Kiryas Joel, NY – Village Gets $3M Grant for Women’s Health Center

Kiryas Joel, NY – A state board has approved a $3 million grant for a women’s health center that’s almost triple the predicted cost.

The cost, almost all paid for with state and federal grants, has ballooned to $11.4 million since Kiryas Joel officials outlined plans for a $4 million, 50,000-square-foot center that would offer women a multitude of health-related services, including convalescent care after giving birth.

Village Administrator Gedalye Szegedin played down the cost escalation, saying the original price tag was a rough calculation the village used before delving into design and engineering details.
“The village is extremely excited, after so many years of hard work, that there’s finally going to be a full women’s-services center,” he said. “It’s a project that’s going to help a lot of women in need.”

In a place where Hasidic women typically bear lots of children, the center, Aishes Chayil D-Kiryas Joel, will offer mothers pre- and post-natal care and provide 56 beds where they can rest and recuperate for days after childbirth.
Once in full operation, the center is expected to deliver additional services for women ages “18 to 118,” Szegedin said.
Since the customs of the ultra-Orthodox community prohibit women from driving, having one place in the village for such services will make them more accessible.