The Children’s Aid Society has acquired a new healthcare facility in the Bronx. The 40,000-square-foot facility is replacing its Bronx Family Center and will double the society’s capacity for its medical, dental and mental health services programs.
The building, in the Morrisania area of the Bronx at East 172nd Street, is expected to provide more than 15,000 visits per year to 4,000 children living in foster care, as well as children participating in other CAS programs.
The project is receiving financing from the Primary Care Development Corporation, a nonprofit lender that finances primary care in underserved communities throughout New York.
[See related story: New York group awarded $750,000 to boost primary care capacity]
PCDC provided the $7 million loan through its New Markets Loan Program, which offers below-market, long-term, fixed-rate loans to expand primary care in low-income communities. The 25-year loan carries a fixed interest rate of 5.26 percent, and is structured so that up to 25 percent of the principal amount may be forgiven. Operated in conjunction with HSBC Bank, the investment is made possible by the Department of Treasury's New Markets Tax Credits Program.
"Children in foster care often have some of the most complicated health and social needs, and teams of healthcare providers, social workers and other professionals must collaborate to ensure each foster child receives the appropriate support," said CAS President and CEO Richard Buery. "Integrating our primary care and social services under one roof is essential to serving this population, which is why we are delighted to partner with PCDC to build the kind of high-quality healthcare facility that will meet the needs of some of New York City's most vulnerable children."
The new site will integrate comprehensive medical, dental, mental health and social services for children and adolescents from CAS foster care and prevention programs, as well as those referred to CAS from other foster care agencies. Currently, these services are provided in a midtown Manhattan site and a clinic in the South Bronx. The new facility will also house CAS' Bronx Medical Foster Care program. Children who can't be cared for by their parents come to the MFC program with chronic and severe disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome and HIV/AIDS, and are placed in appropriate foster and often permanent homes.