Health + Wellness

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Free Swim Program Promotes Youth Safety in Canarsie

Assemblymember Jaime Williams is encouraging Canarsie families to take advantage of a free swim instruction program available to local youth this summer. The program is designed to help children develop critical water safety skills before spending time at pools and beaches, while also promoting physical activity and healthy habits. Williams said ensuring that young people have access to opportunities that improve both safety and wellness remains an important priority for the community.

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Bridge to Home Program Expands Into Brooklyn

NYC Health + Hospitals is expanding its innovative Bridge to Home program to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, bringing transitional housing and intensive behavioral health services to unhoused New Yorkers living with serious mental illness. The expansion follows strong early success at the program’s Manhattan location, which has helped guests stabilize, access clinical care, and transition into permanent supportive housing. The Brooklyn site, expected to open in fall 2026, will provide up to 50 residents with 24/7 support, behavioral health treatment, housing navigation, and wraparound services designed to break the cycle between hospitals, shelters, and homelessness. Local leaders and health officials say the initiative represents a major investment in mental health care, housing stability, and long-term recovery for vulnerable New Yorkers.

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Zinerman Pushes Major $450Mil Aging Care Investment

Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman is calling for stronger protections and expanded investments for older adults across New York as part of Older Americans Month 2026. The Brooklyn legislator is backing a nearly $450 million aging investment package aimed at improving home care, transportation, housing stability, caregiver support, and other essential services that help seniors age safely within their communities. Zinerman is also advancing legislation to strengthen oversight of nursing homes and long-term care facilities through a new District Long-Term Care Ombudsperson Council Program. Drawing on decades of advocacy work in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights, Zinerman said New York must prioritize policies that support healthy aging, independence, and dignity for older residents.

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Mount Sinai and CityPickle Expand NYC Access

Mount Sinai Health System has renewed its partnership with CityPickle to expand community pickleball programming across New York City, including new locations in Times Square and Brooklyn Bridge. The partnership combines accessible pickleball clinics, community play sessions, and health education led by Mount Sinai specialists to help New Yorkers stay active, healthy, and connected through one of the nation’s fastest-growing sports. Programs will include discounted clinics, free play opportunities, injury prevention education, and wellness guidance for players of all ages and skill levels.

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NYC SPEED Report Targets Faster Affordable Housing

New York City officials have released the new SPEED Report, a sweeping plan designed to speed up the development and delivery of affordable housing across the five boroughs. The reforms aim to reduce delays tied to environmental reviews, permitting, financing, and the Housing Connect lottery system, cutting affordable housing project timelines by as much as two years for some developments. City leaders say the initiative will help move New Yorkers into affordable homes faster while reducing bureaucracy and improving government efficiency.

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NYC Health Launches Behavioral Care Corps

NYC Health + Hospitals and Project Renewal have launched Care Corps, a workforce development program designed to train New Yorkers for careers in behavioral health while helping address staffing shortages across the city’s healthcare system. The free six-week program combines classroom instruction, simulation-based hospital training, and paid internships to prepare participants for entry-level behavioral health positions. Since launching last year, 45 participants have completed the program, with 78% securing employment at NYC Health + Hospitals or other healthcare systems across New York City.

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Mamdani Unveils $124.7B NYC Budget Plan

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has released a $124.7 billion Fiscal Year 2027 Executive Budget focused on stabilizing the city’s finances while expanding investments in housing, child care, public safety, libraries, parks, NYCHA, mental health services, and affordability initiatives. The administration says the budget closes major fiscal gaps through savings measures, state support, and new tax revenue without raising property taxes or cutting essential services. The plan also includes major capital investments in affordable housing and NYCHA renovations, alongside expanded support for working-class New Yorkers across all five boroughs.

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Mount Sinai Targets Colon Cancer Resistance

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center have identified a potential breakthrough approach to treating colorectal cancer by restoring communication between critical immune cells. Published in Cell Reports Medicine, the study found that combining multiple immunotherapy targets with strategies aimed at suppressive immune cells significantly improved tumor elimination in preclinical models, offering hope for patients whose cancers do not respond to existing immunotherapy treatments.

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Therapist’s Vigilance Saves ICU Transfer Patient

A respiratory therapist at NYC Health + Hospitals is being recognized after her quick thinking and clinical experience helped protect a critically ill pregnant patient during an emergency transfer between Bronx hospitals. The incident, which exposed a potentially dangerous oxygen supply issue during transport, has now led to a new mandatory safety checklist for ICU patient transfers across the hospital.