November 3, 2022
Neil Moore, CEO, NYC Well being + Hospitals Queens: It really is good to be listed here with you nowadays and welcome you to this excellent function. I would like to introduce the president and CEO, Dr. Mitch Katz, of New York City Wellness + Hospitals, our health care process. And also, to enable you know that homelessness is a significant health and fitness hazard that is closely linked to the drop in both of those physical and mental health and fitness of hundreds of vulnerable New Yorkers struggling from continual health circumstances, this sort of as diabetes and hypertension. You will listen to from many people today, which include the mayor and Dr. Katz, in conditions of all the perform that is staying performed for homelessness. With that, I might like to switch it over to Dr. Mitch Katz.
Dr. Mitch Katz, President and CEO, NYC Wellbeing + Hospitals: Thank you, Neil. Hey, absolutely everyone. Just one of my fantastic deeds as Health and fitness + Medical center Chief was bringing Neil Moore again, a longtime alumni of our program who’d served us so nicely, and now we appreciate possessing him at Queens Healthcare facility. My have interest in Housing for Wellbeing commenced 30 a long time in the past as a physician in community hospitals.
We would consider treatment of individuals who have been homeless, occasionally also intoxicated, from time to time also possessing other difficulties. They would arrive into our healthcare facility, and they’d expend two or a few times there. We would operate them via a whole lot of assessments, X-rays, and then when they cleared their intoxication, most people would lose fascination: “Oh, there is certainly nothing at all improper with them any longer. Discharge them.” And it struck me, wow, we used all of this income, we place in all of this energy, and we didn’t do anything at all to alter the arc of this person’s lifetime. That is what would really be healthy. What would genuinely be nutritious is if you change their lifetime.
And so I grew to become quite fascinated in the thought, perfectly, so if the most powerful prescription for my patient is housing, then that’s what I need to function on. And I assume the venture that we are wanting at these days is the success of that goal. It truly is stating that the most crucial prescription for health for lots of persons is a property. And that when you residence people today, a assortment of other problems go away or develop into markedly much easier to cope with. I want to thank Leora Jontef and ask her to stand up. She’s been managing our housing and true estate, and performing a phenomenal position. This wonderful developing, Martin Dunn of Dunn Enhancement produced it, and look how stunningly lovely it is.
We have phenomenal colleagues at HPD. We acknowledge that this is not a undertaking that can ever be completed on its very own. You need your city companions, and HPD is a wonderful lover to us. As is the other Katz, Jessica Katz, not relevant, but I wish she were due to the fact I might like to be from that kind of relatives. But she’s been an astounding spouse for us in having our get the job done finished. We’re likely to hear from one particular of our clients who lives in this property.
And I want to acknowledge Dr. Jimenez, component of the psychiatric team at Harlem Clinic. Alvaralo Castillo, his circumstance supervisor, Kamba, who is our unbelievably capable social support company and all of the housing advocates who are listed here today. Housing, it’s not effortless to pull off housing. I really like that my brother Commissioner Jenkins is here simply because element of how we make this take place is we perform with all of our town colleagues and figure out all of the techniques. It is not any a single group that can make a beautiful creating like this materialize, but I’m so very pleased to be component of that work. So thank you all for coming. And now I have the honor of introducing Jessica Katz, who’s carried out so a great deal great housing for New York Metropolis, Jessica.
Jessica Katz, NYC Chief Housing Officer: Thank you. Very good afternoon everybody. It can be wonderful to be in this article now with the mayor and my fellow Katz, no relation, on these kinds of an important topic since housing is a wellbeing issue. I’ve spent my whole job working on supportive housing. So I’ve collaborated carefully with well being companions around the yrs and every health expert I’ve spoken to has always stated they want they could prescribe housing. All the health care treatment in the globe will fall small devoid of secure housing, and that is what we are delivering right now and across our administration. I am so proud that we are able to perform with health and hospitals as aspect of housing our neighbors, our administration’s strategic housing and homelessness blueprint. The blueprint is a new acquire on housing as we interact each and every city agency, not just the kinds that have housing in their name, to search at housing holistically. Simply because housing touches every person and we need to have every single spouse to assistance us stably property New Yorkers, which is why we are right here these days.
The T setting up has a extensive history. At just one time it was a TB clinic and right now it is supportive housing. A undertaking that I personally worked on in my previous job at HPD. Repurposing our overall health facilities to be housing like the T constructing, building on open up land on wellness and healthcare facility campuses, growing entry to supportive housing and bringing on new housing navigators are all important steps in guaranteeing that individuals going by means of our health system have access to housing when they are ready to be produced. The Housing is Wellbeing Initiative reveals how our strategy to health and fitness assistance has progressed around the yrs.
