The Bedford-Stuyvesant Family Health Center is a $26 million facility built on 38,000 square feet of property.
The ribbon cutting of this center on April 2 was a welcome long overdue service to the Bed-Stuy community, which ranks high in the percentage of residents with early deaths due to diseases.
The new center at 1456 Fulton St. is located on one of the busiest streets in Central Brooklyn. It is more than three times the size of the previous center, with more inviting spaces for learning, healing and the nurturing of healthy life styles. The expanded space affords comprehensive services such as internal medicine, dental care, diabetic care, pediatrics, eye exams, cardiology, family practice, clinical HIV/AIDS, behavioral health consultation and much more.
The level of patient comfort allows for privacy between doctor and patient through individual counseling.
Funding for the new center was obtained through GE’s multi-year, $50 million program to increase access to health care in underserved communities. NBC News, a strong supporter of the Bedford Stuyvesant Health Center, donated technical support to ensure a smooth transition.
The center now has the capacity to increase its primary health care services to more than 20,000 Brooklyn residents.
Under the leadership of the CEO Patricia Fernandez and Medical Director Pascale Kersaint, opening day was one of total exuberance, pride and a sense of accomplishment by the staff and community residents.
The NBC-sponsored news conference was attended by community icons, politicians and professionals of various walks of life. These included the Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson, pastor of the Concord Baptist Church; Jean Black, BSFHC board chair; Nirav R. Shah, NYS commissioner of health; Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; Ollie McClean, founder of Sankofa International Academy; President of NBC News Steve Capus, City Councilman Al Vann and Assemblywoman Annette Robinson.
