Neighborhood Health Center received $400,000 in New York State funds to support infrastructure upgrades at an existing site and a new location scheduled to open in June. State Assemblyman Jonathan Rivera presented a ceremonial check for $200,000, with Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes announcing she secured an additional $200,000. One funded site is the existing location at 1569 Niagara Street in Buffalo. The new center will open at 2497 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo with 13 examination rooms.
New Services and Accessibility
According to Joanne Haefner, chief executive officer of Neighborhood Health Center, the organization identified the Delaware Avenue site after searching where patients were coming from and realizing a need for care in that neighborhood. When the new center opens, it will provide primary care and family medicine services, with Haefner projecting “about 18,000 visits for their family medicine, as well as getting them access to behavioral health and counseling.” The center will also open doors for all federally qualified health center services at the network’s multiple sites, including prescription delivery, OBGYN services, podiatry, and additional offerings. Haefner emphasized that the new facility addresses a community need, noting that “this is a community that always can use more primary care but it’s a rarity that we’re able to make that happen.”
Broader Community Impact
Assembly Majority Leader Peoples-Stokes highlighted that investments in primary care and increased access help reduce strain on nearby hospital emergency rooms where families might otherwise seek care. However, she emphasized that the expansion requires significant outreach efforts, stating “just because you build it doesn’t mean they’re going to come. You’re going to have to go out there and get them to come.” Both Rivera and Peoples-Stokes criticized the Trump administration for acting to cut Medicaid funding, positioning the state investment in primary care access as particularly important.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.btpm.org/local/2026-03-22/neighborhood-health-center-to-upgrade-existing-site-and-open-new-one-with-state-grants