{"id":38180,"date":"2025-09-11T14:49:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T14:49:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/?p=38180"},"modified":"2025-09-11T14:49:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T14:49:15","slug":"mayor-adams-nyc-health-hospitals-ceo-dr-katz-celebrate-opening-of-bridge-to-home-facility-providing-transitional-housing-with-onsite-clinical-services-for-patients-with-severe-m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/archives\/38180","title":{"rendered":"Mayor Adams, NYC Health + Hospitals CEO Dr. Katz celebrate opening of \u2018bridge to home facility,\u2019 providing transitional housing with onsite clinical services for patients with severe mental illness"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEWYORK: New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Health + Hospitals CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz announced the opening of NYC Health + Hospitals\u2019 \u201cBridge to Home\u201d facility, a new, innovative support model designed to help patients living with severe mental illness who are ready to be discharged from the hospital but do not have a place to go. Bridge to Home is funded as part of the Adams administration\u2019s $650 million plan\u00a0to address homelessness and support New Yorkers experiencing serious mental illness.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bridge to Home program aims to fill this critical gap between inpatient treatment and permanent housing placement, offering patients a stable, home-like environment with onsite clinical services and behavioral health care to ensure they can continue their recovery while transitioning to permanent housing.<\/p>\n

The Midtown West facility will welcome its first guests this week, and provide single rooms to 46 guests, when at full capacity, with dedicated on-site clinical, behavioral health, and administrative support. The first-of-its-kind model was first unveiled as part of Mayor Adams\u2019\u202f2025 state of the city address.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor decades, New Yorkers struggling with serious mental illness have been caught in a cycle between hospitals and streets. But now, with \u2018Bridge to Home,\u2019 we are finally breaking that cycle and creating an off-ramp to ensure New Yorkers leaving the hospital have a nurturing and safe environment to maintain their progress,\u201d said\u00a0<\/strong>Mayor Adams.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the start, our administration has been laser focused on supporting our most vulnerable New Yorkers, especially those struggling with serious mental illness. From launching innovative co-response programs that engage New Yorkers on the streets to investing over $650 million in a comprehensive plan to address homelessness, and even helping pass legislation in Albany that allows us to finally ensure people get help even when they don\u2019t even recognize their own need for it, our administration has been committed to bringing real change, and this is yet another example of the transformation we are making across our city. I thank Dr. Katz and the entire team at NYC Health + Hospitals for their vision and their dedication to realizing this innovative model, which will impact countless lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe launch of \u2018Bridge to Home\u2019 marks a significant step forward in our ability to improve the lives of our most vulnerable New Yorkers living with serious mental illness,\u201d said\u00a0Dr. Mitchell Katz, president and CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo often, without the stability they need to heal, patients leave the hospital only to return to shelters or the street. \u2018Bridge to Home\u2019 offers a safe place to land \u2014 with on-site support, clinical care, and a path forward. By combining transitional housing with coordinated, compassionate services, we\u2019re helping people rebuild their lives and find a more permanent home.\u201d<\/p>\n

By offering patients intensive treatment and comprehensive support, Bridge to Home aims to keep patients on a path toward sustained success, reducing unnecessary emergency room visits and inpatient hospitalizations, decreasing homelessness and reliance on shelters, and lowering interactions with the criminal justice system.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s announcement also builds on Mayor Adams\u2019 \u201cend the culture of anything goes\u201d campaign, which highlights the work the administration has done, to date, to change the culture and laws that prevented people with severe mental illness from getting the help they needed, while simultaneously making the investments necessary to support outreach, harm reduction, wraparound services, and housing \u2014 all in an effort to make lasting impacts in lives and communities.<\/p>\n

Approximately 78,000 behavioral health patients receive services annually at NYC Health + Hospitals and nearly half of them experience homelessness. For these patients, however, recovery is often delayed due to the instability of housing. The Bridge to Home program provides a key solution by offering a place to stay with comprehensive on-site support while patients transition to permanent housing, reducing reliance on emergency care and improving long-term stability for patients as they prepare for permanent housing.<\/p>\n

The Bridge to Home facility on West 36th Street ensures patients are in close proximity to Bellevue Hospital and the full spectrum of services offered within the NYC Health + Hospitals system, including behavioral health care, medical treatment, and housing navigation. The building will be staffed 24\/7 by NYC Health + Hospitals professionals and feature a comprehensive, multidisciplinary treatment team consisting of psychiatric providers, social workers, nurses, and peer specialists. Behavioral health services will include medication management, individual and group therapy, substance use disorder treatment, and around-the-clock support.<\/p>\n

Bridge to Home will work in concert with NYC Health + Hospitals\u2019 \u201cHousing for Health\u201d program, which has housed nearly 1,500 patients, and is expected to improve engagement in outpatient care, reduce emergency room visits, and support successful transitions from homelessness to permanent housing. Housing for Health community partners will work with guests at the Bridge to Home facility to help secure permanent housing placements.<\/p>\n

