TESTIMONY
Nevien Swailmyeen on Sustaining Immigrant Health Initiatives and Establishing Organ Transplant Equity
2:18:12
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159 sec
Nevien Swailmyeen advocates for the continuation of the immigrant health initiative and the creation of an office of organ transplant equity to improve healthcare outcomes for New Yorkers.
- Swailmyeen, a Health Justice Advocate with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, calls for the protection of budget allocations to immigrant health programs.
- She supports legislation for an office of organ transplant equity in the Department of Health, aiming to provide accessible information and specialized care coordination.
- Highlights the success of a pilot kidney transplant program at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, benefiting uninsured individuals.
- Expresses concern over the potential restructuring of SUNY Downstate, which may affect its kidney transplant program.
- Closes by emphasizing the importance of continued partnership with the city council to advance health, immigrant disability, and environmental justice.
Nevien Swailmyeen
2:18:12
Good afternoon to our person, our seats.
2:18:14
My name is Naveen Swomaine, and am the health justice advocate with New York lawyers for the public interest, Nope.
2:18:21
At the outset, we wanna thank the city council for continuing the immigrant health initiative, which has directly supported NLP's programs aimed at improving the health and well-being of immigrant New Yorkers and their families through health education, outreach, and sustained policy advocacy in this budget process.
2:18:38
We call on the council to continue defending viral vital city services investments from budget cuts that will inevitably lead to loss of access and inequitable health care outcomes.
2:18:49
We want to thank your person RCs for some for sponsoring and introducing legislation that would create a new office of organ transplant equity within the Department of Health The office would handle providing accessible information and specialized care coordination to all New Yorkers about lifesaving organ transplant options available in every borough.
2:19:09
Currently, many of NOPI's immigrant clients with renal disease are forced to depend on long term dialysis treatments, which are facilitating, less effective, and far more expensive than kidney transplants.
2:19:21
In 2021, NOPI launched a trans a pilot transplant pipeline with kidney transplant program at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.
2:19:28
In the year since its establishment, this program has changed hundreds of health care and legal service providers.
2:19:34
And as a result, 7 formally uninsured people have reached kidneys, have received kidney transplants in the past year.
2:19:43
And several more are expected to be listed or transplanted this year, which was really exciting for us, really happy.
2:19:49
We hope to continue our partnership with Suni Downstate and we are alarmed by the sudden news of its restructuring, seeing as it is the only safety net hospital in New York City with a kidney transplant program and the or only organ transportation program located in Brooklyn.
2:20:04
The proposal for 4th would delegate Sunit to us subsidiary role within a designated wing at Kings County Hospital Center, and such a reconfiguration would lead to the termination of Suneet Downstate's operation.
2:20:15
The closure would worsen health inequities throughout the city as soon as downstate serves a predominantly low income medically underserved population, including patients grappling with end stage renal disease who face immediate repercussions.
2:20:28
We urge the committee to take oversight steps to ensure that kidney transplant patients from across the city who are currently receiving Care as Suni Downstate continue to receive lifesaving care.
2:20:38
We extend deep gratitude to our person overseas for the opportunity to provide testimony today.
2:20:43
We look forward to continuing our partnership with the city council to advance health, immigrant disability, and environmental justice to all New Yorkers.
2:20:50
Thank you.