New York: Health Care

New York City offers the opportunity for world-class medical care and has one of the highest concentrations of hospitals on the planet, with 111 facilities that span the spectrum from smaller neighborhood hospitals to major medical centers. The city is served by more than 30 teaching hospitals, a number of medical schools, more than 10 cardiac rehabilitation centers, and 6 cancer treatment centers. The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation—by far the largest public hospital system in the country—employs thousands of workers at 11 acute care hospitals, 6 diagnostic and treatment centers, 4 long-term care facilities, 1 home health agency, and 100 community health clinics.

According to U.S. News & World Report, a number of the top hospitals in the country in 2005 are located in New York City, including: New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell (third in neurology, second in psychiatry, and fourth in kidney disease); Hospital for Special Surgery (second in orthopedics and third in rheumatology); Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (first in cancer care); Mount Sinai Medical Center (third in geriatrics and seventh in digestive disorders); and Rusk Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University Medical Center (eighth in rehabilitation). Other specialized services can be obtained at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center, the Orthopaedic Institute, and the New York Ear and Eye Infirmary. Residents of New York City can also access a wide variety of holistic healthcare, including homeopathy, hypnotherapy, massage therapy, and acupuncture. Diagnosis and treatment for pets and exotic animals is available from the nearly 400 veterinarians and animal hospitals operating in the five boroughs.

Health Care Information: The New York Health and Hospitals Corporation, 125 Worth Street, New York, NY 10013; telephone (212)788-3339

Times Square, called The Great White Way, is known for its neon, movie houses, theaters, stores, and crowds.
Times Square, called The Great White Way, is known for its neon, movie houses, theaters, stores, and crowds.