Harlem Hospital Center, branded as NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, is a 282-bed, public teaching hospital affiliated with Columbia University. It is located at 506 Lenox Avenue in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City and was founded on April 18, 1887.

The hospital was established to provide healthcare to the citizens of the neighborhood. Initially, the hospital served as a holding area for patients to be transferred to Randalls and Wards Islands and Bellevue Hospital. After World War I, the hospital soon outgrew its initial building. After acquiring land, a new building opened on April 13, 1907. The hospital developed a teaching program that is affiliated with Columbia University, and has continued to serve the Harlem neighborhood since its inception.

Administratively, Harlem Hospital Center is a member of the NYC Health + Hospitals. It is designated as a Level II Trauma Center and a burn center that includes a specialty in plastic and reconstructive surgery to reduce the scarring unique to the African-American community. It is also designated as a Heart Care Station by the American Heart Association and participates in the 911 Receiving Hospitals Advisory Committee. It has been affiliated with the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University since 1962.

The Harlem Hospital Center has engaged in many innovative programs specialized for its inner-city location, such as one of the few specialized asthma centers. While four percent of the national population has asthma, that figure approaches 20 percent in Harlem. It has a referral Center for Tuberculosis, the Charles P. Felton National Tuberculosis Center, that served as a premier Model for TB control nationwide.

Harlem Hospital Center provides over 210,000 clinical visits, 83,000 emergency department visits, and 13,000 inpatient admissions each year. It also operates Harlem Hospital School of Nursing and a Physician assistant program.

May Edward Chinn, the first African-American woman to graduate from Bellevue Hospital Medical College, was also the first African-American woman to intern at Harlem Hospital. Lucille C. Gunning, an African-American pediatrician and specialist in the treatment of children's cancer, who was known for her treatment of patients with Sickle cell disease, was the director of pediatric rehabilitation at Harlem Hospital during the 1980s.

Harlem Hospital was opened April 18, 1897 in a three-story building that housed 54 beds. The hospital was originally served as a center for patients waiting to be transferred to Bellevue Hospital. Harlem Hospital was founded under the control of the Department of Public Charities and Corrections. The hospital's initial 54 beds proved to be lacking, especially after the wave of African Americans who traveled to New York after World War I. The Harlem Hospital served as a sense of pride for the African-American community. As the African-American community started to grow in New York, they attempted to gain control over aspects of the community that had a direct impact on them. City bureaucracies, such as the police force and firefighters, were dominated by outside communities. Understandably, African Americans had a tough time getting these positions and advancing in the ranks of society. After many obstacles, African Americans were able to work as physicians in the 1930s. The hospital soon became a fixture in the community.

Harlem Hospital has also faced hardships, particularly with integrating its staff, upholding healthcare standards, and economically. When first established, Harlem Hospital was staffed by white physicians and through the mistreatment of Black patients, a movement began to integrate the hospital. Since the 1980s, New York City had been monitoring Harlem Hospital to ensure that the employees complied with Medicare conditions of participation.