Health
Brooklyn’s fi rst comprehensive
COVID clinic opens in Bushwick
Opening marks city’s third of three new ‘COVID-19 Centers of Excellence’
Offi cials cut the ribbon on the city’s third COVID-19 Center of Excellence. Twitter/@NYCMayorsOffi ce
COURIER LIFE, FEBRUARY 18-24, 2022 17
BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK
City offi cials on Feb. 11 cut
the ceremonial ribbon on the
city’s third of three COVID-19
Centers of Excellence — providing
comprehensive health
clinics focused primarily on
providing care to those recovering
from the virus, and
on serving communities of
color hardest hit by the pandemic.
The newest facility, located
at 815 Broadway in
Bushwick, will open to patients
beginning Feb. 14, and
will provide comprehensive
ambulatory services to the
surrounding area.
“The opening of this third
COVID-19 Center of Excellence
is amazing news for
New York City’s comeback,”
said Mayor Eric Adams in a
statement. “It was in these
neighborhoods that this pandemic
hit New Yorkers the
hardest and I’m proud that
as we recover, the neighborhoods
hit the hardest will
have access to world-class
health care and support.”
The center, operated by
NYC Health + Hospitals, is
designed to meet the unique
needs of patients recovering
from COVID-19, according
to Adams’ offi ce, including
specialized services like pulmonary
and cardiology care,
supplemental oxygen, radiology
and diagnostic services,
and mental health services.
The community health
clinic will also provide
Brooklyn residents with access
to primary, pediatric, vision
and dental care, as well
as diabetes management, and
cancer screenings, among
other services.
“Our third COVID-19 Center
of Excellence is another
example of NYC Health +
Hospitals fulfi lling its commitment
to beating back this
pandemic and supporting
New Yorkers’ health, especially
in our hardest hit communities,”
said Dr. Ted Long,
senior vice president for ambulatory
care at NYC Health
+ Hospitals and executive
director of the NYC Test &
Trace Corps. “We have been
with New Yorkers every step
of this pandemic, from widespread
community testing,
intensive care, quarantine
support, and even vaccinating
them in the comfort of
their home. This new site is
the future, dedicated to the
long-term impacts of this virus,
to help all of us recover
from the pandemic.”
The Bushwick opening
comes on the heels of the premiere
of the city’s second COVID
19 Center of Excellence
earlier this month in Jackson
Heights, Queens. The fi rst facility
opened in the Tremont
section of the Bronx in November
2020.
All three neighborhoods
were hit hard by the pandemic.
The new Brooklyn
center’s Zip Code, 11206, is
still seeing a high COVID-19
transmission rate, according
to city data, despite declining
cases of the Omicron
variant of the virus across
the state. The neighboring
Zip Code, 11237, is seeing an
even higher rate of transmission,
according to the latest
data available from the city’s
Department of Health, with
almost a 4 percent COVID-19
positivity rate between Feb. 1
and Feb. 7.
Additionally, one in every
three Bushwick residents
has been diagnosed with COVID
19, according to the data.
“The COVID-19 pandemic
has truly exacerbated health
disparities in communities
of color and highlighted the
need to invest in both our
hospital infrastructure and
community-based health centers,”
said area Councilmember
Mercedes Narcisse, a registered
nurse who also chairs
the Council’s Committee on
Hospitals. “Having the new
COVID-19 Center of Excellence
in communities hardest
hit by the pandemic will
allow for a supportive and
effective setting for patients
and their families who are
dealing with long term COVID
and a myriad of health
issues.”
Bushwick Assemblymember
Martiza Davila said that,
“although the pandemic has
subsided,” there is more work
yet to be done.
“As we continue to monitor
and deal with this issue,
ensuring these clinics are in
our backyard is the fi rst step
to the betterment of health
and safety for all,” she said.
While patients can be
referred to the Brooklyn
COVID-19 Center of Excellence
after a hospital visit or
through their primary care
provider, patients who test
positive for COVID-19 are not
required to visit the site.