Roosevelt Island Red Bus Service Extended To NYC Health & Hospitals Corp Coler Hospital
“The extension of the RIOC Red Bus service to our main entrance at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler will have a profound impact on the quality of life of staff, residents and visitors… ” Says Coler CEO David Weinstein
The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) and New York City Health & Hospitals Corp (NYCHHC) announced today a pilot program to extent the free Roosevelt Island Red Bus to the Coler Nursing/Rehab Facility.
The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) and NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler announce a new pilot program that will extend free Red Bus service on Roosevelt Island directly to the front entrance of the skilled nursing & rehabilitation center located at 900 Main Street, during morning and afternoon rush hours, beginning Monday, August 18. As part of the pilot, Coler will serve as the northernmost stop on the island from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays. The initiative aims to improve public transportation access for Coler residents, staff, and visitors.
“The extension of the RIOC Red Bus service to our main entrance at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler will have a profound impact on the quality of life of staff, residents and visitors who commute to our nursing facility from other transportation hubs on Roosevelt Island,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler Interim Chief Executive Officer David Weinstein, MA, HSA, LNHA. “I am grateful to our partners at Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation for working with us to improve accessibility to this invaluable service.”
“Extending the Red Bus to Coler Hospital is something that has been requested of different RIOC administrations for years, likely since the facility first opened. Today, we are pleased to announce a new pilot program that will finally allow Coler residents, staff, and visitors to travel directly from the island’s transportation hubs to the hospital’s front door every weekday during our busiest rush hour periods,” said Mary Cunneen, Chief Operating Officer of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation. “I want to thank David Weinstein, interim CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler, for his partnership and commitment to making this possible, and RIOC’s Transportation Department, led by Nestor Ortiz, for moving quickly to turn this long-standing goal into a reality.”
Currently, passengers traveling to or from Coler via the Red Bus must use the Octagon stop, located south of the Coler campus. This additional distance can be challenging, especially for Coler residents, many of whom have mobility limitations. Under the pilot program, the Red Bus will instead make its final northbound stop at the same Coler stop used by the Q102 bus during weekday peak hours.
The addition of the Coler stop is not expected to affect the current Red Bus schedule. During off-peak hours and weekends, the route will continue to begin and end at the Octagon.
NYC Health + Hospital/Coler Resident Elaine Clarke, accompanied by Patients Relations Representative Sophia Chamorro-Bautista, participate in the test run before the official launch of the pilot program.
“Bringing the red bus route to Coler is a good idea. Not only would it benefit staff but also family members visiting our residents,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler Community Advisory Board Chair Verna Fitzpatrick.
“I’m very excited about the red bus stopping at Coler. It will be very convenient to see my family member. I’m very happy about it,” said Coler Family Caregiver Petra Dominguez.
