Brooklyn, New York, (May 20, 2024) — Maimonides Medical Center was awarded $750,000 in funding as part of the continuation of the New York State Abortion Access Program (NYSAAP), previously referred to as the Expanding Safe & Supportive Medical and/or Surgical Abortion Access in NYS Program – Phase Two, led by Gov. Kathy Hochul and the NYS Department of Health.
As part of NYSAAP, which was established in 2022 following the Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, this award will expand abortion provider capacity and ensure continued access for patients seeking abortion care in New York State through increased staffing and training, equipment modernization, service expansion, and outreach. At a time when women’s access to care are being threatened across the country, Maimonides is proud to partner with Governor Hochul and the New York State Department of Health, who are stalwart champions of women’s health. This grant enables Maimonides to support NYS’s goals of strengthening safe, accessible, legal abortion services.
This round of funding will allow for significant upgrades to Maimonides’ Early Pregnancy Assessment Center (EPAC), allowing it to serve several hundreds more Brooklyn patients through its innovative approach of providing immediate maternal and reproductive healthcare. EPAC is Brooklyn’s first and only hospital-based provider of necessary, time-sensitive care in early pregnancy, an especially necessary resource considering the rise in anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers that patients may turn to when care is tough to access. With same-day and next-day appointments available, evidence-based, nonjudgmental, compassionate care is paramount in addressing concerns or complications for pregnant patients at EPAC.
These upgrades include expanding and maintaining office staff to improve responsiveness to patients seeking care, as well as obtaining more necessary equipment like sonogram machines. Of the total funding, $500,000 will be distributed for services through the end of 2024, and $250,000 will cover the budget period of January 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025.In 2023, Maimonides received $500,000 as part of the first phase of the NYSAAP. This funding was used to obtain two new ultrasound units for EPAC, which have proved essential to supporting expanded access to the Center for pregnant patients.
Our EPAC provides an essential service in our Brooklyn community, not only providing lifesaving clinical care, but also advocating for patients every step of the way,” said Ken Gibbs, President and CEO of Maimonides Health. “We are thrilled that our state leaders value the commitment to early pregnancy care that our team shares with many other providers around the state. This funding will provide immense benefit to our patients and community, and will directly enable Gov. Hochul’s priority of protecting women’s rights through reproductive health care.”
Previous NYSAAP funding has been transformative to EPAC, allowing our expert team to offer time-sensitive care to patients for whom it is an absolute necessity,” said Kathleen Morrell, MD, MPH, Director of the Maimonides Family Planning Division. “We are elated that this funding will allow us to continue to expand to meet the needs of our patient population and remain a safe haven for specialized reproductive health care, emergency pregnancy care, and supportive care services.”
For more information about Maimonides EPAC, visit https://maimo.org/epac-early-pregnancy-assessment-center/. To schedule an appointment, call (718) 283-8959. For more information about Maimonides Women’s Health Institute, visit https://maimo.org/treatments-care/obstetrics-and-gynecology/.
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About Maimonides Health
Maimonides Health is Brooklyn’s largest healthcare system, serving over 300,000 patients each year through the system’s 3 hospitals, 1,700 physicians and more than 80 community-based practices and outpatient centers. The system is anchored by Maimonides Medical Center, one of the nation’s largest independent teaching hospitals and home to centers of excellence in numerous specialties; Maimonides Midwood Community Hospital (formerly New York Community Hospital), a 130-bed adult medical-surgical hospital; and Maimonides Children’s Hospital, Brooklyn’s only children’s hospital and only pediatric trauma center. Maimonides’ clinical programs rank among the best in the country for patient outcomes, including its Heart and Vascular Institute, Neurosciences Institute, Bone and Joint Center, and Cancer Center. Maimonides is an affiliate of Northwell Health and a major clinical training site for SUNY Downstate College of Medicine. For additional information, please visit www.maimo.org.