NEW YORK, NY, April 21, 2016 – Today, Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC) CEO Louise Cohen, MPH joined New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio along with Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Herminia Palacio, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President Maria Torres-Springer, and Damian Family Care Centers’ CEO Peter Grisafi, to celebrate the opening of Damian’s Third Avenue Health Center in the South Bronx.
PCDC provided $3.7 million in financing toward the $5.3 million acquisition and expansion of a health care facility, which includes participation from Vital Healthcare Capital. New York City’s Caring Neighborhoods initiative, led by the NYCEDC through its Community Health Center Expansion Program, provided technical assistance and a grant to accelerate health center development.
The center, located at 2604 Third Avenue in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, serves a community where almost 40% of residents are below the federal poverty level, and more than 85% of the current center’s patients are covered under Medicaid. Through the federally qualified health center (FQHC) model of primary care, Damian will expand the center’s services to include dental care and child psychiatry, and will effectively double the center’s current capacity.
“PCDC is proud to join Mayor de Blasio’s Caring Neighborhoods initiative to support Damian Family Care Centers’ effort to bring additional primary care services to families in the South Bronx,” said Ms. Cohen. “The $3.7 million in affordable financing PCDC provided with participation from Vital Healthcare Capital, combined with the grant from NYCEDC, will catalyze the expansion of this important health care facility. This kind of public-private partnership is critical to expanding primary care in New York City’s underserved communities.”
Read more about today’s event here.
About the Primary Care Development Corporation
Founded in 1993, the Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC) is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to quality primary care, in order to improve the health of families and communities, lessen disparities and reduce health care costs. PCDC offers training and technical assistance on providing health care services that are accessible, high-quality, and compassionate; affordable capital to renovate and expand community health centers so that services are offered in settings that promote efficiency, dignity, and respect; and advocacy to advance public policies that strengthen and sustain quality primary care. To date, PCDC has helped over 1,000 primary care practices improve delivery of care and leveraged over $670 million on projects that enhance capacity in low-income communities.
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