The Fund for Public Health in NYC is honored to be one of ten awardees for the 2019 TD Ready Challenge: Reshaping the Future of Healthcare award of $750,000 (1 million CDN).
After reviewing over 370 submissions, TD Bank selected FPHNYC as one of 10 recipients awarded grants to provide solutions with the potential to make a lasting impact on communities at risk of experiencing healthcare inequalities. FPHNYC will collaborate with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to replicate the successful Quickie Lab currently at Chelsea Express in Manhattan at the Fort Greene Sexual Health Clinic (SHC) in Brooklyn.
Expanding an innovative model
The Quickie Lab is an innovative model to address sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by making it faster and easier for people to get tested and treated. SHCs provide low- to no-cost walk-in sexual health services regardless of immigration status or insurance coverage.
The Quickie Lab at the Chelsea Express Clinic provides rapid chlamydia and gonorrhea testing to asymptomatic patients without requiring them to see a clinical provider. Results are available in hours instead of days, enabling patients to receive treatment as soon as possible, sometimes on the same day. Rapid diagnosis and treatment of asymptomatic infections helps reduce disease transmission and prevent long-term health consequences.
Ending the Epidemic
This approach ties into the City’s Ending the HIV Epidemic strategy. Having an STI can increase your risk of getting or transmitting HIV. Timely STI testing and diagnosis not only enables treatment, but also links New Yorkers to preventive services such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
After the successful launch of the first Quickie Lab at Chelsea Express, Fort Greene was identified as the next site based on the high testing volume, burden of disease, and populations served.
On the heels of the success of the Quickie Lab at Chelsea Express, the Quickie Lab at Fort Greene will give Brooklynites a great reason to look after their sexual health in their own borough. Creating geographical access to this service is a major milestone in our ongoing quest to achieve sexual health equity across New York City.
Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Deputy Commissioner for the NYC Health Department’s Division of Disease Control
An Exciting New Partnership
On December 11th, the TD Bank team came to the Fort Greene SHC to view the site of the future Quickie Lab where Commissioner of Health Dr. Oxiris Barbot, Andy Bregenzer, Regional President Metro New York at TD Bank, Sara Gardner, FPHNYC’s Executive Director, and Dr. Daskalakis spoke about how this partnership will help Brooklynites lead safe and healthy lives.
The Fund for Public Health in New York City is proud to partner with TD Bank and the Health Department to expand the Quickie Lab model to Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
Sara Gardner, Executive Director, FPHNYC
We are thrilled to partner with TD Bank and the Health Department on this project and look forward to seeing the success of this model. Learn more about our work fighting epidemics like STIs here.