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Q&A
Challenges facing NYC's public health care system
0:36:50
ยท
128 sec
Council Member Keith Powers asks Dr. Patricia Marthone about the largest challenges facing NYC's public health care system. Dr. Marthone identifies mental health as the primary concern and elaborates on specific issues.
- Difficulty in retaining public health psychiatrists and psychologists
- Challenges in scheduling timely appointments for mental health care
- Issues with providing care to unhoused and homeless individuals
- Need for more show vans to provide care in communities
- Concerns about involuntary hospitalization and the need for compassionate approaches
Keith Powers
0:36:50
Just in your experience here so far and as looking ahead, know and many of us who cherish our public health institutions, I'm proud to represent Bellevue Hospital in my district.
0:37:02
My mom was a nurse there growing up and know how important it is to providing care to our whole city and in addition to my community.
0:37:10
Can you just talk about what you see right now as just the largest challenges facing our public health care system here in the city?
Dr. Patricia Marthone
0:37:16
I would say mental health.
0:37:17
One, it's very difficult to to retain public health, you know, psychiatrists or psychologists who are going to help in the treatment of care and because of that it is hard to schedule.
0:37:31
Even those that would appear for their appointments have troubles you know getting an appointment that would be done in a timely manner.
0:37:38
So therefore people that are receiving treatment are receiving it over time more distantly than normally would too.
0:37:45
Those that are unhoused and homeless have challenges accessing that care as well.
0:37:50
You know we do have some show vans that do provide care in the community but you know it needs to be close to where they are and we do not have necessarily all of the resources possible to have resource to have show vans in every area of New York City, but increasing those would be helpful, so that those individuals that do get receive those fourteen day prescriptions when they do go to the emergency room for care have a place closer to them to go and get those refilled and can be sent directly to the pharmacy but they have to know where the van is.
0:38:19
The van can go looking for them but it's you know obviously it's not easy.
0:38:22
So it would be great to have more of those so that they can quickly access that.
0:38:26
The third thing with the challenge is and I'm very sympathetic to this issue is having sometimes sue against one's will.
0:38:36
Have you you know brought into the hospital for care.
0:38:39
Sometimes it's for the safety of the individual and the public and to me it just must be done with compassion and I think we can do more and do better to make sure everyone involved in that interaction with that individual knows how to deescalate to the utmost of their ability and handle them with care and compassion till we can get them back on track.