QUEENS, NY – April 10, 2018 – The Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center Board of Directors and Denham Wolf Real Estate Services broke ground today on an expansion in Far Rockaway, Queens, that will double the current size of the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center to a total of 44,000 square feet. The new 22,000 square foot addition will allow the center to further its mission of providing essential health services to medically underserved residents of the Rockaway Peninsula through increased patient capacity, enhanced storm resiliency measures, and new community empowerment and development services.

The Addabbo Family Health Center currently occupies 22,000 square feet of space on 6200 Beach Channel Drive, which lies within a federally-designated Medically Underserved Area (MUA). Since its establishment in in 1968, the Addabbo Family Health Center has been the largest Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Queens, providing holistic services to the surrounding low-income community that is disproportionately impacted by poor health outcomes. The facility offers a comprehensive range of results-driven services, including primary care for children and adults, nutrition education, domestic violence support, and HIV intervention, prevention, and treatment, among many others.

“The holistic, community-based health care provided by the Addabbo Family Health Center is needed now more than ever in Far Rockaway,” said Jonathan Denham, co-president of Denham Wolf, a nonprofit-focused real estate services firm and owner’s representative for the project. “Increasing the physical capacity of this facility is crucial to expanding the care, services, and economic opportunity available to a community that has been historically underserved.”

Denham Wolf is an established partner of the Addabbo Family Health Center, having helped the organization acquire the property and construct the current facility, which opened in 2005.

In 2013, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) issued a request for proposals for the City-owned land located next to the existing 22,000 square foot Addabbo Family Health Center. The health center’s expansion project aligned with NYCEDC’s goal of identifying a use for the land that would provide beneficial services to the community, create jobs, and support the local economy, and as a result, with Denham Wolf’s support, the organization was ultimately selected to develop the long-vacant lot. Significant financial support for the project was provided by Primary Care Development Corporation, Bank of America, Building America, and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY).

Slated for completion in 2019, the facility expansion is expected to result in an estimated 65 percent increase in volume and service to patients, allowing the Addabbo Family Health Center to provide care to an estimated total of 18,900 patients each year. Approximately a quarter of these patients will be residents of the nearby New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) housing complexes. The physical expansion will include the construction of 21 new exam rooms, additional clinical and community spaces, and supporting infrastructure upgrades.

Given the widespread flooding and damage inflicted on the Rockaway Peninsula during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, a critical portion of the expansion will also include bolstering the facility’s resilience in the face of natural disasters. Generators will be raised above the floodplain, and floodwalls with landscaping features will be added around the facility’s perimeter to ensure that the community has continuous access to high- quality health care services during and after major weather events.

Another key component of the expansion project includes the implementation of a new workforce development program created in partnership with the Ocean Bay Community Development Corporation. The program will recruit among the 10,000 residents of nearby NYCHA housing complexes to provide on- site job training for medical assistants, clerks, medical billers, and custodians. The project will also generate 90 construction jobs and 31 new permanent positions for physicians, nursing staff, and administrators. More than half of these job opportunities are expected to be filled by local residents.

About the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center

A Federally Qualified Community Health Center established in 1987, the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center provides comprehensive health services to the poor, the medically indigent and/or medically underserved residents in the county of Queens, New York. Our mission is to be the leading preventive and comprehensive primary health care provider in New York City. We are committed to providing services that are patient-focused, high quality, accessible and cost-effective. Services will be provided with respect to the social beliefs, religious, cultural and economic needs of the community we serve. Through education, innovation and community partnerships, we will anticipate and exceed the expectations of our patients and communities.

About Denham Wolf Real Estate Services

An essential resource for New York City’s nonprofit community, Denham Wolf Real Estate Services provides expertise in transactions, development, and project management. Through these integrated services, the firm empowers organizations to take a thoughtful, mission-first approach to real estate. Denham Wolf has partnered with hundreds of diverse nonprofit organizations since its founding in 1998, shaping millions of square feet across New York City.