Santa Claus and the Grinch spread holiday cheer for local children and teens at the NYU Langone Sunset Park Family Health Center Pediatrics Clinic during the center’s annual toy drive on Dec. 16.
The toy drive is part of several holiday events at NYU Langone family health centers and community school-based programs, aimed at brightening the season for about 5,500 children who might otherwise go without gifts. In total, NYU Langone plans to distribute more than 5,400 educational gifts to children up to age 14 across its family health center locations, as well as its hospital campuses in Brooklyn and on Long Island. The health system is also distributing coats and food to adults at one of its centers.
The event reflects NYU Langone’s mission to improve community health by providing high-quality primary care to adult and pediatric patients regardless of their ability to pay, while addressing Sunset Park’s significant health disparities and limited access to care.
Dr. Issac Dapkins, chief medical officer for Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, described the event as “the best day ever.”
“A lot of people don’t actually get to get presents for their kids. So this is us being able to provide holiday cheer and support for the community, making the holiday season really lovely. We’re trying to promote good cheer and, at the same time, good health,” Dapkins said. He noted that 97% of children in the community received their measles vaccinations on time, one of the highest rates in the city.
“We really are a place that you can come receive care in your community. And we’re really very culturally appropriate, culturally aligned, and really focused on wellness, prevention, and managing chronic disease if you have it,” Dapkins told Brooklyn Paper.
Octavia Melvin, site director for the NYU Langone Family Health Center, and Larry McReynolds, executive director for Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, emphasized the importance of giving back to the community and seeing the smiles of children and parents.
“Life’s hard these days, very stressful, and money doesn’t go that far,” McReynolds said. “We just want the community to know that we care about their health all year round, and that part of caring about health is building relationships, so that we’re here for them to make sure that everybody has something this year under their tree.”
“We are trying to make sure that everyone has a happy holiday. We will have 650 people with smiles on their faces,” Melvin said. “It takes a little bit of the load off financially, and just have someone who cares.”
