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Q&A
Council Member Louis questions OMB on maternal health, Women Forward NYC, and gender-affirming care funding
1:49:42
·
3 min
Council Member Farah Louis engages in a Q&A session with Jacques Jiha, Director of NYC Mayor's Office of Management and Budget, regarding budget allocations for maternal health psychologists, the Women Forward NYC action plan, and funding for gender-affirming care. Jiha provides some responses but often defers to following up later with more information.
- Louis expresses concern over ignored requests for additional funding for maternal health psychologists in H+H hospitals
- Questions are raised about baselining the city's portion of the $43 million allocated to the Women Forward NYC action plan
- Louis inquires about the status of $15 million requested for nonprofits providing gender-affirming care
Farah Louis
1:49:42
Is our in our council preliminary budget response, we urge the administration to allocate an additional 5,000,000 to health and hospitals to provide at least one maternal health focused psychologist within each of its maternity departments.
1:49:57
I'm concerned about why this request remains ignored in this executive budget and to what extent will this be maintained in the out years?
1:50:07
Second question is in regards to the Women Forward NYC action plan.
1:50:13
Mayor Adams Women Forward action plan was a step in the right direction to position New York City as a national leader in gender equity with an allocation of 43,000,000 which is a mixture of city and private funding.
1:50:28
Given the proven success and demand for young women's leadership and development, I wanted to know if OMB could share with us at least in the city's portion of the 43,000,000, if that would be increased or at minimum baselined in in the city's portion of women's Woman Ford NYC?
1:50:48
And my last question is how does the executive plan address the anticipated rise in discrimination complaints due to the Trump administration's executive orders?
1:50:58
The preliminary budget response called for 15,000,000 to be distributed to nonprofit organizations that provide gender affirming care.
1:51:05
Can we expect this funding to be added to the adoption?
Jacques Jiha
1:51:11
Yeah, currently H and H, when it comes to the issue regarding maternal health focused psychologists, H and H, from what we understand, is accommodating all patients who need this kind of treatment.
1:51:36
But again, the challenge we all have is the difficulty in terms of hiring psychologists.
1:51:43
It's not easy, you know, because everybody's competing for the same
Farah Louis
1:51:47
But does that mean the 5,000,000 can't be added to the budget or at minimum a portion of it?
Jacques Jiha
1:51:54
Again as I said we will work with HNAH and see whether or not they believe they need additional resources because from their perspective they believe that they try to accommodate as best as they can the patients.
1:52:09
But if again as part of our discussion with them we'll get a sense of what they think they need, if there is a need and we'll come back to you.
Farah Louis
1:52:20
Well doctor Katz was here for the executive budget hearing and I believe that it's a need so maybe we all should have a conversation with him
Jacques Jiha
1:52:26
Okay.
Farah Louis
1:52:26
About how they accomplished that.
1:52:28
Regarding Woman Forward NYC, of the 43,000,000 that the city has allocated towards that, is that gonna be baselined or they're adding more to that?
Jacques Jiha
1:52:39
Is it baseline?
1:52:40
No?
1:52:43
Is it?
1:52:44
No.
1:52:45
I don't know.
1:52:45
I will get back to you on this because I don't know if it's baseline or not.
1:52:48
I will get back to you.
Farah Louis
1:52:50
And then the 15,000,000 for the nonprofits for gender affirming care.
Jacques Jiha
1:52:58
Again, we'll come back to you with an answer to this.
Farah Louis
1:53:02
Thank you.
1:53:02
Thank you, chair.