Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DOH outlines Abortion Access Hub services and local free medication-abortion clinics
Summary
The New York City Department of Health described the Abortion Access Hub'a single point of confidential referral and support launched in November 2022'that fields calls and live chats, connects callers to providers, offers language help and helps with appointments, travel and financial support. DOH said navigators answered roughly 8,000 calls and 3,500 chats through September and that four city clinics provide free medication abortion.
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene told the Queens Borough Cabinet that the city's Abortion Access Hub provides confidential help finding an abortion provider, making appointments and arranging financial assistance, transportation and lodging.
Carmina Bernardo, a DOHMH presenter, said the hub was launched in November 2022 following the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision and has a staff of seven (including four navigators). The hub operates Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and offers a confidential phone line and a live chat. "Our goal is to make New York abortion services accessible to all, especially to vulnerable and marginalized communities," Bernardo said.
DOHMH provided usage figures to the meeting: hub navigators had answered about 8,000 calls and 3,500 chats through September, and about one-quarter of calls came from out of state, primarily Florida, Texas, Georgia and New Jersey. Bernardo said hub staff match callers to providers by language, preferred abortion method, borough, insurance status and whether callers need financial or other supportive services. The presentation said language services are available in approximately 170 languages; the on-staff navigators are bilingual in English and Spanish and Haitian Creole, with other languages handled through a telephone language line.
Bernardo also described other city initiatives: free medication-abortion services at four city clinics (listed in the presentation as Morrisania, Jamaica, Central Harlem and Fort Greene), and a New York City Reproductive Health Care Bill of Rights intended to protect people accessing reproductive health services from threats and discrimination. She said the hub convenes clinical partners (about 30 clinical partners and roughly 40 referral sites counted by site) and holds periodic partner check-ins and an annual in-person convening to share data and clinical updates.
In questions from borough representatives, DOHMH clarified that the 25% out-of-state-call share means the remainder of callers are New York City residents (with a small share from the rest of New York State) and confirmed that the live chat added in May 2023 currently serves English and Spanish speakers onsite.
The DOHMH representative offered to share magnets, printed materials and a copy of the Reproductive Health Care Bill of Rights; Borough staff said they would circulate hub contact information to district managers. The meeting packet and DOHMH follow-up materials were offered for distribution to constituents.
The hub's phone and chat resources, clinic locations and the DOHMH summary are available at nyc.gov/abortion, the presenters said.
Next step: DOHMH will send a resource summary that borough staff can distribute to constituents.
