violence safe houses in NYC, and to the public housing communities of Astoria, Ravenswood and Queensbridge Houses in Northwest Queens.