TESTIMONY
Sophie Dalsimer on Restoring and Enhancing Funding for the Immigrant Health Initiative
4:11:15
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134 sec
Sophie Dalsimer advocates for the restoration and enhancement of funding for the immigrant health initiative, highlighting its critical role in saving lives and improving health outcomes.
- Dalsimer emphasises the urgent need for continued support due to the increased arrival of immigrants and the politicization of immigration policy.
- She criticizes the mayor's shelter eviction rules for their negative health implications, particularly for immigrants losing access to health insurance and care.
- Specific cases of immigrants affected by unstable housing, including a person with kidney failure denied care, are highlighted.
- Dalsimer calls attention to inconsistent policies across city-run asylum application support centers.
- The testimony urges the city to prioritize healthcare access for all, including vulnerable communities like transgender, HIV-positive, undocumented, and ICE-detained New Yorkers, and presents the budget surplus as an opportunity to meet these needs.
Sophie Dalsimer
4:11:15
Good afternoon, Chair of Ullis.
4:11:16
My name is Sophie Dalsimer, and I am co director of the health justice program at New York lawyers for the public interest.
4:11:23
We are privileged to be a part of the council's immigrant health initiative, and we thank you for your lot support.
4:11:28
Today, I'm here to the council to continue your support by restoring and enhancing funding for the immigrant health initiative, which has saved lives and improved health outcomes across the city.
4:11:40
Continued and enhanced funding is critical given the increased arrival of immigrants to our city and the regular deployment of immigration policy as a political bargaining chip.
4:11:49
On both national and local scales.
4:11:52
In particular, we want to commend this committee for pushing back on the mayor's callous shelter eviction rules, and we'd like to highlight some of the health implications of these policies.
4:12:03
Specifically, as advocates for immigrant access to healthcare, We are concerned about people losing access to health insurance after enrollment if they are forced to relocate and then misreceiving notices to complete the enrollment process.
4:12:16
We are also concerned about people losing access to health services or being unable to receive care due to a lack of stable address.
4:12:25
For example, we've already seen an individual who is a recently arrived immigrant living with kidney failure, who was unable to continue accessing care even though he had been insured, enrolled in health insurance, and also could not access transplant care without a stable address.
4:12:42
I'd also like to note that through our intakes, we have heard reports of very inconsistent policies when it comes to gaining appointments at at the city run application support asylum application support centers across the shelters.
4:12:58
The city must continue to uphold access to health care for all New Yorkers, including those served by our programs, such as people who identify as transgender or gender expansive and those living with HIV, and those who are undocumented and uninsured, and New Yorkers who are detained by ICE.
4:13:16
The needs of these communities are as great as ever, and with the newly anticipated budget surplus, meeting these needs is firmly within reach.
4:13:24
Thank you again for your continued support and the opportunity to speak today.
