A brief history
The Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center (MVNHC) began serving the community in 1973 to address the urgent need for preventative and affordable health care services among the area’s underserved individuals and families. Back then, the Center had a staff of 18 and was quite modest. The Center consisted of several medical units housed in prefabricated modular trailers located on a piece of land donated by the City of Mount Vernon.
Over the years, MVNHC has grown to a Federally Qualified Health Center with eight locations and a mobile health van, with a full, interdisciplinary, and ethnically diverse staff of over 275. We now provide a full range of health care services at four locations, two Mount Vernon public schools, and two area homeless shelters. We have become the health care home for thousands of lower Westchester County residents and have long-established relationships with patients and residents which often span generations.
The Center, through its staff, is committed to providing the medical and dental needs of patients through the provision of comprehensive quality and affordable health care.
Who we serve
Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center, Inc. sees 20,000 unduplicated patients and receives nearly 130,000 patient visits annually. Designated a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), MVNHC serves adults and children living in low-income neighborhoods across southern Westchester County New York, and northern parts of the Bronx.
Our mission is to serve patients regardless of their ability to pay, or their immigration status. Most of our patients are Medicaid-eligible or are working poor and are medically underserved. For many of them, MVNHC is their medical home and is the only place they can reliably turn to, in order to have their health care needs met fully, expertly, and compassionately.
In addition to serving the general population, we also provide medical and related social support programs that focus on the needs of special populations such as:
Our Patient-Centered, Coordinated Team Approach
We believe that patients receive the best care possible when treatment is provided through a coordinated health care team led by the patient’s primary healthcare provider. The primary health care provider is responsible for overseeing the care for the whole person, including specialty care and support services. This care team approach fosters trust, respect, and open communication between the patient, which empowers the patient to be an active participant in their care and health. Every patient selects a primary care physician to develop a personalized care plan and oversee their care.
Our locations
We are a Federally Qualified Health Center with eight sites: Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center; Greenburgh Health Center; Yonkers Community Health Center; Women’s Premier Obstetrics; two school-based health centers at Edward Williams Elementary School and Mount Vernon High School; two homeless-shelter health centers at the Coachman Family Center and Grasslands Homeless Shelter; and a mobile health unit.
Accreditations and accolades
The Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center (MVNHC), Inc. is a Federally Qualified Health Center. MVNHC was one of the first community health centers to receive accreditation with commendation by the Joint Commission as a Primary Care Medical Home. The Center is recognized as a Level III Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The PCMH is a care delivery model whereby patient treatment is coordinated through the patients’ primary care physician to ensure they receive the necessary care when and where they need it, in a manner they can understand. The Health Center receives Federal Health and Human Services funding and has Federal Public Health Service (PHS) deemed status with respect to certain health or health-related claims, including medical malpractice claims, for itself and its covered individuals.