CM Lee Q&A: Chokshi on outreach, coverage, and public charge concerns

And just, I guess, in my former role in HAT.

that I'm putting on a little bit, you know, given, I guess, your previous background and what's happening and coming down the pipeline.

Because as you just mentioned, a lot of times it's not your health issues necessarily that dictate what kind of services you have.

It's the health insurance and what type of coverage you have that dictates what kind of

services we are able to receive, which is kind of backwards, right?

And it's not enough on prevention.

And we all know that preventive care, you know, saves the city and state dollars and also keeps us healthier.

But given everything that's changing in the political landscape, how do you think

given public charge, what we saw last time, and HR1 and everything, how will your role on the board

sort of partner with other city agencies to help make sure that we are doing the outreach in multiple languages into the community so that everyone knows their rights and we keep people healthy?

Well, first of all, thank you so much for the kind words, Councilmember Lee.

It means a lot to me coming from you.

I do have to mention I'm very proud of being the first health commissioner of Asian descent in New York City.

And as part of that, even as busy as it was during the pandemic, one of my proudest achievements was releasing the first ever report on the health of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for New Yorkers.

And I think that gets to your question as well, because it starts with our ability.

to disaggregate data so that we can actually see what is happening in this, you know, the beautiful mosaic, as it's called here in New York City,

and understand what the health problems are that are being contended with in different communities so that we can be responsive to them.

I'm also worried about some of the political headwinds, you know, that you have described and the way that they will affect the health of particularly low-income and marginalized New Yorkers.

And the one thing that I will just say briefly on that is that, you know, I'm proud to have been a part of New York City Health and Hospitals as well, and I think that H&H has done terrific work when it comes to NYC Care,

and I know it's very much on their radar screen to think about how NYC Care can rise to the challenge of what we're confronting and will continue to over the coming months when it comes to those coverage losses.

Thank you.

And the partners on the ground, and especially those that do public health or mental health-related work in the community, they're ready to go.

So I would say definitely let's partner with them, too.

Thank you so much.