Far Rockaway resident Morris Paller has been coming to the Neponsit Adult Day Health Care Center for 11 years after undergoing surgery.

“I came in very sick, I had an operation on my chest. I had a bad infection, I was very weak. I literally couldn’t take care of myself,” said Paller, a Far Rockaway resident.

He credits the staff with getting him back on his feet, and helping him to find better living condition and a home health aide.

“They put a lot of love and time and dedication helping me and so many other people,” said Paller.

The Neponsit Adult Day Health Care Center is run by NYC Health and Hospitals. It provides health care services, a meal and activities five days a week to a group of registered clients, who according to the city have some kind of impairment.

The services allow them to maintain their health and live independently in the community.

But Paller says for the past six months, the center has been turning away new patients. Although the center is licensed to serve 50 clients, Paller says that on some days only a dozen people or so are receiving help here.

“The whole time our doors have been closed, it’s not right,” said Paller.

NYC Health + Hospitals confirm Neponsit has stopped accepting new admissions and that it is evaluating the center's programming and staffing needs. But the agency insists it has no plans to close it, saying the center is a "vital part of the Rockaway community.”

But clients like Arline Webman are skeptical.

“I knew something was going on that wasn’t right," said Webman, a Far Rockaway resident.

Because Neponsit offers medical services, there is always a nurse on site. That makes it different from a typical senior center. Paller says there is nothing like it anywhere else on the Rockaway peninsula. He says if it closes, he doesn't know what he would do.

“It’s going to be a real hardship and suffering for people who need the help and aren’t getting it," said Paller.