Construction Begins on State-Of-The-Art Brooklyn Health Center!

March 30, 2015 10:10 AM

In a historic day for our Union and its members and their families, ground was broken on March 19 for the new Brooklyn Health Center. When it opens less than two years from now, it will be the absolute best facility of its kind anywhere in the country.

It may also be the best located facility of its kind anywhere in the country. It is located less than a ten-minute walk from 13 different subway lines and is also less than a 10-minute walk from the LIRR’s Atlantic Avenue terminal. Buses that stop within one block of the site are the B25, B26, B38 and B52.

Greenspan Provides Preview

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Benefit Funds Chief Executive Officer Dr. Robert Greenspan provided a preview of what members and their families can expect from the new Brooklyn Health Center.

“Our new Brooklyn Health Center will focus on wellness, not just on responding to illness,” Greenspan said. “Our new building will be inviting and easy to use. It will be a place that our members come to as part of their normal life, not just when something bad happens to them. In 20 months we will close our existing Brooklyn Health Center forever, and move into this magnificent new building. What will remain the same, is the dedication of our doctors and nurses, our pharmacists and therapists, our dentists and hygienists, our technicians and staff to providing the very best medicine to our members and their families—and do it with the most caring and friendly service anywhere.”

Greenspan noted that much hard work had already gone into the project prior to the groundbreaking, and he personally thanked Peter Ward, Hotel Association President Joseph Spinnato and the entire Board of Trustees for their unwavering support. Greenspan also thanked his exceptional staff—Harry Veras and Andrew Windsor in particular—for their continued efforts, and the preconstruction team of Francis Cauffman, the project’s architect, and Skanska USA, the company that will build the new Health Center.

Much Work Prior to Construction

“This is a very special day for our Union and our members and their families,” Hotel Trades Council President Peter Ward said, in welcoming hotel representatives, union officers and elected officials to the groundbreaking ceremony. “A great amount of time and effort has gone into this project even before we place these shovels into the ground, and there are a number of people who deserve out thanks.”

Ward expressed appreciation to Hotel Association President Joseph Spinnato, saying, “When it comes to health care for our members and their families the Hotel Association and the Union are partners, not enemies.”

Ward added, “Through hard work and much innovation we are able to bring top quality health care to members and their families at a cost that is 30% less than other health plans. All of us can be proud of this model for health care.”

Ward also praised the work of Dr. Greenspan and his team. “An extraordinary amount of planning is involved in a project like this and we are very fortunate to have someone like Bob Greenspan leading the way.”

Ward told guests that he had grown up in Brooklyn and that the event was a nice homecoming for him. He then introduced the Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio.

“He has done much himself for health care in our city, he has brought about Universal pre-k and he has fought hard to protect those who live in rent stabilized apartments,” Ward said. “Think of those who live in rent stabilized units who need pre-k for their kids and you can only imagine how much money Bill de Blasio’s policies have saved them and have allowed them to live in this city. We are honored to have Mayor de Blasio here with us today.”

Mayor Welcomes New Health Center

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s remarks were uplifting. He said he was genuinely happy to be present for the groundbreaking and he congratulated the Union and the Hotel Association for having a health care model that others should study and implement. He told of the time he had visited the Harlem Health Center and how impressed he was with the health care system enjoyed by Hotel Trades Council members and their families and that the city itself was considering a shift to a similar system. Speaking personally to members of the Union who were present for the groundbreaking ceremony, de Blasio said, “I want to thank the HTC members who are here today because you’ve done a lot for this city. So many of you participated in our efforts to create pre-k, create afterschool, and create affordable housing. You’ve been tremendous allies.”

We should add that a summation of Mayor de Blasio’s remarks is published in this edition of Hotel Voice.
Spinnato, Stringer, James Add Remarks

Hotel Association President Joseph Spinnato said he, too, was proud of what has been accomplished in health care by working closely with the Union. “We want what the Union wants, which is the best health care for our industry’s employees and their families.”

New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer was also present for the groundbreaking. He said members and their families could take real pride in the new facility.
“Several years ago I toured the Harlem Health Center so I know first hand about the excellence of your health care system,” Stringer told those present for the groundbreaking. “I believe a lot of this is due to Peter Ward. When it comes down to representing the members of his union Peter is a bulldog. He not only cares about the wages his members make but also their family medical care and other benefits.”

