The Bronx Community Health Network (BCHN) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Nov. 17 for its new health and wellness diagnostic and treatment center in the Northeast Bronx. Renovations are starting soon to transform the location’s previously unoccupied two-story building into a state-of-the-art outpatient medical, dental and behavioral health center with associated support spaces. The center will be located at 3763 White Plains Road.
“Our new health and wellness center is a much-needed resource for Bronx residents that will extend access to a wide array of affordable, evidence-based medical, behavioral health, and oral health care services,” CEO James Paine said. “From this new access point, we will also provide referrals to housing, jobs, and other socioeconomic and human development services, as well as engage residents in activities that improve health outcomes, quality of life, and overall life expectancy.”
BCHN secured a long-term lease for the two-story, 11,000-square-foot commercial building, initiating a capital improvement project to transform the space into a new federally qualified health center. The project is set to be completed within six months, with occupancy and patient visits scheduled to begin for summer 2024.
The new health center’s service area will cover four zip codes, which currently have a total population of 263,436 people who are predominantly Black and Hispanic. According to data from the Health Resources & Services Administration’s Uniform Data System, approximately 38% of the expected patient population qualifies as low income, and about 56.2% are considered medically underserved.
BCHN’s new health and wellness diagnostic and treatment center will serve approximately 6,700 patients in its first year, expanding to nearly 11,000 new patients by the third year of operation. It will also act as a source of employment for the community, with approximately 30 full-time jobs.
“In 2022, over a third of Americans had someone in their family who postponed healthcare because they couldn’t afford it,” U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman said. “In the wealthiest country in the world, that is unacceptable. Community health centers provide invaluable services to people who would otherwise have to choose between healthcare and other necessities. I am excited to see the difference that the Bronx Community Health Network’s new health and wellness center will make. Healthcare should be accessible and affordable for everyone, and this center will bring us closer to that goal.”
The center will offer medical, behavioral, and oral health care. Complementary health promotion, education, outreach, social support, care coordination and chronic disease management will also be provided along with pharmacy services. All patient services will be strategically located across the ground and second floor of the building, with a multipurpose space and conference rooms for community programming on the lower level.
BCHN has partnered with Denham Wolf Real Estate Services, a trusted real estate advisor serving the nonprofit community across New York City and beyond, to bring this vision to life. Denham Wolf has played a crucial role in supporting BCHN in assembling a team of consultants, negotiating contracts, and helping to facilitate the New York State Certificate of Need process for BHCN’s new health and wellness center. The planned renovations have been designed by DIGroupArchitecture, a minority-owned architecture and design firm, and an AIA NJ 2023 Firm of the Year, and NYC-based New York Engineers.
“It’s been very exciting working with the team at BCHN to help them not only construct their first stand-alone health center but also to support their growth as an organization,” said director of design at Denham Wolf Jessica Stander. “We look forward to seeing more of BCHN’s projects come to fruition as the organization continues to provide quality healthcare to underserved areas of the Bronx.”
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