NYC Health + Hospitals\u2019 lease of the entire Hudson River Hotel on West 36th Street will provide single rooms to 46 guests at full capacity with dedicated on-site clinical, behavioral health, as well as administrative support. The three-year lease of the facility \u2014 approved by the NYC Health + Hospitals Board of Directors in late July \u2014 marks an important milestone in the city’s effort to support patients transitioning from hospital care to long-term stability. The program aims to reduce reliance on emergency care, prevent hospital readmissions, and improve overall outcomes for vulnerable New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatients with serious mental illness who are ready for discharge need ongoing clinical and housing support \u2014 without it, their recovery may be disrupted, leading them back to the hospital or the street,\u201d said\u00a0<\/strong>Dr. Ted Long, senior vice president for ambulatory care and population health, NYC Health + Hospitals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith \u2018Bridge to Home\u2019 we are ready to address that unmet need with compassion and precision. It\u2019s not just a roof over someone\u2019s head, it\u2019s a clinical and community-based lifeline. With this model, we are building a seamless bridge between hospital care and long-term stability, ensuring patients stay connected to the care they need while gaining the housing security to heal and get back on their feet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the largest provider of behavioral health services in the city, we feel a deep responsibility to continue to develop clinical models of care that support our most complex patients,\u201d said\u00a0Omar Fattal, MD, MPH, chief of behavioral health services, NYC Health + Hospitals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis week, we are proud to launch a new initiative \u2014 one that will provide clinical services to homeless individuals with serious mental illness in a home-like environment, while comprehensively addressing their needs in a patient-centered way to help them attain stability and permanent housing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Bridge to Home\u2019 is an innovative transitional housing model that bolsters the city\u2019s continuum of care and adds to a robust safety net of specialized resources for New Yorkers who may be in danger of falling into unsheltered homelessness,\u201d said\u00a0<\/strong>New York City Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Wasow Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongratulations to the clients who will soon benefit from this supportive and nurturing facility as they take the next steps toward achieving self-sufficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenges of helping patients with severe mental illness maintain stability in the community after inpatient care are well known,\u201d said\u00a0Dr. Eric Wei, chief executive officer, NYC Health + Hospitals\/Bellevue.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Bridge to Home\u2019 will be an essential part of Bellevue\u2019s continuum of care, improving patient outcomes by providing a holistic approach that includes housing, access to onsite clinical staff, and interventions designed to enhance functioning as patients transition into permanent housing. This transformative program will fill a critical gap in community treatment for individuals living with serious mental illness.”<\/p>\n

\u201cPsychiatrists working in public settings have long hoped for a program like \u2018Bridge to Home,\u2019\u201d said\u00a0Dr. Bipin Subedi, chief of psychiatry NYC Health + Hospitals\/Bellevue.<\/p>\n

\u201cDischarging patients with serious mental illness has often meant sending them into uncertain housing situations, despite the significant progress made during hospitalization. Access to a facility that meets both housing and clinical needs \u2014 while fostering a sense of community and improving day-to-day functioning \u2014 will be a powerful asset in supporting both short- and long-term recovery. \u2018Bridge to Home\u2019 will extend the high-quality care we provide at Bellevue into the community, offering vital continuity for our patients. It will truly transform how we support individuals with serious mental illness who are also struggling with unstable housing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Bridge to Home\u2019 is a compassionate and necessary addition to our city\u2019s behavioral health care system,\u201d said\u00a0New York City Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs chair of the New York City Council\u2019s Committee on Hospitals, I commend NYC Health + Hospitals for taking a bold step to ensure patients aren\u2019t left behind after discharge. In my years as a nurse, I was often pained during the discharge process, knowing some patients still needed care and stability to truly heal. \u2018Bridge to Home\u2019 aims to fill that gap. Transitional housing with integrated care helps stabilize lives, reduce hospital readmissions, and bring dignity to those struggling with serious mental illness. This is the kind of thoughtful investment that saves lives and strengthens our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe at Praxis Housing welcome \u2018Bridge to Home\u2019 to our neighborhood,\u201d said\u00a0Floyd Cuevas, director of operations, Praxis Housing Initiatives, Inc.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last 30 years, we have seen many homeless persons with special needs struggle after they leave the hospital and return to living on the street. We hope that by improving medical care coordination and creating a path towards permanent housing, this model will help reduce the recidivism of homelessness for this marginalized population and be replicated across our city.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEWYORK: New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Health + Hospitals CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz announced the opening of NYC Health + Hospitals\u2019 \u201cBridge to Home\u201d facility, a new, innovative support model designed to help patients living with severe mental illness who are ready to be discharged from the hospital but do not have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":38178,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1469,31,1378],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-york","category-news","category-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38180"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38181,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38180\/revisions\/38181"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}