NEW YORK — On the eighth floor of NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health, elected officials took to sledgehammers to pound on old walls to break ground on Coney Island's new Integrated Women's Health Center.
“Maternity care begins long before a child is born, and we need to invest in women's overall health, safety and psychological well-being throughout their reproductive years,” said Svetlana Lipyanskaya, the hospital's CEO.
The work will begin in 2023 after Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso allocated $18.5 million for the facility.
“Brooklyn is the most dangerous place in all of New York City for black women to give birth. Black women die during childbirth eight times more than white women,” Reynoso said Monday, adding that the effort is essential.
New centre packed with technology
Hospital leaders say the new center is designed to address significant health care disparities in the area and provide space for births, neonatal intensive care units, nurseries and more.
“We will expand our exam rooms to 30, including approximately eight bariatric rooms, three treatment rooms with restrooms, six ultrasound rooms, a large reception area that will seat more than 50 people, a dedicated children's corner, nursing spaces, stroller and wheelchair storage, space for education, community activities and classes. This is something we've never done before,” said Michelle Beckman, the hospital's chief growth officer.
Reynoso says it's time to “shock the system”
The facility is said to be designed to be a one-stop shop on the hospital grounds, which were recently renovated to make way for the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital building.
“The problem with Black maternal health is that we've done marginal work — giving a little here, doing a little there, but not making any meaningful change. Black women's mortality rates remain high. What we need to do is shock the system,” Reynoso said.
For some local leaders, like State Sen. Jessica Scarcella Spanton, the fight is personal.
“When I first gave birth to my daughter Emily, who is now 10, I nearly bled out and it was my midwife who stopped that from happening,” Scarcella Spanton said.
Hospital leaders say development of the center is expected to be completed by spring 2026.
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Hannah Kriger
