Q&A
Council Member Brewer questions Dr. Katz on medical school recruitment and migrant shelter closures
1:47:19
ยท
174 sec
Council Member Gale Brewer engages in a Q&A session with Dr. Mitch Katz, discussing recruitment from free medical schools and the potential reallocation of funds from closing migrant shelters to address doctor pay and retention at NYC Health + Hospitals. Dr. Katz explains the challenges and timelines involved in recruitment from new free medical schools and clarifies the financial separation between migrant shelter funding and hospital operations.
- Brewer emphasizes the need for H+H to actively recruit from free medical schools
- Discussion on the possibility of reallocating funds from closing migrant shelters to support doctor pay and retention
- Brewer requests specific financial information on the funds that will be saved from shelter closures to potentially advocate for their use in the hospital system
Gale Brewer
1:47:19
Two questions.
1:47:20
1, you have several, medical schools that are now free.
1:47:24
Are you recruiting from them?
Mitch Katz
1:47:26
We will.
1:47:27
I mean, I think it will really help, with, councilmember Brewer with the things like primary care that people will leave.
1:47:34
But remember, this just started, so you haven't right?
1:47:37
They still have to they have the full 4 years, then they have the 3 year residency.
Gale Brewer
1:47:41
But you're focused on trying to get from them.
Mitch Katz
1:47:43
Mhmm.
1:47:44
Absolutely.
1:47:44
Absolutely.
1:47:45
And I and I think they will simply because I think a lot of people were choosing specialty because they had $300,000 in loans.
1:47:52
Right.
Gale Brewer
1:47:53
Okay.
1:47:53
I'm just you'll let us know that you're doing it and not just talking about it.
Mitch Katz
1:47:58
Yes.
Gale Brewer
1:47:58
Okay.
1:47:59
2nd is, you're closing a lot of the of the, migrant shelters.
1:48:03
I just got the list today for April 4th.
1:48:07
Will that give you some money to pay the doctors?
Mitch Katz
1:48:10
No.
1:48:11
Why not?
1:48:12
Because the the way, the city does the dollars, we're paid actual expenses for the shelter system.
1:48:20
Right?
1:48:21
The and that was something that we arranged early on because I said I wanted to help, but I wasn't prepared to sacrifice the dollars that we were spending on health care.
1:48:31
So OMB agreed, with us that they would it's essentially, like, boarded off.
1:48:38
They we have actual expenses.
1:48:41
We report to them.
1:48:42
They keep us whole so that no one could say that we have less because of the migrant crisis.
1:48:48
But at least is that money is not available to me, I mean, to you as a as
Gale Brewer
1:48:53
a doctor.
1:48:54
To me that I mean, that was a lot of money, and it's gonna go somewhere.
1:48:57
It's not going to be paid.
1:48:59
It seems to me that you have the greatest health system.
1:49:02
You have to keep the doctors.
1:49:04
It would seem to me that we should be all advocating for whatever the amount is that would make the doctors whole, figure out what you need, retention.
1:49:11
For God's sake, why are we not advocating for that?
1:49:16
I don't know, but you could do the same.
Mitch Katz
1:49:19
But you have the power.
Gale Brewer
1:49:20
Well, I'm just saying there I I guess what I'm asking for you to provide is what are the dollars that are being quote, unquote saved?
1:49:27
Could be a one time.
1:49:28
We're not talking necessarily sustainable.
Mitch Katz
1:49:30
Oh, it's 1,000,000.
Gale Brewer
1:49:31
Okay.
1:49:31
Well, we we could use that number.
1:49:33
We could use that number so that we could advocate for your staff, which does need more funding, and your hospital system, which does need more funding.
1:49:40
So we would appreciate for the committee to get that information, what is being transferred, I guess, back into the into the general fund because that's where it goes if it doesn't go to you.
Mitch Katz
1:49:51
Right.
Gale Brewer
1:49:51
And we'd like to have it stay in the system for the good that needs to be done.
1:49:56
You'll get us that information.
1:49:57
I know that at least 7 or 8 are being closed, if not more.
Mitch Katz
1:50:00
So it's a very large number.
Gale Brewer
1:50:02
April 4th.
1:50:02
I'm very aware of it.
Mitch Katz
1:50:03
It's a large number.
Gale Brewer
1:50:04
Okay.
1:50:05
We we want that number to know what it is and to know, what we can do with it that would be alternative for your system.
1:50:12
Alright.
1:50:13
Thank you.