Located in one of the poorest congressional districts in the United States, our Emergency Department is the entry point for a safety net hospital meeting the medical and social needs of its community regardless of insurance status. As such, EM residents and physician providers are at the forefront of battling the social determinants of health that disproportionately burden our patient population. At the Lincoln EM Residency, you have the opportunity to partake in community engagement and partnership through education, outreach, advocacy, research, and service that translates into improved health outcomes and a better patient experience.

Mission

In order to embrace the diversity of our patient population and address their unique needs, we understand that the need to encourage diversity and inclusion from within. We are committed to welcoming, recruiting, and learning about people of differing age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic background, and other factors that contribute to one's identity. We strive to consider how these same social factors affect the health of our patients when creating individual and community prevention and treatment plans.

History

Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center and the South Bronx community have been at the forefront of issues of health care disparities for decades.  We recommend that you read the book White Coat, Clenched Fist, written by the great health policy physician, Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan, which details struggles to improve healthcare in the 1960’s. Most recently, the NYC Care program, which guarantees access to care to any New Yorker that cannot afford or qualify for health insurance, was launched from Lincoln Hospital for the Bronx community and has now spread across all of NYC. 

Our Community

Vibrant. Lincoln Hospital is located in the heart of the South Bronx. Our community is primarily Black and Latin American. We also have immigrants from countries throughout the Americas, Caribbean, and Africa, and also some from Europe and Asia. We receive traffic from multiple airports, highways, and bridges. We are located on the border of Manhattan and less than a mile from Yankee Stadium. We communicate through multiple languages every day and interact with people from many different walks of life.

Education

Lincoln residents, medical students, and faculty are educated in house about Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Emergency Medicine topics through a Monthly Lecture Series and a Bi-weekly Morning Report. We also partner with other Lincoln residency programs and outside institutions to share and facilitate educational opportunities.

Outreach

We are fortunate to work closely with a dedicated team of mental health professionals, social workers, substance abuse counselors, and homeless shelter care managers. Through interprofessional collaboration, we are able to address many needs of our most vulnerable populations. In previous years, Lincoln residents have visited shelters, rehabilitation programs, food banks, and other social service agencies to learn more about our community. We have also created numerous health education outreach programs and look forward to redesigning what health education outreach looks like after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Advocacy

While we advocate for our patients as we see them in the ED daily, our vigor for advocacy was reignited in May 2020. When people across the U.S. demonstrated and protested peacefully for the unjust death of George Floyd, Lincoln residents partnered with CIR to pioneer the first peaceful demonstration for Black Lives at Lincoln Hospital on June 6, 2020. As residents, we have also had representatives at the ACEP Leadership and Advocacy conference, and residents have helped advocate for various initiatives - hazard pay, PPE, and liabilities for residents and physicians. 

Service

Outside of the hospital, you can find Lincoln residents volunteering for a variety of initiatives to give back to our community. Our Department partners with the Trauma Program in a number of violence prevention programs including Guns Down Life Up. Members of our department participate in community events such as anti-violence forums held by family members of victims of violence.  Every year in November, many Lincoln residents and attending physicians treat NYC Marathon runners in the medical tent down the street from Lincoln. Year round, Lincoln residents organize clothing and shoe drives to donate to our patients. During the Holidays, we give gifts to the children in the Pediatric Emergency Department.

Research

Do you have an idea for an academic research, quality improvement, or health equity project that can enhance residency and strengthen patient care and safety in the NYC public health system? Apply for a Patient Care Trust Fund Grant and help foster social change at Lincoln and in the South Bronx.

Who We Are

Faculty Coordinator: Moira McCarty, MD

Resident Coordinators: Brittany Vanderhall and Corey Hazekamp

Committee Members: Ryan Mischler, Psalms Njoku, Jenn Tornay, Shayan Azizi