NYC Health News

NYC Hospitals Complete $10M Energy-Saving Upgrades

NYC Health + Hospitals has completed nearly $10 million in energy-efficiency improvements at two public healthcare facilities in Queens and Manhattan. More than 16,000 aging light fixtures at NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens in Jamaica and NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler on Roosevelt Island were replaced with high-efficiency LED technology and modern controls. The projects are expected to save approximately 2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and about $461,000 in energy, maintenance and related costs annually while eliminating roughly 600 metric tons of carbon emissions each year. The upgrades were funded through the Department of Citywide Administrative Services and implemented by the New York Power Authority as part of broader efforts to reduce energy consumption and emissions from municipal buildings.

Mount Sinai Study Finds Clues to CAR-T Side Effects

Mount Sinai researchers have identified biological changes that may help explain why some multiple myeloma patients develop a serious intestinal complication following CAR-T cell therapy. The study found that CAR-T cells can remain in intestinal tissue long after treatment and that patients with CAR-T-associated enterocolitis experience widespread disruption involving several types of cells in the gut. Researchers also detected increased activity in inflammatory pathways that could provide targets for future therapies. Two patients treated with the JAK1 inhibitor upadacitinib experienced improvements in symptoms and intestinal inflammation, although further research is needed. The study, led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, was published September 23 in Nature Medicine.

$143M Queens Senior Housing Opens With 173 Homes

A $143 million affordable and supportive housing development has been completed in Jamaica, Queens, adding 173 apartments for older New Yorkers along with an on-site health center. Sutphin Senior Housing and Clinic includes 121 apartments for residents age 62 and older earning up to 50 percent of Area Median Income and 52 supportive units for people age 55 and older who have experienced chronic homelessness. All apartments receive project-based Section 8 rental assistance. The 15-story development at 97-10 Sutphin Boulevard also includes a 15,000-square-foot Community Healthcare Network health center offering medical and psychiatric care to residents and the surrounding community. The all-electric building incorporates solar power and other energy-efficiency features.

Mount Sinai Finds New Clues to Alzheimer’s Treatment

Mount Sinai researchers have uncovered new details about how the APOE4 gene contributes to brain changes associated with Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, identifying biological processes that could become targets for future treatments. In two studies published in Cell and Cell Stem Cell, scientists found that APOE4 can contribute to damage in cells supporting brain blood vessels while also disrupting processes involved in clearing abnormal proteins. Researchers were able to reverse some vascular changes in experimental models by blocking a specific signaling pathway. The team also used Mount Sinai's stem cell-derived miBrain platform to recreate complex human brain tissue, providing researchers with a new way to investigate disease mechanisms and potentially test therapies more efficiently.

NYU Langone Named No. 1 U.S. Health System Again

NYU Langone Health has earned the top position in Vizient's national health system rankings for the fifth consecutive year, becoming the first system to hold the organization's No. 1 ranking for five straight years. Its Manhattan campus also ranked first among 122 comprehensive academic medical centers, while NYU Langone's network of more than 400 outpatient practices placed first among 70 participating physician networks. Other facilities across the New York region also appeared in the rankings, with NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island placing No. 3 and NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn reaching No. 6 in their cohort. Vizient evaluates healthcare organizations using measures including safety, mortality, effectiveness, efficiency and patient experience.

190,000 NY Caregivers Seek Vote to Join 1199SEIU

Nearly 190,000 New York caregivers could participate in a union representation election after workers in the state's Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program filed with the National Labor Relations Board seeking representation by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. Approximately 70,000 CDPAP caregivers signed union authorization cards supporting an election, according to the union. CDPAP allows eligible older adults and people with disabilities to select and direct caregivers who assist them at home, including relatives in many cases. The organizing effort comes as demand for home care workers continues to increase nationwide. Federal projections show employment of home health and personal care aides growing by approximately 847,300 jobs between 2025 and 2035, the largest projected numerical increase of any U.S. occupation

NYU Langone Names New Director of Upper GI Oncology

NYU Langone Health has appointed Dr. Rutika Mehta as director of upper gastrointestinal medical oncology at Perlmutter Cancer Center, expanding the health system's clinical care and research involving cancers of the stomach, esophagus and gastroesophageal junction. Mehta specializes in personalized cancer treatment using molecular profiling, circulating tumor DNA testing and biomarker-driven therapies to help guide treatment decisions. In her new role, she will also work to expand clinical trials for patients with upper GI cancers, including studies of targeted treatments and other emerging therapies. Mehta joins NYU Langone from Weill Cornell Medicine and previously helped develop an upper GI malignancies program and clinical-trials portfolio at Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida.

NYC Health + Hospitals Wins Top Dental Education Award

NYC Health + Hospitals has received national recognition for its system-wide dental residency programs, earning the 2027 William J. Gies Award for Eminence in Achievement from the American Dental Education Association. The health system operates 19 graduate dental education programs spanning general dentistry and specialties including pediatric dentistry, dental public health, dental anesthesiology and oral and maxillofacial surgery. More than 200 dental residents graduate from the programs annually while training across NYC Health + Hospitals facilities. The system also provides more than 225,000 dental visits each year. NYC Health + Hospitals will formally receive the award during the ADEA Gies Foundation's awards celebration in March 2027.

NYC Carter Hospital Hits 81% Ventilator Weaning Rate

NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter in East Harlem says its specialized ventilator weaning program has increased its successful weaning rate to 81%, up from 72% in 2023. The 14-bed program has helped 150 patients transition off mechanical ventilation over the past year, with the process typically taking two to four weeks. Carter says the program has also expanded opportunities for patients who previously might not have been considered candidates for ventilator weaning. Among them is Lisa McNamee, who had relied on mechanical ventilation for nearly five years after developing severe respiratory failure. McNamee was successfully weaned from the ventilator in June 2026 and is now breathing independently.