Union Community Health Center and New York Medical College Announce Academic Affiliation Agreement

Union Community Health Center will host students for clinical training and research opportunities to support medical education and allied health profession education and quality health care in underserved communities

VALHALLA, NY – March 1, 2023 – Union Community Health Center (UNION) in the Bronx, New York, and New York Medical College (NYMC) are pleased to announce an academic affiliation agreement.

The partnership establishes a clinical and allied health profession training program at Union Community Health Center to provide students clinical and public health policy experience during required and elective rotations in the fields of medicine, public health, physical therapy and speech-language pathology. Additionally, there will be an opportunities for biomedical, clinical, translational and public health research activities.

The intent of the agreement is to enhance the training and education of future primary care providers and health professionals, and to address workforce shortages and challenges faced by underserved communities by providing culturally competent training venues for the development of a culturally competent workforce. The agreement also covers fostering research opportunities regarding health care policy, biomedical science, financial, legal/regulatory and social elements pertaining to these communities.

“Serving the great borough of the Bronx in New York City for more than 110 years, UNION has experienced the clinical, financial, and social elements of ever-changing communities’ needs and the learned understanding of needing to address the immediate social drivers of health”, said Douglas L. York, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Union Community Health Center.  “Recognizing the increasingly complex health care needs of the Bronx community and the seriousness of the challenges at hand, enhanced academic, education and research partnerships capable of advancing the UNION mission of meeting these community needs are warranted. Developing and sustaining a partnership with NYMC, an anchor of medical education and research in the diverse NYC and surrounding region, accomplishes that goal. NYMC’s understanding of real world hands-on training, and quality education with cultural relevancy, will further enhance the care UNION provides to patients and the community”, concluded Dr. York.   

“New York Medical College and Union Community Health Center share common culture and values centered on providing high quality, accessible medical care and education to everyone, with a specific focus on under resourced communities,” said Salomon Amar, D.D.S, Ph.D., vice president for research at NYMC and senior vice president for research affairs, Touro University. “Founded on common goals and interests, the affiliation will be beneficial to patients, students, health care providers, community members in the Bronx and in the promotion of translational and interdisciplinary research. We look forward to collaborating with our new partners at Union Community Health Center.”

About Union Community Health Center

Since 1909, Union Community Health Center has been a cornerstone of the Bronx, serving all those in need of healthcare. Once a large community hospital, the Union of today is one of the largest  Federally Qualified Health Centers in New York State providing health care services from six locations and Mobile Medical and Dental units throughout the Bronx. UNION now provides services to more than 38,000 unique patients conducting nearly 200,000 patient care visits annually. Union offers comprehensive primary and specialty healthcare services including but not limited to; adult and pediatrics, rapid care, physical and occupational therapy, behavioral health, dental services and most specialty services. For more information, visit www.uchcbronx.org.

About New York Medical College

Founded in 1860, New York Medical College (NYMC) is one of the oldest and largest health sciences colleges in the country with more than 2,000 students and 400 residents and clinical fellows, more than 2,100 faculty members and 25,410 living alumni. The College, which joined the Touro University in 2011, is located in Westchester County, New York, and offers degrees from the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the School of Health Sciences and Practice, the Touro College of Dental Medicine at NYMC and the Touro College School of Health Sciences’ nursing program at NYMC. NYMC provides a wide variety of clinical training opportunities for students, residents and practitioners. For more information, visit www.nymc.edu.