September 3, 2008
GOVERNOR PATERSON JOINS ASSEMBLY SPEAKER SHELDON SILVER TO ANNOUNCE THE FUTURE SITE OF NEW YORK DOWNTOWN HOSPITAL’S WELLNESS AND PREVENTION CENTER
$5 Million LMDC Grant will Help Fund New Wellness and Prevention Center and Provide for Purchase of First Public MRI Machine in Lower Manhattan
Award Will Provide Vital Health Care Services to Hundreds of Thousands of New York Residents
Governor David A. Paterson today joined New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, New York City Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber, community leaders and hospital officials to announce the future site of the Wellness and Prevention Center at New York Downtown Hospital as well as the future purchase of the first public MRI machine in Lower Manhattan.
The $5 million grant to New York Downtown Hospital comes from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation’s (LMDC) Community Enhancement Fund, which awarded 35 grants in excess of $37 million in November of 2007 to support a variety of community improvements. The grant to New York Downtown Hospital is the largest of LMDC’s 35 grants and is part of $8.5 million awarded for health care purposes in Lower Manhattan. Half of the $5 million grant will go towards the purchase of an MRI machine and the other half will fund the hospital’s new Wellness and Prevention Center.
“New York Downtown Hospital serves hundreds of thousands of Lower Manhattan residents each year, providing New Yorkers with quality care as well as the ability to quickly and professionally respond to emergencies such as the World Trade Center tragedy,” said Governor Paterson. “This grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation will enhance this institution as it meets the needs of a growing population and will provide downtown residents with vital resources such as the availability of an MRI machine and a new center for diagnostic and treatment services. I applaud Speaker Silver and the LMDC for working on behalf of New Yorkers to bring these projects to fruition.”
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said: “Lower Manhattan needs dependable and accessible health care. The addition of the Wellness and Prevention Center at New York Downtown Hospital—a vital health care provider in Lower Manhattan—will benefit everyone in our vibrant and growing community. I fought hard for this important new diagnostic and treatment center, which will include Lower Manhattan’s first MRI for use by the general public, and I am grateful for the leadership of Governor David Paterson and the support of LMDC Chair Avi Schick.”
Robert C. Lieber, New York City Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, said: “Lower Manhattan continues to undergo a remarkable transformation into a vibrant neighborhood with new housing, new and enhanced parks and, as a result, a fast growing residential population. To sustain that growth and meet the needs of current and future residents, we must ensure that Lower Manhattan has accessible, first rate health facilities. The new Wellness and Prevention Center will be an important addition to what is already a strong institution and will serve Lower Manhattan residents for years to come.”
Avi Schick, Chairman of the LMDC Board of Directors, said: "This grant to Downtown Hospital exemplifies the LMDC’s ongoing commitment to transforming Lower Manhattan into a true, vibrant live, work and play destination that can support all the needs of the residents, families and businesses that are flocking to the area to make it their home. With Governor Paterson’s vision and support combined with Speaker Silver’s dedication to the community, this longstanding goal is becoming a reality.”
The new 6,500 square foot Wellness and Prevention Center will boast 12 exam rooms, six consultation rooms, diagnostic and treatment rooms and patient locker rooms and showers. It will provide comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services including internal medicine, diabetes, cardiology, pulmonary and comprehensive blood chemistry screenings. Services will range from non-invasive cardiovascular testing to comprehensive women’s services including diagnostic cancer screenings.
Jeffrey Menkes, President and CEO of New York Downtown Hospital, said: “We are so pleased that Governor Paterson, Speaker Silver, and Avi Schick, Chairman of the LMDC Board of Directors, have joined us here today to launch this important effort which will allow New York Downtown Hospital to maintain our mission to provide preventive, primary care and emergency services to the entire Lower Manhattan community.”
Elizabeth H. Berger, President of the Alliance for Downtown New York, said, “For nearly thirty years, New York Downtown Hospital has been a vital presence on Beekman Street and an important pillar of our community. As Lower Manhattan’s major health care facility, New York Downtown Hospital serves our community with distinction 24 hours a day, seven days a week, capable of expertly handling everything from a common cold to a major disaster. With its new state-of-the-art emergency room and future wellness and prevention center, I’m confident that New York Downtown Hospital will continue to provide quality health care to Lower Manhattan’s ever-growing employee, residential and visitor population. I thank Governor Paterson, Speaker Silver and Avi Schick for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation’s support of this important service expansion.”
New York Downtown Hospital is the only hospital in Lower Manhattan and serves the communities and diverse neighborhoods of Wall Street, Battery Park City, Chinatown, Soho, Tribeca, Little Italy and the Lower East Side. Each year, the hospital has more than 30,000 emergency visits, 146,000 outpatient visits, 12,000 inpatient admissions, 5,300 outpatient surgeries and 2,900 new babies born. In 2006 the hospital received the Patient Safety Award from the State Department of Health. New York Downtown Hospital is the successor hospital to a hospital founded over 150 years ago by Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female physician in the United States.
