Special Projects Fund

Grantee Name

Brownsville Community Development Corporation

Funding Area

Special Projects Fund

Publication Date

August 2014

Grant Amount

$199,840

Grant Date:

November 2009 – October 2012

The Brownsville Multi-Service Family Health Center (BMS), established by Brownsville Community Development Corporation (BCDC), serves residents of central Brooklyn with high rates of poverty and chronic diseases.

From 2003 to 2007, three local hospitals, one federally qualified health center (FQHC), and more than sixteen community satellite clinics in Brooklyn closed. Facing the prospect of closing its primary care clinics, Long Island College Hospital (LICH), which is located in the Brooklyn Heights/Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn, engaged BMS about transferring its primary care clinics to the auspice of BMS. BMS, a community-based FQHC, hoped to use its favorable Medicaid reimbursement rates and lower professional liability insurance costs to ensure that the primary care clinics operated more cost-effectively and achieved financial sustainability.

In 2009, the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) awarded BCDC a grant to assist in the quick and seamless transfer of LICH’s primary care clinics to the jurisdiction of BMS.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

  • Hired two out of the three consulting firms responsible for developing a comprehensive transfer plan for LICH’s primary care clinics: RSM McGladrey, a business consulting firm, and Feldesman, Tucker & Leifer, a law firm.

In 2012, the State awarded a grant to State University of New York Downstate Medical Center (SUNY Downstate) to acquire and operate LICH. The transfer of control of LICH to SUNY Downstate prevented the finalization of BMS’s project to acquire the primary care clinics. Under these circumstances, which were beyond the grantee’s control, NYHealth closed this grant in October 2012 and cancelled the final payment of $49,960 on the original grant award of $249,800.