If you’ve lived in East Harlem long enough, you know the name Boriken. The Boriken Neighborhood Health Center, operated by the East Harlem Council for Human Services (EHCHS), has been a cornerstone of the community since 1965 — providing medical care, dental services, and social support to residents regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay. This Sunday, we’re spotlighting the organization and the team behind it.
Sixty Years of Serving East Harlem
Founded in 1965, EHCHS and its flagship Boriken Neighborhood Health Center were built on a simple but powerful idea: that everyone in East Harlem deserves access to quality healthcare. Sixty years later, that mission hasn’t changed — but the scale and sophistication of the work has grown dramatically.
Boriken is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) located at the corner of East 123rd Street and 3rd Avenue in East Harlem, Manhattan. As an FQHC, it operates on a sliding-fee scale, meaning patients pay based on their income — and no one is turned away for inability to pay. The center accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and most major insurance plans, but its sliding-fee model means it serves a significant population of uninsured and underinsured New Yorkers as well.
A CEO Who Is One of Their Own
Leading the organization today is Dr. Adam Aponte, MD, MSc, FAAP, a Board-Certified Pediatrician with over 25 years of experience — and a native of East Harlem himself. Dr. Aponte took over as CEO in October 2023 after first joining as Chief Medical Officer. His career has taken him across some of New York’s most prominent institutions: faculty at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Zucker School of Medicine, Chair of Pediatrics and Medical Director of Ambulatory Care at North General Hospital, and Medical Director at United Healthcare. He came home to Boriken because that’s exactly what it is — home.
“My two professional passions,” Dr. Aponte has said, “are serving the underserved and addressing the health disparities and inequities they face, and increasing the diversity of the healthcare workforce.” In East Harlem, those two passions are deeply intertwined. The neighborhood is predominantly Latino and Black, with higher rates of diabetes, asthma, and hypertension than the city average — disparities that are not accidents of biology but products of decades of underinvestment and limited access to care.
Dr. Aponte’s vision is what he calls “whole person care” — an approach that treats not just the immediate medical complaint but the full context of a person’s health: their housing, their mental health, their access to food, their social supports. It’s an approach that requires more than a standard clinical model, and it’s what Boriken has been building toward for decades.
What Boriken Actually Does
The center provides a remarkable breadth of services under one roof. Primary and preventive care is available for patients of all ages, from pediatrics to geriatrics. The dental clinic handles everything from cleanings to extractions. Behavioral health services include therapy and psychiatric care. A full-service pharmacy fills prescriptions on-site. Care management and patient navigation staff help residents connect with the broader network of social services they may need — housing assistance, food programs, immigration legal resources.
Beyond the main health center, EHCHS runs several other programs that keep the community whole. The Bilingual Head Start program provides early childhood education for low-income families. The School Health Program places health services directly in East Harlem schools. And the Senior Nutrition Program ensures that older residents in the community have access to meals — a service that becomes critical during extreme weather or for seniors with limited mobility.
All services are delivered bilingually in English and Spanish, reflecting the community Boriken has always served.
A Community Gala and a Growing Moment
Earlier this month, on May 20, 2026, Boriken held its annual gala — a celebration of the organization’s work and the community it serves. It’s an annual tradition that doubles as a fundraiser and a reunion of the extended East Harlem community that has touched Boriken’s services across generations. For an organization in its seventh decade, the gala is also a moment to look forward: to what expanded services might look like, what new programs could be added, and how to sustain and grow the model that has kept East Harlem healthier for 60 years.
How to Connect and Access Services
If you or someone you know needs care, Boriken is open to all. New patients can call (212) 289-6650 or visit the center at 2265 3rd Avenue (at East 123rd Street), New York, NY 10035. The sliding-fee scale makes care accessible regardless of your insurance situation. A patient portal is also available online for existing patients at boriken.org.
If you want to support Boriken’s work — through donations, volunteering, or simply spreading the word — the organization’s website has options for all three. In a neighborhood that has seen enormous change and pressure from rising rents and gentrification, institutions like Boriken are the connective tissue that holds the community together.
For more on accessing free and low-cost healthcare across New York City, see our guide to NYC Healthcare for the Uninsured and NYC Care.
What You Need to Know
- Boriken Neighborhood Health Center has served East Harlem since 1965 as a Federally Qualified Health Center — care for all, regardless of income or immigration status.
- Located at 2265 3rd Avenue (East 123rd Street), Manhattan, NY 10035. Phone: (212) 289-6650.
- Services include primary care, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, care management, Head Start, school health, and senior nutrition.
- CEO Dr. Adam Aponte is a native East Harlemite and Board-Certified Pediatrician leading the center’s vision for “whole person care.”
- All services are available in English and Spanish. Sliding-fee scale ensures no one is turned away for inability to pay.
- Learn more and access services at boriken.org.
