NYU’s Initiative for Women With Disabilities Provides Holistic Wellness Services

A participant may walk into New York University’s Initiative for Women with Disabilities (IWD) at the Elly & Steve Hammerman Health & Wellness Center’s Second Avenue offices for a nutrition consultation and come out having addressed other needs through a routine medical examination or a Reiki restorative yoga class. Social worker Alena Gerst maintains this is done through a holistic approach. “We are able to provide the best quality care by communicating with each other,” says Gerst, who has been with the comprehensive wellness center since 2011.

From primary care visits to gynecological exams to acupuncture and even hairstyling, the center is a catchall space for about 400 women with physical disabilities in Manhattan. It works at preventing osteoporosis, heart disease, musculoskeletal pain and other ailments by promoting a holistic, healthy lifestyle. “Participants feel that this is their home away from home. And they come here and feel very safe,” says Connie Lam, the initiative’s program manager, who has worked at the center for 12 years.

“We started out as a [gynecological] practice. We started growing and doing a lot of wellness services as each year passed,” says Lam.

Indeed, Gerst adds that treating the whole person is a relatively new trend in medicine, and the fact that the center has emphasized it for so long puts it ahead of the game. “Our center is really cutting edge,” she says.

As follows, the women are noticeably not called patients. “Our team meets and we really try to coordinate a plan of care for women that are coming in. This is not a place you go when you are sick — it’s a place you go for overall self-care and wellness,” says Suzanne Hurtwitz, coordinator of the Young Women’s Program.

“If someone doesn’t show up for class, she’s going to get a phone call. It’s a real place for people to come and be able to socialize, and that has positive outcomes for their health,” says Gerst.