Mayor Unveils New Therapeutic Housing, Rikers Plan

First of three planned Outposted Therapeutic Housing Units opens at Bellevue Hospital to serve incarcerated individuals with complex medical needs

Apr. 8, 2026 at 12:58am

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A serene, cinematic painting of an empty hospital hallway with warm lighting and deep shadows, featuring a lone wheelchair in the center, conveying a sense of solitude and the need for more compassionate care.The new Outposted Therapeutic Housing Unit at Bellevue Hospital aims to provide a more humane, dignified, and therapeutic environment for incarcerated individuals with complex medical needs.NYC Today

New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced the opening of the City's first Outposted Therapeutic Housing Unit at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, a 104-bed facility that will serve people in custody with complex medical needs by transferring the most clinically vulnerable detainees from Rikers Island into a therapeutic setting with closer access to specialty care. This is the first of three planned Outposted Therapeutic Housing Units across the city, with additional sites opening at Woodhull and North Central Bronx hospitals.

Why it matters

The new Outposted Therapeutic Housing Units represent a fundamental shift in how New York City delivers care to incarcerated people, moving away from a system defined by delays towards one rooted in dignity, access and prevention. This is a key part of the Mamdani Administration's commitment to closing Rikers Island, providing more humane and effective treatment for those with serious medical conditions currently detained at the troubled jail complex.

The details

The Bellevue site will serve patients with serious conditions such as cancer and congestive heart failure who do not require hospitalization but face heightened risks in a traditional jail setting. Located on the Bellevue hospital campus, the unit provides direct access to a full range of specialty services, including oncology, cardiology and neurology. Correctional Health Services (CHS) clinicians will deliver care on-site, with enhanced monitoring and support in a therapeutic environment designed to improve health outcomes.

  • The 104-bed unit opened today, April 8, 2026.
  • The Mamdani Administration will also open additional Outposted Therapeutic Housing Units at NYC Health+ Hospitals/Woodhull and North Central Bronx (NCB), with 144 and 92 beds, respectively, in the coming months.

The players

Zohran Kwame Mamdani

The Mayor of New York City who announced the opening of the new Outposted Therapeutic Housing Unit at Bellevue Hospital.

Dean Fuleihan

The First Deputy Mayor of New York City, who stated that the new unit represents an important step forward in closing Rikers Island.

Dr. Helen Arteaga

The Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, who said the new unit will help right historical wrongs by providing more humane and effective care for incarcerated individuals with acute medical conditions.

Stanley Richards

The Commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction, who said providing high-quality healthcare is among the most essential services they can offer.

Dr. Mitchell Katz

The President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, the public health system that will operate the new Outposted Therapeutic Housing Unit.

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What they’re saying

“Opening this new clinical facility at Bellevue Hospital is how we begin to close Rikers Island - not with promises, but with action. For too long, people with serious medical needs have been left to suffer in a system that was never designed to care for them. Today, we are building something different: a system that delivers real care, treats people with dignity and makes our city safer for everyone-incarcerated people, corrections officers and all New Yorkers.”

— Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Mayor of New York City

“Today's announcement represents an important step forward on the journey to closing Rikers. The Mamdani Administration is sending a clear message to New Yorkers that we will govern with compassion, transparency and a willingness to tackle our city's most complex issues”

— Dean Fuleihan, First Deputy Mayor

“The Mamdani Administration takes its responsibility to protect the health and well being of every New Yorker seriously. Medical care has been difficult to access for those in the correctional system, particularly those at Rikers Island. That ends now. Today, our city takes a monumental step toward righting historical wrongs by opening the first of three Outposted Therapeutic Housing Units that will treat more quickly and humanely individuals with the most acute medical conditions currently detained at Rikers. This is a reaffirmation of Mayor Mamdani's commitments to reimagine correctional care and provide healthy, dignified spaces to every person in New York City.”

— Dr. Helen Arteaga, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services

“When people come into our care, we must use every resource available to us to meet their individual needs with compassion, innovation, and effective support. Providing high-quality healthcare is among the most essential services we can offer. While this facility may be small, its impact will extend far beyond its walls, helping to shape a new model of correctional care that will open new possibilities for the future.”

— Stanley Richards, Department of Correction Commissioner

“The opening of the Outposted Therapeutic Housing unit at Bellevue Hospital is a phenomenal achievement for New York City, as it marks another first in carceral care. We at CHS have long envisioned the Outposted units as a better way to care for our most medically involved patients. The units are another milestone in how we see and treat people in a more respectful and decent way. On behalf of our patients and of all those who care for and care about them, we thank Dr. Katz, Commissioner Stanley Richards, and Mayor Mamdani for making this vision a reality.”

— Dr. Patsy Yang, Senior Vice President for NYC Health + Hospitals/Correctional Health Services

What’s next

The Mamdani Administration will also open additional Outposted Therapeutic Housing Units at NYC Health+ Hospitals/Woodhull and North Central Bronx (NCB), with 144 and 92 beds, respectively, in the coming months.

The takeaway

The new Outposted Therapeutic Housing Units represent a major shift in how New York City delivers care to incarcerated individuals, moving away from a system defined by delays and toward one rooted in dignity, access and prevention. This is a crucial step in the Mamdani Administration's plan to close the troubled Rikers Island jail complex and provide more humane and effective treatment for those with serious medical conditions.