Buildings like this have outlived their former intent which will allow us to change to administration of persistent sicknesses and assure steady housing as a new health focus. So I congratulate the full H + H staff for their work. Mr. Mayor, Commissioner Jenkins and Dr. Katz, thank you for your commitment to making housing a vital part of the well being dialogue. Dr. Katz has used his complete occupation taking the “housing is health” roadshow up and down the west coast, although I was attempting to hammer that same narrative home above back again in this article on the east coastline. So I was really delighted when the two Katzs could meet up and get the band jointly and it is an honor to operate with you and your team on this task. Thank you.
Dr. Katz: Now, I have the remarkable honor of introducing my boss and I love that this “Get Things Done” is correct listed here. And in addition to this, I consider the second factor he preaches the most to us, which you can see in the achievement of this task, is the ending of town silos and the actually near perform of Well being + Hospitals with the Office of Human Solutions and Homeless Services and HPD and the Mayor’s Workplace of Housing and all of us alongside one another. Mr. Mayor, that is really wonderful stuff carried out. Is it not? Please sir.
Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Thank you so much. And quite often individuals feel the hallmark of this administration is heading to be a pursuit for public security, but I think it really is just just one of them. I think the most important influence we are likely to make is close to wellbeing. Wellness is essential. I communicate about it so significantly that my loved ones no for a longer period wants to sit down at Thanksgiving time with me, due to the fact I just consider that proactive health care is just so important. And as our main housing officer stated, we have the symbol collectively with those people who have worked for so lengthy around these crucial challenges these kinds of as health care and housing. And it was unbelievable when we sought to do our evaluation that we witnessed the disconnect. It was no mystery that individuals who were on our streets working with psychological health and fitness illnesses and other continual health conditions were being essentially coming into the crisis area using that as their most important care.
And we were turning them again out into the avenue only to have them return all over again a several months and in some instances a number of days afterwards. It just created no sense, it was feeding the health care crisis, it was just producing the financial instability that arrives with a failing health care method. And to connect the housing with and in the vicinity of hospitals is just these kinds of a large leap ahead – and we could not do it by yourself. If we had been asking Dr. Katz to do this by himself, it was just not the ideal factor to do, it was an unfair factor to do. So we brought the group collectively and we applied all of the assets and belongings that can make this come about. H + H does not provide land but they have land. And by partnering with DSS, partnering with all of the advocates and all the methods we had accessible, we turned this gorgeous developing, and it is a stunning developing, into a spot that people can shift and cycle into long term housing. And so the total initiative, Housing for Health and fitness. If you have a house to go to, you could just take your medication on time, you could adhere to up on your reaction to your medical doctors, you can use telemedicine to stop by and converse to your health care provider for mental wellbeing issues as perfectly as health problems. You start to commence the process of possessing steadiness. The quantities are apparent. If you will not have a everlasting home, you are several instances much more very likely to have to go to the unexpected emergency room. This is foundationally just incorrect, we’ve disregarded it for significantly much too extended. And this administration, we are likely to appear at these problems that have been overlooked and continue to magnify them mainly because they are not responded to correctly.
And it’s not quick because we’re pushing from the norm, we are pushing against the entire thought of let’s just pretend as even though it does not exist. We say it does exist. From homelessness to crime, to health care, to education. These are difficult issues that we are willing to experience and we are eager to encounter head on. Housing for Wellbeing is a holistic tactic to dealing with health care. Health care is a entire system method and we have to assault the issue holistically. And we pointed this out as section of our housing blueprint and the target currently is to spouse with Well being + Hospitals and we converted an unutilized creating listed here, an unutilized town assets on our clinic campuses. You stop by hospitals and you notice that there is just so substantially land which is accessible however we have so significantly that is required to develop housing and to not match the two with each other is just a failing plan and system.
And so because January, 2020, we have put far more than a thousand people into lasting housing and
health-related respite beds. And this initiative is heading to appear to carry an added 650. And which is only the beginning, we’re likely to be seeking at other destinations to make sure that we are fixing a difficulty and not kicking the issue, the proverbial difficulty of the can down the highway. So I am really happy to be right here. This is a key portion of our agenda and initiative.
Housing for Health and fitness delivers a roadmap for the long run, a little something that’s going to be duplicated I think all in excess of this region. And to all people who were being involved, the visionaries, these who have executed and all of our partners who are sitting down right here in the audience, part of the numerous organizations that considered in this approach, thank you so much. We took a vision and created it an actual realization for so lots of families and I feel it is really likely to have a main affect on our well being units. Thank you so much.
Dr. Katz: Thank you Mr. Mayor. And thank you so substantially for supporting our endeavours. It can be now with fantastic satisfaction that I launched to you one of the citizens of the T developing, Jesus Cerda, to discuss about his encounter. Jesus.
