Community News
The Floating Hospital Brings Healthcare
to the Homeless
www.qns.com I LIC COURIER I OCTOBER 2018 23
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH Early each morning, a fleet of 10 large
black vans sets out from Queens to
bring affordable healthcare to the
hard-on-their-luck families of New
York City homeless shelters.
The fleet's newest van got a grand welcome on Oct.
15, when The Floating Hospital and Queensbridge
Health held a ribbon cutting ceremony with Queens
Borough President Melinda Katz.
The borough president was also be honored for
her support of The Floating Hospital, a medical charity
that provides free shuttle service from the city's family
homeless shelters to and from local medical facilities,
along with low-cost health care.
"We really want to make these families whole and
give them the service that they need," said Hannah
Stein, the executive director of the Floating Hospital
Foundation.
Based in Long Island City, The Floating Hospital
serves about a quarter of the city's homeless popula-tion,
according to Stein, or about 13,000 people a year.
The vans travel to more than 400 family homeless
shelters, domestic violence safe houses and hotels
every week day.
"Our vans cover enough distance each year to go
around the world 7 times," said Stein.
Over the last two years, Katz designated capital
funding to help The Floating Hospital purchase new
vans to help northwest Queens residents living in
the Queensbridge, Ravenswood and Astoria Houses
public housing complexes, as well as homeless families
throughout the borough.
“The Floating Hospital does incredible work here
in Queens and across the city, providing health care
to thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers each year,"
said Katz "Our borough is a healthier, better place
because of the tireless efforts of The Floating Hospital."
Katz has also provided capital funding to support
the hospital's relocation to a larger space at 21-01
41st Ave. in Long Island City next year.
According to Stein, the new location is one and
a half times the square footage of the current TFH
clinic which will allow the current to healthcare
programs to expand. The new space will also
have a list of new services to further help home-less
families and other low-income populations in
northwest Queens.
At the current location, 20 percent of services are
free of charge to low-income patients. The organization
provides primary medical, dental and mental healthcare
services and is the largest provider of healthcare to
the homeless families and domestic violence survivors
in New York City.
The Floating Hospital, which was founded in 1866,
was one of the first healthcare charities in New York
City, dedicated to caring for the sick children of the
poor. It nonprofit got its name since first conducted
by steamboat tycoon John Starin for the benefit of
newsboys, war veterans, and the needy.
“The Floating Hospital does incredible work here
in Queens and across the city, providing health care
to thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers each year.
Our borough is a healthier, better place because of
the tireless efforts of The Floating Hospital.
/www.qns.com
