BY ALEX HELLINGER | On July 17 Lenox Health Greenwich Village (LHGV) turned five years old. We first opened our doors to anyone and everyone needing emergency care in 2014 with our full-service Emergency Center as a first step in filling the gap of healthcare services needed in this neighborhood and to ease the hardships our community endured after St. Vincent’s Hospital closed.
Our desire was to create something very special for patients in need of help at a critical time in their lives. Our Emergency Department is open 24/7/365 and cares for all patients regardless of their ability to pay. We had more than 38,000 patients visit our emergency department in 2018 alone.
We’ve administered clot-busting medications to patients with strokes, and we’ve provided critical care to many thousands of patients with heart failure, COPD, aneurysms, respiratory failure, pneumonia, influenza, diabetes, allergic reactions and more. We also regularly care for psychiatric patients, as well as patients with drug- or alcohol-related emergencies.
The opening of the Emergency Center was just the beginning of our more than $180-million investment for the residents of this community; we are building a true comprehensive medical network throughout Downtown Manhattan.
In 2016 we opened our state-of-the-art Imaging Center. We realize that being referred for an imaging study can be a stressful experience that can be compounded by the inconvenience of having to travel to out-of-the-way facilities. Our Imaging Center offers the most advanced breast cancer screening exams, including 3D mammography, a new imaging option that diminishes the rate of false positives by about 40 percent. We are one of only a handful of centers that offer this new imagining option. In addition to our full range of breast-imaging services, our 13,000-square-foot center also offers magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), CT scans, ultrasounds, digital X-rays and bone density testing,
Also within LHGV, we have opened a patient service center (blood collection), an ambulatory surgery center and a conference room space that is open for community use. Additionally, we have added orthopedic and spine care physician offices and recently hired a plastic surgeon that specializes in transgender care.
With our commitment to continue building a comprehensive and robust medical ecosystem Downtown, in 2018 we opened Northwell Health Physician Partners at Greenwich Village, located at 7 Seventh Ave. — Northwell’s largest primary multispecialty center in Manhattan — and our 78th outpatient practice over all in the borough. Here you’ll find expertise in adult cardiology, rheumatology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, otolaryngology and surgical specialties, plus pediatric neurology, allergy and cardiology. In addition, surgical consultative services available include thoracic, bariatric, vascular, colorectal, plastic, urologic and general surgery. The clinical space features 28 exam rooms, a noninvasive cardiology testing suite, chest radiography, a full audiology testing booth and a pulmonary function laboratory. This follows the opening of three large primary care and multispecialty practices in the area.
In order to further provide access to medical care for non-emergencies, we also opened two GoHealth Urgent Care Centers, located at 225 W. 23rd St. and 41 E. Eighth St.
With our strong commitment to the environment, the LHGV building, at 30 Seventh Ave., between 12th and 13th Sts., was awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED-certified buildings save money and resources while promoting renewable, clean energy. Additionally, our most recent ambulances are “green” ambulances, which decrease fuel consumption and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by eliminating unnecessary vehicle idling.
We believe in and support this community. We have partnerships with the New York Alliance Against Sexual Assault, the L.G.B.T. Center and the New York AIDS Memorial. We are recognized as a “Leader in L.G.B.T. Healthcare Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, designated as an AIDS Center by the New York State Department of Health, and we are a certified Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) Center.
We are part of the fabric of this community and want our residents to have access to high-quality care right where they live. We administer free flu shots, offer CPR classes and routinely perform health screenings at community health fairs.
We continue to affirm our ongoing commitment to bring exceptional healthcare back to the Village. We encourage you to find out for yourself how we can meet your health needs, now and in the future. We invite you to stop by, visit our Web site, at lenoxhealth.com, or give us a call at 646-665-6000 to learn more about all of the Downtown healthcare resources we offer.
Hellinger is executive director, Lenox Health Greenwich Village.
