History


The Roberto Clemente Center was first established in 1982 as an outpatient mental health service: It was the first mental health program in New York State to propose that culture is an essential component of mental health treatment. Cultural sensitivity was operationalized by including an all bilingual and bicultural staff. The importance of culturally sensitive care is now well established in the mental health field. The Clemente Center broke ground in making this possible for other mental health groups.

The Roberto Clemente Center was made possible by the advocacy efforts of the Minority Advisory Council of the New York State Office of Mental Health and especially by the energetic support received from community-based organizations and leaders. The Center was first funded by the New York State Office of Mental Health.

RCC is part of Gouverneur Diagnostic and Treatment Center and the South Manhattan Network of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC). HHC administers the City's public health and mental health services. Services offered at the clinic are in medical affiliation with the New York University School of Medicine.

The Clemente Center has grown to include additional programs: the Sylvia Del Villard Continuing Day Treatment Program; the Institute for Family and Community Care (1992); the Primary Health Care Program (1998); and the HIV-Primary Care Clinic (1999).

The Center's programs share a family systems orientation to patient care. Individual behavior is viewed in the context of the family, community, and society, which set parameters for the personal understanding of behavior, health, and illness. The ecosystemic model describes the approach to patient care that considers the family and social context of behavior.

The Clemente Center seeks to develop close working relationships with community-based organizations and programs. It has established direct and supportive working relationships with schools, health care and youth programs, housing agencies, and community elected and appointed leaders

Our Name

The Center was named after Roberto Clemente in order to honor the values and work of the late Pittsburgh Pirates baseball star. Clemente spoke out about the discrimination that African-American and Latino players suffered in baseball. Throughout his life, Roberto Clemente strove for the highest performance goals and expectations. His love for children led him to develop children's sports programs. Clemente is also known for his humanitarian and relief efforts. Roberto Clemente died in a tragic plane crash on New Year's Eve of 1972 while transporting medical relief for the victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua.