Henry J. Carter, the philanthropist whose name is on the long-term care hospital at 1752 Park Avenue and East 122nd Street, has been inducted into the Harlem Hall of Fame. NYC Health + Hospitals marked the honor in an announcement on Oct. 19, 2026. The induction ceremony took place at the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Community Center in Harlem, organized by the advisory board of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Memorial Community Center, with Spectrum News anchor Cheryl Wills as host.

Carter, known to most people as Hank, shared this year's class with Arthur Mitchell, the choreographer who founded Dance Theatre of Harlem. Mitchell, who died in 2018, was honored posthumously.

A charity that started with one basketball game

Carter has spent more than 50 years raising money for people who use wheelchairs. According to the health system, it began in 1974 with a single charity basketball game that brought in $5,000. That game became the start of Wheelchair Charities Inc., the nonprofit he still leads as chief executive.

The game grew into an annual Basketball Classic, and the money it raised went to a first purchase of about $400,000 in electric wheelchairs, computers and other medical equipment for young adult patients at Goldwater Specialty Hospital on Roosevelt Island. In 1990, Carter organized what the health system describes as the first all-pro basketball fundraising game at Madison Square Garden.

Nearly $40 million in equipment

NYC Health + Hospitals puts Carter's total giving to the public health system at nearly $40 million in equipment and programs for patients and residents with disabilities. The list includes thousands of manual and motorized wheelchairs, buses fitted for wheelchair users, pressure-sensitive beds, therapy equipment and more than 1,000 computers set up with voice recognition, screen magnification and pointer devices so that people with quadriplegia can use them. Some of the donated equipment can be controlled by eye movement.

Leaders at two of the system's long-term care sites spoke about what that equipment has meant. The chief executive of NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter, Floyd R. Long, took part in the induction and called Carter a mentor and friend whose gifts have let patients live as independently as possible. At NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler on Roosevelt Island, chief executive Nataliya Yakovleva credited his custom motorized wheelchairs and other devices with giving hundreds of residents more mobility and independence.

His name on an East Harlem hospital

The health system has recognized Carter twice before. In 2004, its board voted to rename the rehabilitation department at Coler-Goldwater as the Henry (Hank) Carter Rehabilitation Center. In 2013, the Henry J. Carter Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility opened at Park Avenue and East 122nd Street, and the health system says it was the first time in its history that a facility was named for a living person.

The building has 365 beds split between two kinds of care. Its 201-bed specialty hospital handles long-term acute care for medically complex patients, many of whom need help breathing on a ventilator, and the health system says it is the only long-term acute care hospital in New York. The other 164 beds are a skilled nursing facility for residents whose needs cannot be met at home. Staff are on site around the clock.

From Queensbridge to Vietnam to Harlem

Carter was born in Tampa, Florida, and grew up in the Queensbridge Houses in Queens. He finished high school in 1961 and went on to study accounting at Baruch College. Drafted into the Army in 1966, he served in Vietnam, reached the rank of sergeant and received the Bronze Star and the Good Conduct Medal. He was also named the top boxer in the Army and the most valuable player in Army basketball. After his service he built a career in banking.

His charity work grew out of visits to a paralyzed friend who was moved to Coler-Goldwater Hospital on Roosevelt Island. Seeing what patients there needed, and how they kept going, led him to create Wheelchair Charities. Accepting the Harlem honor, Carter thanked the many friends and supporters who have helped him over the past 53 years and said he plans to keep the work going.

Visiting or supporting the work

NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter is at 1752 Park Avenue at East 122nd Street. The nearest subway is the 4, 5 or 6 train to 125 St at Lexington Avenue, a short walk away; Metro-North's Harlem-125 St station is also nearby. Families who want to learn about care at Carter or schedule a tour can call (646) 686-0000. Wheelchair Charities Inc. takes donations through its website.

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