The three locations to earn this award were NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst in Queens, NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi in the Bronx and NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem in Manhattan. Receiving this designation formally recognizes these facilities as NSPS Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Centers (SPTCs), expanding the public health care system’s capacity to safely care for patients with high-consequence infectious diseases. “For generations, NYC Health + Hospitals has been on the frontlines of every major infectious disease threat facing our city, including the COVID-19 pandemic,” NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President of Ambulatory Care and Population Health Dr. Ted Long said. “The NYC Health Department is committed to its ongoing partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals, NYCEM, and FDNY to prepare the city for emerging public health threats and to be ready whenever disaster strikes.”The storied legacy of NYC Health + Hospitals’ response to infectious diseases includes the Special Pathogens Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue responding to the 2014 Ebola outbreak by building durable, long-term special pathogens capabilities. “These awards recognize the extraordinary preparedness and expertise of our frontline teams,” NYC Health + Hospitals Chief Biopreparedness Officer Syra Madad, DHSc, MSc, MCP, CHEP, said.