HOME ABOUT NGH

SUPPORT NGH CAREERS

ESPAÑOL

Communities Served

North General Hospital has served the Central and East Harlem communities for more than 30- years. During this time, the Hospital has developed partnerships with a wide array of local healthcare providers, and community and faith-based organizations, in addition to the local health department. These relationships have proved invaluable in eliciting input from our various constituents about their health needs and concerns, as well as communicating information to them about the health resources available at the Hospital and its affiliates.

Service Area Demographics

The North General Hospital primary service area includes six contiguous (6) zip codes in northern Manhattan: 10026, 10027, 10029, 10030, 10035 and 10037. The primary service area is coincident to the United Hospital Fund Neighborhoods of East Harlem and Central Harlem.

The Hospital’s secondary service area includes northern Manhattan zip codes 10031, 10032 and 10039; and zip codes 10451, 10452, 10454 and 10456 in the Bronx. North General Hospital defines its primary service area as the zip codes to which 65% of its inpatients are discharged.

The Hospital utilizes patient origin to define and understand the needs of the communities it serves. Residents of the communities served by North General Hospital continue to face numerous barriers to care. Included among these are immigration status, language, income, education and lack of insurance.

Population - According to the 2000 census, there are 117,743 residents of East Harlem and 151,113 residents of Central Harlem, roughly 3% of New York City’s total population of 7.5 million. It is widely believed that these statistics undercount the actual population due to the influx of immigrants from Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Central American countries and West Africa, who may be undocumented.

Race - One in three residents of East Harlem is of African-American race/ethnicity; close to 7 of every 10 residents of Central Harlem is of African-American descent. Over one half of the population, (55%), of East Harlem is of Hispanic origin, double the percentage citywide (27%) and in Central Harlem (20%).

Age – The primary service area is home to a higher proportion of residents under 14 (23%) than in the city as a whole (19%) in the 2000 census. In East Harlem one out of four residents is a woman of childbearing age (15-44). The percent of population over 65 is comparable to the New York City average (11.4% as compared to 11.2%).  

Language - Residents who speak little or no English make up 20% of the population, almost double the Manhattan average of eleven percent (11%) and the citywide average of twelve percent (12%).

Poverty - East and Central Harlem are two of the poorest communities in New York City characterized by higher rates of poverty and unemployment, lower education levels and a higher number of single parent households than the average for Manhattan or New York City. Thirty-six percent (36%) of East Harlem households have incomes below $10,000; the unemployment rate is sixteen percent (16%), twice that of New York City. Eighty-eight percent (88%) of children enrolled in East Harlem public schools are eligible for free lunches. Median household income (2000) was $14,600 in East Harlem and $16,000 in Central Harlem, less than the average in Manhattan ($36,800) and citywide ($31,700). The percentage of children in poverty was fifty-four percent (54%) as compared to thirty-six percent (36%) in Manhattan and thirty percent (30%) in New York City

The health status of the population residing in the North General Hospital service area is among the worse in the State. According to data presented by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in its Community Health Profiles, 2006, residents of East and Central Harlem suffer disproportionately from the burden of illness and mortality.

East Harlem and Central Harlem represent two of the forty-two neighborhoods profiled by the city. When compared to other neighborhoods, East and Central Harlem residents experience the following:

• East Harlem residents experience more barriers to health care access than those in New York City overall. Three in ten are without a regular doctor and more than twenty percent (20%) of residents visit the emergency department for routine health care.
• East Harlem has the second highest HIV-related death rate in the city.
• Almost two thirds of East Harlem residents are overweight or obese, and African-American and Hispanic residents are more likely to be obese than other residents.
• More than one in four adults in Central Harlem currently smokes - more than forty percent (40%) higher than the proportion in New York City overall.
• The HIV-related death rate in Central Harlem is more than double the rates in Manhattan and New York City overall.

 

 

 

In 2008, the New York State Department of Health made available Prevention Quality Indicators (PQI). PQIs are rates of hospital admission for conditions which good ambulatory care can potentially prevent, or for which early intervention can prevent complications or more severe disease. A review of PQI data for the North General service area illustrates significantly high rates in comparison to statewide averages.

To address this dire public health situation in the community, over next three years, North General and its partners will develop collaborative programming around these issues. North General will address these priorities by: a) raising public awareness of both issues; b) collaborating with community partners and area businesses to develop and provide training and education programs; c) working in partnership with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine to integrate these priorities into their curriculums; and lastly d) impacting public policy through research and grant opportunities. Interventions will be designed based on a review of best practice evidence based guidelines. North General expects several other community-based organizations (CBOs) to participate within the three-year cycle. North General will continue to ask for the active participation of local CBOs so that a diverse reflection of the community is represented as set forth by NYS Prevention Agenda Programming Guidelines.

Download the Hospital’s 2008-2009 Community Service Plan