A “one-stop” health clinic in Wyandanch that’s been operating for more than a decade is moving to a new location in the hamlet and doubling in size.
RiseWell Community Services will break ground next month on a two-story, 8,000-square-foot building that aims to offer more than 1,000 clients services that range from mental health counseling and substance use treatment to vocational and resume help.
RiseWell has been leasing about 4,000 square feet of space at 240 Long Island Ave. since 2014. The West Babylon-based nonprofit received $3 million in grant money from the state Department of Health to build an integrated clinic and purchased the property at 8 S. 18th St. in 2023.
“We wanted to stay in Wyandanch,” said Elizabeth Galati, the nonprofit’s chief strategy officer. “We really love serving the community.”
The nonprofit, under its former name Federation of Organizations, had to get a special-exception-use permit from the Town of Babylon since the location is zoned under a code for the town’s Wyandanch Rising revitalization that doesn’t include office space. The property previously held an auto repair business, according to town records.
“This new facility represents a major investment in the health and well-being of our residents, particularly our young people and families who deserve access to high-quality, comprehensive care close to home,” Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer wrote in a statement to Newsday.
The integrated clinic will continue the work it does at its current location, providing a host of health services, with a focus on mental and behavioral health, including substance use counseling and services. The clinic also will address social services, such as food insecurity and housing needs.
In addition, for the first tim e, the clinic will have a youth center on site, to “offer the kids in the Wyandanch community a nonthreatening, safe space” for them to socialize, as well as resources, Galati said.
“We’ve outgrown the space; everyone is kind of on top of each other right now,” she said of the current location.
The clinic started with 200 clients and currently serves 500 individuals. She said they hope to serve 1,000 clients at the new facility, which will have about 25 employees, including psychiatrists, nurses, social workers and case managers.
“This will really enhance the capacity of the services we will be able to provide,” Galati said, adding that it will also “offer a new and fresh landscape not only for individuals who come to the clinic but also the staff.”
The new clinic will be less than half a mile away from the current one and more centrally located near the heart of Wyandanch’s downtown.
RiseWell Community Services will break ground next month on a two-story, 8,000-square-foot building at this site on South 18th Street. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Cachita Smith, program supervisor for the clinic, said there has been a rising need for substance use services, and the new building will allow the clinic to offer “a more robust program” including Narcan training for overdoses.
“That is an issue that’s very prevalent on Long Island and we want to make sure we are present in the community to combat some of the accidental deaths we’re seeing,” she said, calling the new site a “prime location to really let the community know what’s there.”
The clinic also offers a range of therapy services, including a weekly art group that has become popular, Smith said
“Just having the extra space will allow us to run more of these groups that the community is demanding,” she said.
Galati said the organization hopes to open the new clinic late next year or in early 2028.
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.