New York City Public Advocate Letitia James also spoke at the groundbreaking. Reminding all that the new Health Center is located in the district she used to represent when she was a New York City Council Member, she said, “Welcome to my neighborhood.”

Noting the renaissance that is taking place in Brooklyn and particularly in the neighborhood where the new Health Center is located, Ms. James added, “This facility is a spectacular addition to Brooklyn. I share your pride in what will be the most outstanding health care facility anywhere in the country.”

Intense Planning

As Peter Ward noted, much hard work was needed even before the groundbreaking. Finding a suitable location and then designing the building were just two of the difficult and time-consuming steps. Another difficult step was applying for and obtaining all the permits necessary to build this splendid facility. This process was more difficult than usual because of the new Health Center’s close proximity to transit hubs. It will sit over several major subway lines and the planners had to work carefully to obtain the necessary permits and clearances from the MTA. In addition, because the facility’s location is in an upscale neighborhood that has been declared a cultural district—it is only a block from the Brooklyn Academy of Music and several blocks from the Barclay’s Center—approvals from several other agencies were necessary.

The architectural company chosen for the design of the new Brooklyn Health Center is Francis Cauffman, one of the top 25 design firms in the country, according to Modern Health care magazine, and an equally prestigious company, Skanska USA, was chosen to build it.

As Peter Ward has noted several times, the new Brooklyn Health Center will be built with union labor. It will be 50% larger than the Harlem Health Center. Its dental center will have more than 20 chairs and its pharmacy will be four times larger than the current pharmacy in Brooklyn.

There’s more. The new Brooklyn Health Center’s design is not only incorporating the most modern and futuristic elements of health care, it is based in part on actual suggestions made by Hotel Trades Council members and their families. As Hotel Voice reported earlier, the Benefit Funds Office conducted focus groups in 2013 consisting of patients from all four current Health Centers. Valuable information was gathered from these groups and the ideas they generated are being included in the new Brooklyn Health Center.

How It Will Look

This Brooklyn Health Center—an artist’s rendition of it appears in this edition of Hotel Voice—will be housed in a gorgeous 12-story, 180,000 square foot mixed-use building. It will have a curved, textured glass façade and a 12-story mural on the south façade.

At least five floors at the building will be used for the actual Health Center—that’s 65,000 square feet—with the rest of the facility used for office and retail space, which will help offset the estimated $120 million cost of the project. It is projected that there will be 70,000 square feet of office space and 20,000 square feet for retail space, with dining facilities on the ground level along with outdoor public space. There will even be terraces on a sixth-floor setback and on the roof. Across the street from the new Brooklyn Health Center will be a beautiful refurbished park.

When it opens in 2016 the new Brooklyn Health Center will focus on wellness. It will feature collaboration between staff members that will mean the highest quality and most efficient service to members and their families.

“The new Brooklyn Health Center is designed to provide high quality health care with no waiting for patients,” Dr. Greenspan says. “The goal is to have 85% of all patients get their necessary services, including picking up their pharmacy prescriptions, in less than an hour.”

The new Health Center is located in what is called the Brooklyn Cultural District, which is home to many arts venues and groups. The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) anchors the district. Residential towers are rising and BAM expansions are in progress. By adding health services, office space, shops and an outdoor plaza, the new Brooklyn Health Center will bring pedestrian activity to the community and will be a very welcomed member of the community.

It is hoped that the new Brooklyn Health Center will be open and serving members and their families before the end of 2016.

Hotel Trades Council President Peter Ward, Hotel Association President Joseph Spinnato, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Benefit Funds CEO Dr. Robert Greenspan breaking the ground for the new Brooklyn Health Center.

Here is an artist’s rendition of what the new Brooklyn Health Center will look like. It will have a curved, textured glass façade, a 12-story mural on the south wall and a pedestrian plaza, as well as a dental center with more than 20 chairs and a pharmacy four times larger than the one in the current Brooklyn Health Center.

New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer and Public Advocate Letitia James were among the speakers at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Guests from the Union and the hotel industry attending the groundbreaking ceremony.

Funds Office CEO Dr. Robert Greenspan greets Local 6 Executive Board Member Sal Marciante at the groundbreaking ceremony.