Our Story
From ship to shore
The Floating Hospital is a living monument to care in New York City. Founded more than 160 years ago, we began as a ship-based charity providing relief and aid to the poor.
Today, we operate from a land-based clinic in Long Island City where we are one of the city’s largest care providers to families in homeless shelters and domestic violence safe houses.
Relief
The children on board our ships were given fresh milk, fruit, and sandwiches after having their first bath in months.
Kids living in homeless shelters are invited in to choose a new pair of sneakers and new socks through our partnership with Soles4Souls.
Education
Demonstrations on how to properly care for a baby were some of the many ways Floating Hospital staff educated the passengers about proper health and hygiene, lessons that were brought home as well.
In our teaching kitchen, families try out samples of unusual fruits and vegetables and watch demonstrations on how to make healthy meals with little to no cooking tools.
Medical care
While the afternoon on the water and fresh air was considered a tonic on its own, The Floating Hospital ships began with volunteer staff offering the basic medical care of the time, which evolved along with modern standards of medicine.
Our main clinic now offers medical, behavioral health, dental, podiatry and optometry care in dedicated floors and suites with highly skilled and culturally sensitive providers welcoming patients into their exam rooms.
A legacy built by the generosity of New Yorkers
160 years of caring for the city’s most vulnerable families
528
People Helped
1866-1886
When Care Set Sail: The Founding Years
A year after the Civil War ended, St. John’s Guild was founded by a dozen volunteers to help the poor of the parish, “without regard to nationality, creed, or color.” The Guild’s charitable work happened primarily in the winter on the westside of Manhattan. Six years later, after their participation in the Children’s Excursions organized by The New York Times, they hired boats for two summers and initiated the “floating hospital” idea. In 1875, they launched their own boat, the River Belle. For patients requiring longer stays, the Seaside Nursery opened on Staten Island in 1881.
