Advancing Health Care Equity: A Memory Care Unit in a Large New York City Public Nursing Home

The 150-bed memory care unit (MCU) at Coler Rehabilitation & Nursing Care Center has a two-thirds racial and ethnic minority population. The unit’s residents have been impacted by social determinants of health associated with poor health outcomes, such as poverty, homelessness, substance use disorders, mental illness, behavioral disorders, and lack of health insurance. In addition, over 20% have no available family or surrogates. Coler, which is operated by NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H), our nation’s largest municipal health system, serves as a safety net for those who otherwise would lack access to high-quality dementia care.