Heritage Health and Housing, Inc. ("Heritage"), formerly known as the Washington Heights-West Harlem-Inwood Mental Health Council, Inc. ("the Council"), traces its origin to the 1967 assembly of a group of community activists who were concerned about the lack of medical care and mental health services in the Central Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood neighborhoods of New York City. 

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     In late 1968, the involved community members formed the Council, which was then officially incorporated the next year.  During this same period, the involved State and City mental health agencies decided in favor of the Council as the entity to develop and run the new CMHC.  In 1970, the Council was formed and soon after became actively involved in the goal to expand both medical care and mental health services within the target communities.  During the next several years, the Council expanded its vision to include the importance of finding and providing housing for the de-institutionalized mentally ill and others of its mental health clientele.

 

     Heritage HealthCare Center, a federally qualified health center (“FQHC”), began operations in 1980 with a mission to provide innovative, high-quality, and comprehensive health care, dental and psychosocial services to the medically underserved residents of Upper Manhattan.  Services at the HealthCare Center include: Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis testing, Podiatry, Cardiovascular, Risk Reduction and Diabetes testing, a School-Based Health Center, Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis and Liver Disease testing, and Dental and Behavioral Health services.

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     Today, Heritage is responsible for providing both health care and supportive housing services and other support services to 6,000 clients annually.  Ensuring appropriate coordination of services, our staff works closely with federal, state, and local health agencies, as well as numerous public and private entities to meet the organization's longstanding mission to provide compassionate, affordable services to its target communities.

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     Heritage is proud to announce that we have launched our Center for Behavioral and Mental Health and can offer patients access to behavioral health services within 24 hours or less. We
are especially proud to provide immediate access to mental health counseling and
psychiatric services for adults, children, and families. We believe that good health
means good physical and mental health and adopt a collaborative and patient centered
approach to care.

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