Health care is not an issue that suddenly popped up in the last couple of years. Instead, the debate and the need for health care has been an ongoing struggle for hundreds of years.
The Floating Hospital (TFH) has been helping the city’s most fragile families receive comprehensive and compassionate health care services for over 140 years. Today, TFH provides 80,000 patient visits annually and remains dedicated to the principal that homeless and underserved patients deserve the same consistent, respectful and confidential quality health care that most New Yorkers expect when visiting their own doctor.
They provide pediatric, adolescent, adult and geriatric primary care medicine in state-of-the-art facilities. Other services they offer include: dental, mental health assessment and counseling, preventative screenings, immunizations, vision and hearing screenings, screenings for lead, cancer, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, HIV testing and counseling, substance abuse counseling and follow-up treatment and referrals for specialty/emergency care.
Besides providing a health care option for the underserved, the Hospital also wants to promote healthy living as a preventative measure. TFH’s new full service Community Health Center, operating in Long Island City (LIC), is partnering with the Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement House to help children and parents in the area make healthier lifestyle choices. Riis settlement, located in the Queensbridge Housing Development for the past 60 years, offers services to youth, adults, seniors and immigrant populations in the area.
According to TFH, increasing physical activity is the key to improving the health of our young people – and in order to do that, sedentary lifestyles must be traded in for outdoor activities. Also, dietary changes are an important step to a healthier life, which is why the Hospital suggests substituting certain daily ingredients to help lower caloric intake.
TFH can also help local businesses that cannot afford to pay for their employees’ health care. A TFH business specialist can work with small and mid-sized business owners in developing a package for all of their employees. A healthy and educated workforce is one that is a more productive asset to their company.
The Floating Hospital is located at 41-43 Crescent Street, between Queensboro Plaza North and 41st Street. For more information on the complete range of available payment options and comprehensive primary care medical, dental and mental health services, call 718-784-2240.
