The Brooklyn Hospital Center, which serves “the least, the lost and the left behind, the poor, the sick and the afflicted,” has been given a $9.2 million investment, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced Sunday.
The nonprofit hospital – which is the oldest in the borough — serves more than 70,000 patients per year in its Emergency Department. It is neither government owned nor part of a larger health system and more than 90% of the hospital’s patients are people of color, and 80% are on Medicaid, Medicare or other government insurance, the elected officials said during the funding announcement.
“The Brooklyn Hospital Center serves the least, the lost and the left behind, the poor, the sick and the afflicted, and do a phenomenal job,” Jeffries said. “We’re so thankful for them and the healthcare heroes who are there for our community.”
Jeffries worked with Schumer and Gillibrand to secure the $9.2 million in federal funds the hospital’s Emergency Department Modernization Project. Sen. Schumer said by modernizing the emergency department, the hospital will improve healthcare access and efficiency for New Yorkers, “and enable the incredible healthcare workers at this hospital to continue providing top-quality care.”
“That’s why I’m so proud to bring investments like this one to our communities in New York so our hospitals can better serve their communities, especially the underserved communities that The Brooklyn Hospital Center critically cares for.”
The Emergency Department Modernization project will include new triage, exam and treatment rooms; additional space and flow for support services such as a radiology room, CT scan room, satellite pharmacy and discharge rooms; new waiting areas; a new entrance to the Emergency Department and quick registration areas, the electeds said.
Sen. Gillibrand said the pandemic tested the full capabilities of the state’s health care system, and that the funding would go a long way toward providing the city’s “most vulnerable communities access to the best, highest quality medical care.”
“Brooklyn residents deserve access to a world-class health care system, and I am proud of the investments we are making to improve the services of The Brooklyn Hospital Center’s Emergency Department.”
According to the Center for Brooklyn History, The Brooklyn Hospital Center’s first building opened in 1852 in an area bordered by Canton Street, DeKalb Avenue and Raymond Street. Over the decades, the original building expanded into a sprawling complex of medical facilities, including the borough’s first nurse training school.
Now, The Brooklyn Hospital Center has a 464-bed hospital and a network of family health centers, medical practices and other ambulatory care sites, located both on its main campus and throughout Brooklyn’s neighborhoods.
