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Q&A
Council Member Yusef Salaam questions DOHMH on new Harlem lab and public health programs
1:21:59
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3 min
Council Member Yusef Salaam questions DOHMH Acting Commissioner Michelle Morse and CFO Aaron Anderson about the new public health laboratory in Harlem, its opening timeline, employment opportunities, and community engagement. He also inquires about funding for public health programs, particularly focusing on school-based health, maternal health, and mental health services in Harlem.
- The new Harlem public health lab is on track to open in 2026, with some potential delays due to certification processes.
- The lab will employ over 100 staff and offer community spaces like auditoriums and classrooms.
- DOHMH defends its investments in school-based mental health clinics and maternal health programs, highlighting $51 million allocated for birth equity initiatives in FY 2026.
Yusef Salaam
1:21:59
Good morning and thank you.
1:22:02
The executive planning includes over $54,000,000 for fiscal year twenty six for construction of the new public health laboratory in Harlem.
1:22:11
Can you confirm whether the facility is still on track to open in 2026?
Michelle Morse
1:22:15
We are very excited to say that yes, our expectation is that it will be on track to open in 2026.
1:22:22
I will give one caveat.
1:22:23
There are a number of caveats, but the one that I'll underline is that the transition from the current lab into the new lab does require us to get new certifications from various state agencies to show that we can with high quality and precision run all of the tools, instruments and machines, etcetera in the new public health lab.
1:22:46
So there is that certification process when we move all of the equipment over and move in new equipment in the new public health lab that can be time consuming and a little bit more unpredictable, but that is still our expectation.
Yusef Salaam
1:22:59
Can you also let us know what employment and community engagement opportunities will this lab bring to Harlem residents?
Michelle Morse
1:23:06
Absolutely.
1:23:08
I'm gonna ask my chief financial officer to look up just how many lines, how many FTE there are for the new public health lab, and as he's taking a look at that, one of the things that we find very exciting about the new public health lab, not only of course is it a space that has better climate control, better equipment, is a twenty first century version of a public health lab, but it also has several different spaces, auditoriums, conference rooms, and classrooms that we're very excited to be able to use in partnership with community.
1:23:40
And our community partners will be able to access those spaces.
1:23:43
So we're looking forward to being able to offer that over time, again once the lab is fully functional and operational.
Aaron Anderson
1:23:54
Thanks for the question, councilman.
1:23:56
There's over a hundred staff in the lab today, and we expect that that'll be similar when the new lab opens.
Yusef Salaam
1:24:03
And just lastly, the council requested $48,200,000 for public health programs like school based health, maternal health, and glucometer distribution, none of which were funded in the executive plan.
1:24:17
How does DOHMH justify the exclusion of programs like school based clinics and mental health expansions when these services are urgently needed in Harlem?
Michelle Morse
1:24:28
Thank you for that question.
1:24:29
We have taken a look at the council priorities.
1:24:32
I would start by saying for mental health care specifically within schools, we continue to invest and partner with NYC public schools to make sure that those two thirty clinics across three seventy five schools are supported.
1:24:48
We're certainly open to further conversations about that in partnership with NY CPS.
1:24:53
For our maternal health programs across the New York City Health Department In FY twenty six in the exec budget there's about $51,000,000 across various programs that's focused specifically on birth equity.
1:25:07
So that investment is ongoing and we set a goal through our Healthy NYC campaign to reduce black maternal mortality by ten percent by 02/1930.
1:25:17
We are not yet on track to achieve that goal, and we want to get on track to achieve that goal.
1:25:22
So we expect to use those investments in FY26 to move the needle on black maternal mortality.