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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Rahman Al-Mousalli on Cardiovascular Health and Nutrition Programs
6:37:55
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133 sec
Rahman Al-Mousalli testifies about the importance of preventative cardiovascular health care and nutrition programs in New York City. He emphasizes the need for funding remote blood pressure monitoring and expanding SNAP incentive programs to improve public health outcomes.
- Advocates for a $1 million allocation to implement free blood pressure monitors at health centers
- Highlights the importance of SNAP incentive programs like HealthBucks and Get the Good Stuff for heart health
- Argues that these programs can lower long-term healthcare costs through prevention
Rahman Al-Mousalli
6:37:55
afternoon, chairs and council members.
6:37:57
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
6:37:59
My name is Rahman Al Musali, and I've seen firsthand what happens when preventative cardiovascular and heart health needs go unmet.
6:38:05
My family runs a cardiology clinic in an underserved rural area in a different state, in an area where many patients go undiagnosed or untreated for cardiovascular conditions simply because of unawareness and because patients are forced to wait until severe acute events to meet thresholds to seek expensive medical attention.
6:38:21
The result of this are large inequities in health outcomes and a focus on reactive as opposed to proactive health care.
6:38:26
That experience shaped my perspective and it's applicable to our city with much better resources where hypertension and heart disease remains a silent killer affecting two and a half million residents, nearly one third of the adult population.
6:38:37
Addressing hypertension in the city can be done through scalable tools.
6:38:40
Remote blood pressure monitoring does not just help patients benchmark their health, it helps physicians and health systems identify high risk individuals early, reduce hospital readmissions, and better target their limited resources and capacity.
6:38:52
Using home monitor monitoring and data sharing, it directly shifts care from reactive to preventative.
6:38:58
But right now, the law allows for free monitors at health centers remains unfunded, and coverage for these devices is limited or as high qualification thresholds.
6:39:06
A 1,000,000 allocate $1,000,000 allocation to this to implement this policy and unlock those benefits will have a compounded impact on the wellness of the city.
6:39:14
Also, chronic heart disease can be prevented at the dinner table.
6:39:17
Nutrition is foundational to heart health.
6:39:19
That's why expanding funding for SNAP incentive programs like HealthBucks and Get the Good Stuff is not just food policy.
6:39:25
It's a public health intervention.
6:39:26
These programs have low help low income families afford fresh produce, but current funding can't meet the demand.
6:39:32
Last year alone, DOHMH received over 600 applications from community groups, many of which went unfunded.
6:39:38
Reimbursement pathways for nutrition will be life changing for many households.
6:39:41
Equally these are not just line items.
6:39:47
They have real and direct impacts.
6:39:48
They are decisions that determine whether families can stay healthy and whether hospitals can focus on prevention and whether New Yorkers can live full lives.
6:39:55
Increasing funding for SNAP and settings and hypertension control is a small domino and a much larger impact of lowering the long term cost of care through prevention.
6:40:03
And I believe these programs are the most direct leverage points to do so.
6:40:06
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify.