Tuesday, April 29, 2025
4/29/2025
Fiscal Year 2025 Expanded Hours. - Housing Works Health Services III, Inc., doing business as Housing Works Community Healthcare (HWCH), is proposing an Expanded Hours project to increase health center operating hours to better meet client and community needs. Specifically, HWCH will increase hours at its five sites in New York City (NYC), including the Downtown Brooklyn Health Center (DBHC), the East New York Community Health Center (ENY), the Westside Health Center (WSHC), the W. 37th Street Health Center (W. 37th), and the East Harlem Community Health Center (EHCHC). Expanded hours will include the following: • DBHC will offer Saturday hours (10 am – 2pm) and evening hours (5 pm – 7 pm) one evening per week, providing adult and pediatric health care services. • ENY, which currently offers Saturday hours (10 am – 2 pm) every other Saturday, will utilize the funding to offer Saturday hours every Saturday, providing adult health care services. • WSHC will increase hours to offer 1 evening per week from 5 pm – 7pm, providing adult health care services. • W. 37th St., which is co-located with HWCH’s Ginny Shubert Harm Reduction Center, will increase hours two evening per week from 5 pm – 8 pm, providing access to health care services and behavioral health care services, including Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT). • EHCHC will increase hours to offer 1 evening per week from 5 pm – 7pm, providing adult health care services. The funding will allow HWCH to support staffing at each site to provide needed health care and behavioral health services during the expanded hours. Staffing will include a clinical provider (Physician, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, etc.), Registered Nurse, Medical Assistant, Patient Services Representative, and a Clinic Operations Manager. HWCH has served NYC’s low-income and underserved residents for 34 years. As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) with a Healthcare for the Homeless designation since 1998, HWCH provides high-quality primary medical health care services, including prevention services, acute care, chronic disease treatment, care coordination, and follow-up care. HWCH effectively addresses the needs of a diverse patient population, including low-income and homeless individuals and families, people with chronic mental illness and/or substance use disorders, individuals managing complex, chronic medical conditions including HIV/AIDS, at-risk youth, and former offenders re-entering the community. HWCH is licensed as an Article 28 Diagnostic and Treatment Center under the New York State (NYS) Department of Health (DOH), an Article 31 Outpatient Mental Health Clinic under the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH), and an Article 32 Outpatient Chemical Dependence Treatment Program, under the NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). The proposed expanded hours project will ensure HWCH is able to meet the healthcare needs of its clients and other community members throughout its service area. Across the proposed sites, HWCH has a wait list of more than 30 community members. Further, many of these sites, including the WSHC and W. 37th St., are in high-traffic areas with community members who are active substance users, and may be accessing HIV/STI screening and harm reduction services such as syringe exchange, and would benefit from immediate linkage to a provider for STI treatment, or MAT services. The expansion of hours to include Saturdays will significantly increase access to services for pediatric patients at DBHC, particularly for school-aged children and working parents, who may find it difficult to attend pediatric appointments during weekdays. Through the Expanded Hours project, HWCH anticipates achieving the following outcomes: increased access to services; increased engagement in services; increased retention in services; reduced emergency room visits; and enhanced client satisfaction.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).