Jesus Cerda, NYC T Setting up Resident: Excellent afternoon. My identify is Jesus Cerda, I am 27 a long time old. And it is a satisfaction to be here currently and specific and tell my practical experience. I moved from the Dominican Republic to the United States when I was 14 a long time previous. And due to the fact then I have been in numerous unstable properties until now. I entered the shelter method a pair decades back. I was emotionally drained and stressed out that I could not sleep. I was out for several times, and encountered lots of troubles and ended up getting a mental breakdown. I finished in the psychiatric unit at Highland Healthcare facility. On my discharge from the medical center, I was despatched back again to the shelter, feeling hopeless and fearful. I went through a lot of social stressors though in the shelter and failed to have a good guidance system. I was amazed with the housing opportunity with my care supervisor, a housing professional at MetroPlus. They told me that I certified for an condominium at the T making.
Inspite of being a extensive system, I moved into the T constructing in July. I could not truly feel happier. I finally have my individual studio condominium. It is definitely a great sensation to have tranquility, the skill to cook my meals and focus on my future measures in daily life. I eventually really feel joyful and in manage as I have improved my excellent of daily life. I am pursuing a bachelor’s diploma at Hunter College. I want to thank MetroPlus, NYC Moreover hospitals in the City of New York for supporting me when I desired support. It feels excellent to be household. Thank you so a lot.
Mayor Adams: Are we doing concerns? Are we dancing alongside one another?
Dr. Katz: You might be likely to get on all the tough concerns for you and if there are any definitely effortless items I can response, but you do the tough types. All right?
Mayor Adams: Thank you. What a tale. All those are the serious tales. All those are not numbers, people are not stats. And I think his journey, his distressing face is likely to be the chatting issue when he speaks to other folks about supplying them intent. I really enjoy you sharing your tale and superior luck on your master’s degree. We need to have some workforce in town govt, so we’ll be coming soon after you to fill some of these positions.
Cerda: Thank you.
Mayor Adams: So let us open to a few on-topics. Alright? Indeed.
Dilemma: Just wished to abide by up with Jesus, if I could? Could you just explain to us what it feels like to have your possess apartment? To be listed here? And contrast that with what it was like when you ended up bouncing close to from shelters to hospitals?
Cerda: So proper now that I have my own street apartment, I experience tranquility, I really feel quiet and happy, which enhances my mental health. Simply because if you truly feel poor and unstable and you really don’t know what could occur to you the upcoming day although being in a shelter, that can have an impact on you mentally and bodily. But becoming listed here and getting in handle of what surrounds me, it enables me to be in peace, come to feel very good and that allows me mentally. And considering the fact that I moved, I haven’t felt the tension or strain. So that’s a great matter. Thank you.
Dilemma: Mayor, your properties commissioner has resigned. Did he call you straight? Did he mail you a letter? Can you wander us as a result of how that unfolded?
Mayor Adams: The team communicated with him, he communicated with the crew and designed the dedication for the excellent of not distracting the town and to offer with the evaluation which is using spot now. He created that determination. I regard the conclusion and for his relatives and for the commissioner. We would like him very well as he goes by means of this critique.
Issue: Is it accurate to study any of the allegations that he experienced been gambling and that his phone was seized and that he was aspect of a much larger investigation?
Mayor Adams: I do not just take reports that are in the media as what basically took position. I have not read from the reviewing body, they have not communicated to me, so I never know what the allegations are. Mainly because people printed or rumor about it, people issues, I do not know. Right until we hear from the reviewing entire body, I would permit the reviewing overall body to do their job, which is aspect of the program we are in.
Issue: So Mr. Mayor, in regard to housing, basically in the tent facility at Randall’s, opposes the story of the Senegalese men who are relocating in there. Is this a sign that New York has plenty of area to house all comers and is welcoming all asylum strategies to the city? And how is the town confirming that these people are asylum seekers?
Mayor Adams: What took place was that we’re working with the HERRCs to all asylum seekers and migrants, no matter exactly where they’re coming from. We are making use of the HERRCs to do the system as we continue with the suitable steps, earning guaranteed we give the housing that’s needed. And this was brought to our interest, some of the imams attained out to us and mentioned that some asylum seekers and migrants had been dwelling in terrible conditions, and we responded accordingly. So no matter who the asylum seeker is or the migrant may possibly be, we are heading to comply with the identical course of action. And so when the imams, and I want to choose my hat off to them, since they were offering expert services. When they attained out to us, we responded appropriately. And New York has currently been a location in which we experienced our share of asylum seekers and migrants. We had significant figures prior to what just just lately took area on our board of states. And we are likely to carry on to do our job, our ethical and lawful duty. Ok, thank you.