Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. marked Urban Health Plan’s 50th anniversary with a street co-naming ceremony at his District Office, located at 1070 Southern Blvd.
The intersection of Westchester Avenue and West Farms Road, by Salamanca’s office, was officially co-named Urban Health Plan Way.
In addition to celebrating the half-century of service that Urban Health Plan has provided Bronx residents, the ceremony also allowed the community to posthumously honor Dr. Richard “Doc” Izquierdo, who founded Urban Health Plan.
For Salamanca, this street co-naming ceremony hits close to home. He began his career working at Urban Health Plan. Additionally, his mother worked there.
“Urban Health Plan has been an important staple in the Borough of the Bronx for 50 years. It is the biggest economic engine that we have in the South Bronx, employing over 1,000 employees,” Salamanca said. “And on a personal note, today’s ceremony is very meaningful to me as I not only started my career here, but my mother also worked for Urban Health Plan. So, to see it grow into what it has become today brings me great joy. I am incredibly proud that the corner of Westchester Avenue and West Farms Road will now be forever known as Urban Health Plan Way.”
Urban Health Plan’s roots can be traced back to 1968, with the creation of the San Juan Health Center in the South Bronx to help address health disparities there. Now, Urban Health Plan has grown into offering comprehensive and affordable primary and specialty healthcare services. Doc’s daughter, Paloma, is currently operating Urban Health Plan.
In addition to its main site in the South Bronx, Urban Health Plan also has 11 satellite health centers, a mental health facility, 12 school programs, three part-time facilities, six administrative program sites and a new, state-of-the-art facility being developed at 1095 Southern Blvd. This new facility was made possible thanks to $20 million in capital funding secured by Salamanca.
