At NYU Langone’s Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine, we are committed to expanding our healthcare programs beyond the emergency department (ED) and into local communities. Our teams have launched illness and injury prevention programs at sites across Manhattan and Brooklyn, including NYU Langone’s Ronald O. Perelman Center for Emergency Services, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, and NYU Langone Health—Cobble Hill Emergency Department at the Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Ambulatory Care Center.

We offer our services to all members of the community without judgment. Our priority is providing compassionate care to improve the health and wellbeing of people from all walks of life.

Opioid Use Disorder Screening and Treatment

We take seriously our responsibility to help stem the tide of the opioid epidemic. At all of our clinical sites we offer services for patients with opioid addiction and pay special attention to those experiencing an overdose.

We offer dispensing of and training in the use of naloxone, commonly known as NARCAN^®, to patients and interested friends or family of patients with opioid use disorder. Our doctors can also provide counseling and referrals for inpatient treatment. We can initiate buprenorphine and provide follow-up services for patients interested in medication-assisted treatment.

Lastly, we have peer counselors available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help support patients through opioid overdoses and other acute events, and to help them navigate a pathway to recovery.

In addition to providing clinical services, our faculty lead multiple ongoing research projects, many of which are funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and New York State funding agencies. Our goal is to identify strategies to prevent misuse and develop more effective treatments to help patients recover from addiction.

Homelessness Outreach

We believe that the homeless population of New York City should have access to resources that can help them stay healthy and improve their circumstances. At all of our clinical sites, we offer care management resources, social work services, and safe harbor during extreme weather.

Our research teams are also engaged in multiple studies funded by the NIH to determine how best to help those who are homeless find permanent housing.

NYC Poison Control Center

The NYC Poison Control Center is available to patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The center’s hotline is staffed by experienced healthcare professionals who can provide assistance if you or someone with you has ingested or come into contact with a poisonous substance, including legal or illicit drugs. All calls are free and confidential.

NYU Langone and the Department of Emergency Medicine have partnered for decades with the NYC Poison Control Center to help our communities during toxic emergencies.

HIV Screening and Prevention

We offer free and confidential HIV screening to all patients at all of our clinical sites. The test is administered by a healthcare professional, and results are available in about 20 minutes. We offer counseling and referrals to patients whose test result is positive.

Pre- and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis

For HIV-negative people who would like to receive preventive treatment, we can provide pre-exposure prophylaxis, also known as PrEP, a daily pill intended to prevent HIV infection before viral exposure.

For people who are HIV negative and have been exposed to the virus, we can provide post-exposure prophylaxis, also known as PEP, which may prevent infection.

Community Outreach in Local Businesses

Our doctors and staff routinely reach out to local businesses, such as Harlem barbershops, to provide members of the community with free hypertension and diabetes screenings and have conversations about achievable ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Based on the positive response we have received, we plan to expand this program into other neighborhoods.

Ghana Program

Our global health partnership with the University of Ghana is focused on delivering care, compassion, and hope to the people of Accra, the West African country’s capital. Over the past decade, our team has established a new standard of care for this community.

Prevention and Education Partnership

Founded in 2015, our Prevention and Education Partnership connects emergency medicine physicians with local students through unique school-based programs. The aim of these programs is to provide students with the knowledge they need to prevent avoidable illnesses and injuries we commonly see in the ED.

Community Health Fairs

Our providers are passionate about engaging with local communities to help keep people healthy, especially those who may not have consistent access to healthcare. We make regular appearances at local health fairs to reach people in a casual and fun environment.

NYU Langone Health—Cobble Hill Emergency Department at the Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Ambulatory Care Center Health Fair

In partnership with NYU Langone’s Comprehensive Stroke Center and other departments and centers at NYU Langone and in New York City, we hold a health fair every year at NYU Langone Health—Cobble Hill Emergency Department at the Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Ambulatory Care Center, inviting residents of the local community to visit our state-of-the-art ED and receive free medical services, including screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and stroke.

Patients who participate in the event can expect their results in just minutes, and we provide treatment counseling and referrals if a result indicates that a patient has or might be at risk for a health condition. Each year, we identify hundreds of people who had an undiagnosed health issue and help put them on the path to wellness.

We also provide free flu shots, poisoning education and awareness, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training.

Atlantic Antic Festival

NYU Langone is a sponsor of the annual Atlantic Antic^™ street festival, which spans 10 city blocks in downtown Brooklyn and features more than 500 vendors. NYU Langone has sponsored the Rest Area within the Kids Zone, providing a comfortable space for people to sit and relax during the festivities.

Free Bicycle Helmets

In the pediatric ED at Bellevue, we’re giving kids free helmets to encourage safe riding. Wearing a bike helmet has been shown to dramatically reduce the risk of a brain injury during a fall or accident, and we recommend that every child wear one every time he or she gets on a bike, scooter, or other recreational vehicle.

Free Flu Shots

In our NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn ED, we offer vaccinations against influenza (commonly known as the flu) to patients who are receiving medical attention for other emergencies. The flu is not only a serious illness, it’s communicable, and each year the flu impacts residents of south Brooklyn who may not have regular access to healthcare.

We also provide resources about where people who are not patients in the ED can get a free flu shot in a location convenient to them. We promote vaccine awareness because getting a flu shot protects not just you but also your fellow New Yorkers.

Diabetes Screening Program

Diagnosing and treating diabetes is of the utmost importance for people with this condition. In our EDs, patients who are having blood drawn and meet certain risk criteria receive a free diabetes screening.

If someone screens positive for pre-diabetes or diabetes, we can connect them with the right care team if they don’t already have primary care.

Community Health Screenings

At all of our clinical sites, we offer free screenings for members of the community who visit an ED. We automatically screen patients for certain issues such as child or elder abuse, domestic abuse, human trafficking, and substance abuse. We also evaluate patients’ mental health to ensure that they are not a danger to themselves or others. Doctors are always available to offer counseling and support to any patient.

We also provide free screenings for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol in our EDs and at other venues, such as community health fairs and neighborhood outreach programs.

Safe Harbor During Extreme Weather

Weather in New York can be extreme no matter the season. All of our EDs offer safe harbor, even overnight, for people who need a place to escape extreme cold, heat, or other extreme weather events. If someone isn’t feeling well, emergency staff perform an evaluation for hypothermia or hyperthermia and provide treatment if it is needed.

Contact Us

For inquiries about our programs or how to access our services, email Ian G. Wittman, MD, at ian.wittman@nyulangone.org.