NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst and Queens Awarded $125,000 in Grants to Support Innovative Community Health Projects

NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst and Queens Awarded $125,000 in Grants to Support Innovative Community Health Projects

The winning projects cover sickle cell disease, postpartum mental health, postpartum hypertension, Long COVID, and healthcare access for immigrants over age 65

The grants are funded by Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Nov 10, 2025

NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst and Queens today announced receiving nearly $125,000 in grants to support pilot programs to address pressing health challenges faced by local communities. The winning projects cover sickle cell disease, postpartum mental health, postpartum hypertension, Long COVID, and healthcare access for immigrants over age 65. Each project received up to $25,000. The grants are provided through the NYC Partnership, a collaboration between the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Global Health Institute at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst. Funding for these grants is being provided by the Arnhold Institute.

"We are profoundly grateful to the Arnhold Institute for Global Health for their support of these innovative and impactful programs," said NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO Dr. Helen Arteaga-Landaverde. "Each of the funded projects will examine how we can improve health outcomes for vulnerable communities and reduce inequalities within our healthcare system. Congratulations to the dedicated clinicians who worked so hard on their successful applications!"

"These grants will help translate bold, community-driven ideas into real improvements in care for Queens residents," said NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens CEO Neil Moore. "I'm proud of our teams for partnering across institutions to tackle pressing health needs and bring practical, equity-focused solutions to our neighborhoods."

"These grants reflect the extraordinary creativity and dedication of our clinicians, who are deeply committed to addressing the unique needs of the communities we serve," said Dr. Laura Iavicoli, Chief Medical Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst. "We are proud to support research and innovation that will directly improve health equity and outcomes for our patients in Queens."

"The pilot grant program has fostered productive collaboration across institutions and departments, with a sharp focus on community health needs in Queens. The grants for selected for 2025 address critical issues of mental health, sickle-cell pain, postpartum cardiovascular risk, and long-COVID, specifically for communities that face disparities. We look forward to the findings and the impact," said Sheela Maru, MD, MPH, Director of the NYC Partnership, Co-Chair of the NYC Partnership Pilot Project Awards Selection Committee, and Director of the Global Health Department and Institute at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst.

"The funded projects are amazing initiatives and studies that help to bring research opportunities and advances to the uninsured and disadvantaged in our Queens community," said Carlos Salama, MD, Co-Chair of the NYC Partnership Pilot Project Awards Selection Committee, Faculty at the Global Health Department and Institute at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst.

"These grants will launch work that reflects the incredible potential of our partnership with the NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst and Queens," said Rachel Vreeman, MD, MS, Director of the Arnhold Institute for Global Health. "The teams will be working to strengthen the health systems and to generate research that improves clinical care. These teams will all be working to help New York communities and families become healthier and stronger."

The award recipients and their projects include:

Devin Madden, PhD, MPH
Hope Bodega: An Equity-Centered Resiliency Research Project and Intervention

Hope Bodega is a participatory story-sharing intervention that jumpstarts a collective conversation for mental wellbeing by asking participants to share with others, in small group discussion and through a culminating community exhibit, the mementos, objects, or ephemera from their everyday lives that bring them hope. Over the next year, a collaborative team of investigators from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, and community-based reproductive justice organizations will implement the Hope Bodega intervention with doulas who serve births at Elmhurst Hospital, and parents who gave birth at the hospital within the past five years. We will qualitatively analyze the shared stories to identify key resiliency contributors for both populations. The team will also conduct a mixed-methods impact evaluation to assess Hope Bodega's potential for improving participants' resilience (primary outcome), sense of belonging and social connectedness, and overall wellbeing.

Dave A. Holson, MD, MPH
They Don't Believe Us: Changing the Narrative for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease with an Acute Painful Episode Presenting to the Emergency Department Through the Implementation and Evaluation of a Standardized Pain Protocol

Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder affecting approximately 8,000 primarily African Americans in New York City. Sickle cell disease is associated with a significant number of complications, resulting in a lifespan that is two to three decades shorter than the general population. Severe pain due to abnormally shaped blood cells blocking blood flow in blood vessels is the primary reason for emergency department visits. This project will examine the timely evaluation and administration of pain medications in patients with sickle cell disease presenting to NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens emergency department with acute painful episodes to change clinical practice. To implement, evaluate and enhance sickle cell pain protocols, the team will survey physicians, nurses, and ancillary staff to gauge their understanding, comfort, and approach to sickle cell pain crises in the emergency department, show staff an empathetic video on sickle cell disease, and hold group discussions.

