By Alex Robinson
The Charles B. Wang Community Health Center has announced it is going to build a 9,000-square-foot Flushing facility in conjunction with an affordable housing complex.
The health center recently signed a 10-year lease on the same site as the complex, at 137-39 45th Ave., in conjunction with Selfhelp Community Services to bring much-needed medical services to the area.
“The Health Center will use the space to expand its primary care capability so we can better serve the growing Asian-American community and other underserved populations in Flushing and in Queens County,” said Jane Eng, chief executive officer, of Charles B. Wang Community Health Center. “Selfhelp and the health center share a similar mission — to make sure that all community members receive the highest quality of care through provision of comprehensive and personalized services.”
Founded in 1971, the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center provides affordable primary care to underserved residents through three facilities in Manhattan’s Chinatown and one in Flushing, which opened in 1997. The centers are open seven days a week and serve patients regardless of their ability to pay.
The new two-floor building will provide clinical services, including pediatrics, mental health services and health education in both English and Chinese. The center will have bilingual staff on hand.
The center will also offer cancer and hepatitis B screenings, immunizations and smoking cessation programs. It will also have patient portals that patients can use to access their own health records. A Chinese language portal will at the center will be the first of its kind in the country.
“When you combine these forward-thinking services, with Selfhelp’s high-tech health amenities available in each apartment and other innovative programs offered, you have an environment that supports and facilitates safety, health, socialization and well-being,” said Stuart Kaplan, Selfhelp’s CEO. “Endeavors like this can virtually transform ‘affordable housing’ into one of the most promising areas we see for the future — housing that enables residents to override poor health habits and thrive in a place that champions good health and enriches lives every day.”
Selfhelp is a nonprofit which helps to provide seniors with housing and social services. The group’s 12,207-square-foot affordable housing complex has 92 apartments and was built to house more than 100 seniors.
“The Charles B. Wang Community Health Center is a perfect fit with Selfhelp’s philosophical approach to enabling New Yorkers to continue to live healthfully with independence and dignity in their own homes,” Kaplan said.
The center is scheduled to open in 2015.
Reach reporter Alex Robinson by e-mail at arobinson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
