Kings County Hospital Center

Kings County Hospital Center is a public hospital in the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It is run by NYC Health + Hospitals, the agency that manages the city's public hospitals. Since 1860, it has worked closely with SUNY Downstate College of Medicine.

Kings County was the first hospital in the United States to be named a Level 1 trauma center. It also provides special care for people with stroke, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and mental health needs.

Each year, Kings County helps many people, giving over 510,000 clinic visits and 140,000 emergency department visits in 2015 alone. It serves more than 800,000 people living in Brooklyn and Staten Island, including many families from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brownsville, Crown Heights, Canarsie, East Flatbush, East New York, Flatbush, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens. The hospital’s staff speaks 39 different languages to better serve the community's diverse needs.

History

Kings County Hospital started because people needed care, especially those who could not afford it. In 1824, New York State made a rule that some areas, including Brooklyn (called Kings County back then), had to buy land to help poor people and not collect taxes from that land.

The hospital opened in 1830 as Brooklyn County Almshouse. The first building was finished in 1837 after buying land from a family named Martense.

Later, in the mid-20th century, important health work happened here. Doctors started helping people get birth control when it was not allowed in public hospitals. This made birth control easier for many people who needed it.

Doctors also discovered important health information about a sickness called sickle cell anemia and helped protect patients from other infections.

In 1997, the hospital started updating its buildings. New parts were added over the next few years, including a big building for behavior health care in 2008.

In 2003, the US Army began training doctors in emergency care at the hospital, using real experiences from caring for many patients with serious injuries.

Services

Kings County Hospital offers many important services for people, including care for women, children, teens, and those needing help with their health outside of the hospital. It also provides special care for behavior and mental health, tests to find problems, and surgery.

The hospital has a long history of helping people who are very badly hurt and has been part of many important medical discoveries. For example, it was where the first open-heart surgery in New York State happened. Doctors there also created the first machine to clean blood, studied how a certain health issue affects women, and made the first pictures using a special imaging test. Because of its skill, many police officers in New York City choose to go to this hospital if they are injured.

Controversy

Kings County Hospital has been involved in many claims about medical care mistakes, more than any other hospital in New York City. This has led to many discussions and changes in how the hospital operates.

In 2008, a person named Esmin Green passed away while waiting in a special area of the hospital for mental health care. This event led to some staff members leaving and many reviews of the hospital's practices. Later, the hospital was recognized for improving how it helps people with mental health needs.