Assemblywoman Stefani Zinerman secured Bed Stuy Volunteer Ambulance Corps’ future with legislation that grants land at its 727 Greene Avenue home. The legislation, signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul, cements BSVAC’s future in the heart of Bedford-Stuyvesant and paves the way for the construction of a state-of-the-art Community Health Hub, supported by a $6 million state grant secured by Assemblymember Zinerman.
Officially conveying the land to the Bed-Stuy Volunteer Ambulance Corps is a landmark achievement for Central Brooklyn that secures a permanent home for lifesaving services and a future Community Health Hub in the heart of Bed Stuy.
“The Bed-Stuy Volunteer Ambulance Corps has been saving lives in our community long before the rest of the world recognized the value of grassroots emergency response,” said Assemblymember Zinerman. “By securing this land and a $6 million state investment, we honor their legacy and build a future where every family has access to lifesaving care, conflict resolution, restorative justice, and pathways into the health and emergency workforce.”
At the 37th Annual Celebration of BSVAC this past summer, Zinerman said she was “proud to highlight a milestone decades in the making: the ceremonial transfer of land to the Bed-Stuy Volunteer Ambulance Corps (BSVAC)—the first nonprofit in our district to receive a deed of this kind in over a generation.”
Zinerman began advocating for this transfer as a City Council staffer and continued the fight in Albany. “This moment was more than symbolic—it was a declaration of community sovereignty and legacy,” she said.
The BSVAC Community Health Hub will become the district’s cornerstone for Emergency Medical Response Training, Doula & Maternal Health Programs, Restorative Justice & Violence Prevention, and Life Skills & Advocacy.
This new facility will house the Bedford Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Kings Against Violence Initiative Inc. (KAVI), and the Central Brooklyn Birthing Center led by Ancient Song, Inc., formerly known as Ancient Song Doula Services.
The facility will be designed by world renowned architect, Rodney Leon, through his firm Rodney Leon Architect, PLLC. Once completed, the BSVAC Community Health Hub will stand as a model for New York State: a place where health equity, violence prevention, leadership development, and emergency preparedness come together under one roof.
At the announcement for state funding for the new facility, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said, “The opening of the new Bedford Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps (BSVAC) facility is not just an opening of a building, but the opening of new opportunities and resources for the community. This facility will serve as a hub for emergency services and much more. We are proud to support projects that provide comprehensive community care.”
For nearly 40 years, BSVAC has been a lifeline for Central Brooklyn, providing rapid medical response in a community historically overlooked by traditional emergency systems. With the new land conveyance and significant state investment, the organization will expand its impact through a permanent home built for the community and by the community.
A decade ago, the late Rocky Robinson, founder of the Bed Stuy Volunteer Ambulance Corps, told Our Time Press of his history starting the first EMS in the City of New York.
“Before then, the Health and Hospital Corp. would send an attendant and a MVO (motor vehicle operator). There was no on-scene treatment of the patient. They just threw that patient in the back of the ambulance and high tailed it to the hospital without any kind of treatment,” said Robinson. “After they saw that people were dying and needed an extension of the emergency room which means people on the ambulance had to be trained. That is where years ago we became the first unit. From then on, we went from Corps.
Men to paramedics, and now everybody on that ambulance is trained thoroughly as an extension of the ER. If we are an extension of the ER, we have to start the protective process right there on the scene so that when we get them to the ER nobody will be at risk and everybody will be protected. We have to start from ground zero which is the unit that picks them up.”
Bedford Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps Commanding Officer Antoine Robinson succeeded Commander Rocky Robinson in 2019. He also serves as President of BSVAC and as a member of its Board of Directors.
“Securing land for BSVAC is part of my broader strategy to protect and uplift trusted community institutions, especially those founded by and for us,” said Zinerman. “It demonstrates what’s possible when we align vision, advocacy, and legislation.”
The Hub embodies the values that define Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights: Self-determination, Community care, Healing justice, Youth empowerment, and Intergenerational leadership.
Assemblymember Zinerman said the HUB “is the fulfillment of a decades-long dream for local first responders, community elders, youth, and families who have relied on BSVAC’s lifesaving expertise for generations.”
She added, “This is the future our community deserves—one we are building together.”
This achievement also solidifies the district’s commitment to ensuring that every block has trained neighbors ready to save lives, prevent harm, and support one another.
“I encourage every block to help us meet our goal of having five trained neighbors certified in CPR/First Aid, Mental Health First Aid (adult and youth), Stop the Bleed, and Narcan,” said Zinerman. “When we take care of each other, we build a safer, healthier community for all.”
