The city’s first Outposted Therapeutic Housing Unit has opened at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, marking a step in the plan to close Rikers Island. Located at 462 First Avenue in Kips Bay, Manhattan, the 104-bed facility is designed to serve incarcerated individuals with complex medical needs. Clinically vulnerable detainees will be transferred from Rikers into the new facility.
The project is intended to shift how medical care is delivered within the correctional system, focusing on timely treatment and expanded clinical access. Patients housed in the unit include those with serious conditions such as cancer and congestive heart failure who do not require hospitalization but face elevated risks in traditional jail environments. The facility allows for closer proximity to hospital resources while maintaining custody operations.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, via Google Maps.
Located on the Bellevue campus, the unit provides direct access to specialty services including oncology, cardiology, and neurology. Clinical care will be administered on-site by Correctional Health Services (CHS) staff in coordination with hospital specialists, while the New York City Department of Correction will oversee security and operations. The facility complies with standards set by oversight bodies including the NYC Board of Correction and the New York State Commission of Correction.
Additional Outposted Therapeutic Housing Units are planned at NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull and North Central Bronx Hospital, with 144 and 92 beds respectively. These future sites are expected to focus primarily on individuals with significant mental health needs, expanding the system’s capacity for specialized care as part of the broader strategy to phase out Rikers Island.
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Who is the Architect?
An occasional glimpse of a more humane society..
A great project. Rikers can’t close down soon enough.