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Council Member Linda Lee's opening remarks on healthcare access for patients with disabilities
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ยท
3 min
Council Member Linda Lee, Chair of the Committee on Mental Health Disabilities and Addictions, delivers opening remarks for a joint hearing on evaluating access to healthcare for patients with disabilities. She highlights the challenges faced by New Yorkers with disabilities in accessing healthcare and emphasizes the need for systemic changes to improve health outcomes.
- Lee notes that nearly 1 million New Yorkers live with disabilities, with over half having physical or mobility disabilities.
- She discusses persistent structural barriers in healthcare access, including lack of accessible equipment and trained staff.
- The council member calls for collaborative efforts to identify shortcomings and make the healthcare system more inclusive and responsive.
Linda Lee
0:01:11
Thank you.
0:01:14
Good afternoon everyone.
0:01:16
My name is Councilmember Linda Lee, Chair of Committee on Mental Health Disabilities and Addictions, and I want to thank Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse, Chair on the Committee of Hospitals, for joining this hearing on evaluating access to healthcare for patients with disabilities.
0:01:30
Before I begin, I would like to recognize that we've been joined by the following council members, Council Member Luis Rivera, and we also have Council Member Moya online.
0:01:40
And I'll just go over it in.
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There are almost 1,000,000 people in New York City living with disabilities and more than half have a physical or mobility disability.
0:01:51
Abstract, they represent our neighbors, co workers, family members and constituents, people who deserve the same quality of care as anyone else.
0:01:58
Unfortunately we know that that is not the case.
0:02:01
Studies show that adults with physical disabilities face persistent structural barriers to accessing healthcare, particularly primary and preventive care.
0:02:11
Many medical facilities still lack accessible exam tables, mammography machines, I'm surprised I said that word correctly, and trained staff.
0:02:20
Too often this results in people with disabilities being referred elsewhere or worse going without care altogether.
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The reality is that these barriers result in worse health outcomes for adults with disabilities, more chronic illness, more preventable hospitalizations, and tragically shorter lifespans.
0:02:38
We also know that these disparities are not the result of individual failure but of systemic gaps in how our health care system is designed.
0:02:47
And when chair Narcisse and I were going through the materials last week to prep, we wanted to be very clear, you know, this is not placing blame on any one particular person, agency.
0:02:58
We know that this is a very challenging issue that we want to try to start peeling the layers back of how we address a lot of these issues so that our disabled community and those that are most marginalized are actually getting the health care services that they need.
0:03:15
Doctors and health professionals are doing critical work under immense pressure, but we can and must work together to ensure every New Yorker, regardless of ability, has equitable access to care.
0:03:26
That starts with identifying where the system is falling short and then taking action to make sure it is more inclusive, more responsive, and more just.
0:03:36
Today we will hear from the administration, advocates, and community members about services that are provided, barriers that adults with disabilities continue to face, and hopefully solutions that can bring meaningful change.
0:03:49
I look forward to this conversation and to working with all of you to build a healthcare system that truly serves everyone in our city.
0:03:57
In conclusion, I want to thank my staff and the committee staff for their work on this hearing, as well as the administration for being here, and members of the public who are here to testify.
0:04:07
We look forward to hearing from each of you.
0:04:09
And with that, I will pass the mic to chair Narcisse for her opening statement.