Brooklyn, NY, April 23, 2025 — Maimonides Health will create a new HealthySteps program site at its 7th Avenue Pediatrics Primary Care Practice with a $433,000 grant from the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) that allows for expanded integration of developmental, behavioral, and mental health services and support for families with young children.
Through Maimonides Pediatrics and the Brooklyn Parenting Center, the grant will integrate HealthySteps into the existing services at the 7th Avenue Pediatric Primary Care Center, located at 6323 7th Ave. in Brooklyn. This development comes after last year’s round of HealthySteps expansion funding, in which OMH awarded Maimonides $433,000 to create a program site at its Newkirk Family Health Center. Along with the existing HealthySteps site at Maimonides Pediatrics at 1301 57th Street, this addition brings all Maimonides Pediatrics Primary Care sites into the HealthySteps program.
This funding is part of a $24 million statewide program, supporting up to 50 new HealthySteps sites intended to serve 350,000 children statewide by 2027.
HealthySteps is an evidence-based program that pairs pediatric physicians with child development specialist to provide universal services for children up to the age of 3 and their families in pediatric healthcare settings. Specialists use a two-generation approach to promote well-being and address concerns about social determinants of heath, challenging behaviors, developmental delays, caregiver mental health, and family needs such as food and housing instability. The model emphasizes preventative efforts and guidance to prevent future mental health challenges.
The Brooklyn Parenting Center serves families navigating pregnancy and parenting in the stages before birth, shortly following their child’s birth, and/or in early childhood up to 2 years of age, with dedicated teams of obstetric, prenatal, and pediatric specialists. These providers screen families for unmet psycho-social needs, intergenerational trauma, and mental health concerns. These services help address health risk factors and connect patients with mental health professionals and community organizations to assist them with accessing the care they need.
“With this expansion, we can now proudly say that all of our Maimonides Pediatrics Primary Care sites are part of the HealthySteps program,” said Yonit Lax, MD, Brooklyn Parenting Center Program Director and Chief of Pediatric Community Health at Maimonides. “Since starting the Brooklyn Parenting Center, we’ve made incredible strides, and now offer screenings and services to more than 6,000 families annually. The success of HealthySteps at Maimonides, along with that of our Brooklyn Parenting Center, means that we are helping more families than ever to gain the tools needed for long-term physical and mental wellness.”
For more information about the Brooklyn Parenting Center, visit the Center’s website or call (718) 283-6347.
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About Maimonides Children’s Hospital
Maimonides Children’s Hospital, Brooklyn’s only Children’s Hospital and Pediatric Trauma Center, offers a full array of pediatric primary care and specialty services. Our staff is comprised of an outstanding team of board-certified pediatric physicians, surgeons, nurses, nurse practitioners, and child life specialists who dedicate their lives to the health and well-being of children. Our pediatric specialists collaborate with the team to ensure each child receives the expertise and best care possible in an environment created and designed for their comfort. For more information, please visit https://maimo.org/treatments-care/childrens-hospital/.
Maimonides Health is Brooklyn’s largest healthcare system, serving over 320,000 patients each year through the system’s 3 hospitals, 1,800+ 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 and 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 and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.