Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center Receives 2026 Award for Advancing Adolescent Health and Health Equity
Recognition honors decades of leadership in comprehensive, confidential, equitable, youth-centered health care for New York City adolescents and young adults
HANYS President and CEO Thomas J. Quatroche Jr., left, and Nick Henley, Vice President, External Affairs, HANYS, right, with Rachel Colon, social work supervisor, primary care social work program, Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, at HANYS' Annual Membership Conference in Saratoga Springs Thursday, June 25, 2026. Mount Sinai Health System won HANYS' 2026 Community Health Improvement Award for their Adolescent Health Center. Photo credit - Kate Penn/HANYS
The Mount Sinai Health System today announced that the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center has received the 2026 Community Health Improvement Award from the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS). The award recognizes the Center's longstanding leadership in advancing adolescent health, health equity, and access to comprehensive care for young people throughout New York City.
The honor—given to organizations across New York State that demonstrate innovation, strong community partnerships, measurable impact, and a sustained commitment to improving public health—was announced today during a luncheon at the HANYS Annual Membership Conference in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Founded in 1968 as the first primary care program in New York specifically created for the health needs of adolescents, the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center has grown into one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive adolescent health programs. The Center provides free, integrated medical, mental health, sexual and reproductive health, dental, optical, and wellness services to adolescents and young adults across New York City, regardless of their ability to pay.
Its mission is to ensure that young people have access to high-quality, confidential, and respectful care that supports their physical, emotional, and social well-being. Over nearly six decades, the Center has also become a national leader in adolescent medicine, clinical care, professional training, research, and youth health advocacy.
“This recognition is deeply meaningful because it reflects the trust young people and families have placed in the Adolescent Health Center for generations,” said Sarah Wood, MD, Director of the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center and Chief, Adolescent Medicine, Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital. “Every day, our multidisciplinary teams work to create a safe, welcoming place where adolescents and young adults can receive comprehensive, confidential care and feel heard, respected, and supported. This award is a tribute to our staff, our community partners, and most importantly, the young people who inspire our work.”
In recent years, under Dr. Wood’s leadership, the Center has expanded programs focused on mental health, preventive care, community outreach, and health equity.
“The Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center has long represented the very best of academic medicine and community care working together,” said Brendan G. Carr, MD, MA, MS, Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. “For decades, the Center has transformed the lives of young people across New York City by delivering compassionate, innovative, and comprehensive care while expanding access to essential health services. We are proud to see our extraordinary team recognized by HANYS for its enduring impact on community health.”
The Center’s multidisciplinary model brings together physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, educators, and community health professionals to address the full spectrum of adolescent health needs. Its approach to confidential, youth-centered care has influenced adolescent health programs nationwide.
“This award recognizes an institution that has consistently met young people where they are and responded to their needs with compassion, dignity, and excellence,” said Elizabeth Haines, DO, MSc, FACEP, Chief Operating Officer, Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital, and Senior Vice President, Pediatric Services, Mount Sinai Health System. “The Adolescent Health Center has played an essential role in advancing health equity and improving access to care for adolescents across New York City, especially for underserved communities that too often face barriers to care.”
Today, the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center remains a vital resource for adolescents and young adults throughout New York City, helping patients build healthier futures through accessible, comprehensive, patient-centered care delivered with compassion, dignity, and respect.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the nation’s leading integrated academic health systems and one of the largest in the New York metropolitan area. The Health System includes approximately 48,000 employees, more than 9,000 physicians, and 8,600 nurses across seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, over 600 research and clinical laboratories, a school of nursing, and schools of medicine and graduate school of biomedical sciences.
As a leading learning health system, Mount Sinai combines clinical expertise with scientific discovery to improve patient care while training the next generation of health care and biomedical leaders. The Health System provides care across every stage of life, from prenatal care through geriatrics, while advancing personalized medicine through artificial intelligence, data science, and biomedical research.
Mount Sinai is consistently recognized among the nation’s leading academic health systems for patient care, research, and education. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 1 in New York and recognized as one of the world’s top Smart Hospital by Newsweek. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai ranks No. 11 among U.S. medical schools for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and No. 1 among freestanding medical schools, reflecting the strength of its scientific enterprise and leadership in biomedical research.
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