Sarah Nowlin, PhD, MSN, RN
Postpartum Transitions in Healthcare (PATH)

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are signals of long-term cardiovascular risk, and are more common in non-White women. Low attendance of postpartum visits and the absence of linkage to primary care create missed opportunities for education on prevention of cardiovascular disease and regular cardiovascular risk screening. The Postpartum Transitions in Healthcare (PATH) study, set in the diverse and high-needs population of Queens, NY, seeks to address low postpartum engagement in healthcare by planning and co-developing an evidence-based, theory-driven intervention with community members, healthcare system employees, and partners from industry and testing its feasibility and preliminary efficacy. Experts from the community will co-design the text-based engagement intervention with the research team, which will then be tested in a pilot randomized controlled trial at Elmhurst Hospital. Findings from the PATH study will provide data to inform a larger trial to test the efficacy of the PATH intervention to improve postpartum healthcare engagement.

Eric Watson, PhD and Amelia Hicks, PhD
Harnessing Optimism and Perseverance in the Face of Long COVID~Español (HOPE-LC~Español)

The HOPE-LC~Español project adapts an evidence-based group therapy program for Spanish-speaking communities disproportionately affected by Long COVID. Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) principles, the program helps participants manage difficult emotions, reduce avoidance, and re-engage in meaningful activities that provide social and cognitive stimulation. Delivered via telehealth in partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals, the program will expand access to culturally and linguistically tailored support for underserved populations.

Ellerie Weber, PhD, MBA, and Mehak Paul, MBBS, MPH
Impact on Healthcare Utilization and Care Experience after Medicaid Expansion Among Older Immigrant Adults in New York State

Medicaid eligibility was expanded in New York in 2024 to include low-income undocumented New Yorkers aged 65 and older. It is unknown how this policy change affected the low-income immigrant patients served by NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst. This project will examine the impact of Medicaid expansion on health care utilization and the care experience among eligible, older immigrant adult patients at Elmhurst Hospital. The team will analyze health care utilization data of patients with emergency Medicaid or NYC Care insurance from electronic medical records and interview patients, social workers, and Medicaid managed care executives to understand their perspectives and experiences during the Medicaid expansion. This data can provide insight to the patients' experiences, measure potential impacts on their health and health outcomes, aid in advocacy for further Medicaid expansion, and improve policy implementation.

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Media Contact: Atiya Butler, Director of External Affairs, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, 917-319-5167

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About NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, part of the NYC Health + Hospitals health care system, is the major tertiary care provider in the borough of Queens. The 545-bed hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Center, an Emergency Heart Care Station, a Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Receiving Center, a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Center of Excellence, and a 911-Receiving Hospital. It is a premiere health care institution offering exceptional services across a wide range of specialties, including surgery, cardiology, women's health, pediatrics, rehabilitation medicine, renal services, and mental health care. In the past year alone, the hospital received nearly one million ambulatory care visits and over 140,000 emergency room visits, reflecting its essential role in the community. NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst has been nationally ranked and recognized as a "Best Regional Hospital" by U.S. News & World Report in critical areas such as Heart Failure, Heart Attack, Stroke, Hip Fracture, Maternity, Kidney Failure, Orthopedics, Pneumonia, and COPD.

About NYC Health + Hospitals/QueensA member of NYC Health and Hospitals, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens is a major health care provider in the borough of Queens. Its foremost mission is to provide quality, comprehensive care to all members of the public regardless of their ability to pay. In 2025, Queens Hospital marked its 90th anniversary of serving the communities of central and southeastern Queens, having first opened its doors as Queens General Hospital in 1935. Encompassing 360,000 square feet, it comprises 253 licensed beds, spacious ambulatory care suites featuring both primary and specialty services, and cutting-edge equipment. It also houses four Centers of Excellence: Cancer Care, Diabetes Management, Women's Health, and Behavioral Health. The hospital has recently added a fully expanded Emergency Room, a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence accredited by the American College of Radiology, and a Total Hip and Knee Replacement Center, with plans underway to build the health system's first Dialysis Center to train patients to perform their own at-home dialysis. To learn more about NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, visit https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/queens.

About NYC Health + HospitalsNYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth-all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.