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Council Member Mercedes Narcisse opens joint hearing on NYC Health + Hospitals budget
0:02:47
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3 min
Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, chair of the committee on hospitals, opens a joint hearing on the fiscal 2026 executive budget for NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H). She outlines key points in the proposed budget, including funding for asylum seekers, Medicaid, medical malpractice contracts, and mental health programs. Narcisse also highlights capital projects for flood mitigation at various hospitals.
- The proposed H+H operating budget for fiscal 2026 totals $17 billion, about 1.5% of the city's budget.
- Significant funding is allocated for flood mitigation projects at Coney Island, Bellevue, and South Brooklyn hospitals.
- Narcisse emphasizes the need for adequate physician staffing and support at H+H facilities.
Mercedes Narcisse
0:02:47
Good morning and thank you chair.
0:02:49
Good morning to everyone.
0:02:52
And I am council member Mercedes Narcisse, chair of the committee on hospitals.
0:02:57
Thank you for attending today's hearing on the city's fiscal twenty twenty six executive budget for New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation or H and H.
0:03:08
I would like to thank my fellow council member, chair Justin Brannen for joining me for this joint hearing.
0:03:15
I would also like to thank my friend, right, doctor Katz, and his team who are with us today.
0:03:22
Thank you doctor Katz.
0:03:24
H and H proposed operating budget for fiscal twenty twenty six totals $1,700,000,000 which represent roughly 1.5% of the city's budget.
0:03:36
The changes to HNH budgets since the release of the fiscal twenty twenty six preliminary plan in January are mostly related to asylum seekers, spending and funding for Medicaid.
0:03:49
However, the executive plan also includes new funding for medical malpractice contracts and the mental health continuum, both of which we would like to hear more details on from the agency.
0:04:04
We will also review HNA's physic I mean, twenty twenty five, twenty twenty nine capital commitment plan for 2,830,000,000.00.
0:04:14
The capital plan includes significant funding for flood mitigation projects at the Kohler, Bellevue, and South Brooklyn hospitals.
0:04:23
These upgrades would ensure that hospitals are fully equipped to operate in the event of a natural disaster like hurricane Sandy.
0:04:34
I applaud H and H for recognizing the need to invest in storm, proofing facilities, and I am eager to hear details on this capital project and the timeline to complete them.
0:04:48
In addition, we would like to discuss the council budget response items that were not funded in the executive plan such as 65,000,000 requests to expand the emergency room at Metropolitan Hospital, the call to baseline 5,000,000 for the mental health continuum and much more.
0:05:10
Lastly, we would like to emphasize the need for HNH to ensure that hospitals have an adequate number of physicians and that those physicians receive HNH's full support at their workplace.
0:05:25
The recent Doctors Council negotiation have highlighted the difficult conditions that physicians face and it is important that H and H has the right plan in place to ensure physician retention and workplace satisfaction.
0:05:43
Before we begin, I'd like to thank the finance staff, Aman, Maha Devon and Florentine Cabore, and legislative staff Riyer Agazawawa and Joshua Newman for their work preparing this hearing.
0:05:58
I would like also to thank my chief of staff, Saye Joseph.
0:06:01
I will now turn it back to chair Brennan.