Our Story

From ship to shore

Mission

Since 1866, The Floating Hospital has welcomed New York City families with the greatest needs aboard our ships and into our clinics to provide food and other critical relief supplies, vital health and life skills education to forge a path out of homelessness, and compassionate, high-quality healthcare regardless of ability to pay.

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

Then

The children on board our ships were given fresh milk, fruit, and sandwiches after having their first bath in months.

Now

Kids living in homeless shelters are invited in to choose a new pair of sneakers and new socks through our partnership with Soles4Souls.

Education

Then

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.

Now

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

Then

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.

Now

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.

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 West Side 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.

1887-1906

One Boat Becomes a Citywide Mission

A revolutionary idea at the time, salt-water baths became part of patient care on the River Belle. The Seaside Nursery grew into a 300-bed hospital. In 1892, Children’s City Hospital opened on West 61st Street. Our first year round facility, with a visiting nurse service, it stayed open for six years. In 1895, our treasurer William Strong was elected New York City Mayor. In 1899, the River Belle was renamed the Emma Abbott, and was joined by a second boat, the Helen C. Juilliard. For three years, both boats carried almost 80,000 patients from July to September.

1907-1926

From Deck to Doorstep: Teaching Health Across Generations

In 1916, during World War I, the Helen C. Juilliard II was launched to replace our two older boats. Following the war, the 1918 influenza pandemic filled city hospitals and by October, Seaside Hospital admitted flu patients as well. Educating mothers and children in good hygiene was a constant on the ship, and the lessons came home with them. “My girl… will have me turn the mattress before the bed is made, and she will wash out the sink, and open the window at the top and bottom because the lady in the white boat says it must be done.”

1927-1946

Navigating a Great Depression and War

The Great Depression affected all New Yorkers, as well as our ability to help them. During 1934, The Floating Hospital did not sail, but by the next year, we launched our fourth and first all steel boat, the Lloyd I. Seaman. When war broke out, the government took over the Seaside Hospital and many of our staff signed up to serve. Yet we never stopped sailing. In fact, our ship was the only non-war related craft allowed in New York Harbor. Mariner Girl Scouts ably volunteered each day, helping serve food, comfort patients, and assist in the dental clinic.

1947-1966

Polio’s Defeat & Care Within Reach

With both the war and polio creating mobility issues for all New Yorkers, The Floating Hospital began its first bus service to offer door-to-door transportation, which continues today. Until 1954, when the vaccine became available, late summer was considered “polio season” and our Dr. Philip M. Stimson was helping lead the fight. By 1966, we were celebrating our 100th anniversary: “We do for the kids what most people take for granted. If it weren’t for the ship, most of our passengers would never see a doctor,” a nurse said.

1967-1986

Five Million Served: A Mission in Full Sail

By this point, our Dental, Medical and Mental Health departments saw up to 1,000 patients each season with eight days reserved for seniors. Our fifth boat, the Lila Acheson Wallace, named after the Reader’s Digest philanthropist, was launched in 1973. Mayor Abraham Beame attended the 1977 naming ceremony. In addition to the summer sails, the ship offered medical services year-round while docked.

1987-2006

From Ship to Shore: A Mission Reimagined

Our berth beside the South Street Seaport was the scene of chaos and confusion on the morning of September 11th. Too early for medical staff to be there, the office staff did what they could with bandages and antiseptic. And with no tugboat to propel the boat, we could not help people evacuate. We lost our mooring rights to the clean-up efforts and “the Lila” was removed from service. Turning to land, we launched a series of clinics, first in Chinatown and then Long Island City, in a government-designated medically underserved area.

2007-2026

Rooted in Community, Rising in Impact

In 2019, we started Camp Rise Up, an annual summer sleepaway camp with workshops and activities designed to foster personal strength, self-esteem, and other essential life skills in teens living with homelessness. Then in 2021, we moved to a new 30,000 square foot headquarters not far from our previous site. The modern clinic introduced specialty services such as podiatry and optometry, as well as a family teaching kitchen. Coupled with initiatives such as Women’s Wellness and Candy Cane Lane, we continue to serve three core populations: homeless families (including domestic violence survivors), public housing residents, and other New Yorkers in need.