CUNY CIRGH writes the NY City Council in support of Local Law 107

In December 2022, the Directors of CIRGH discussed how CUNY SPH could be of service to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) as they worked to provide health services to the increasing numbers of migrants arriving in our city. After some consultation, we decided to write a letter to the Council in support of Local Law 107, which mandates health care services to all migrants, regardless of their status. While the Law was passed in late 2021 and was supposed to be fully implemented in October, which has not happened.

The purpose of this note is to share the draft letter to the New York City Council (specifically the Chairs of the Health Committee, the Committee on Mental Health Disabilities and Addiction and the Hospitals Committee) praising Local Law 107 and asking for a status report on its implementation. We suggest that an oversight hearing might be appropriate to facilitate implementation and we offer to support the City Council to meet the challenges posed by the arrival of increasing numbers of migrants. The letter has been reviewed by all Directors of CIRGH, Dean Ayman El-Mohandes, and Dave Chokshi.