CCC Testimony: New York City Council Health Committee Hearing on Fiscal Year 2014 Preliminary Budget Proposals

Published March, 2013

CCC submitted testimony about the impact the Mayor’s Preliminary Budget would have on children and families at the March 7, 2013 City Council Health Committee Hearing on the Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2014.

CCC’s testimony applauded the Council’s steadfast commitment toward public health programs serving New York City’s children and families. Specifically, CCC highlighted the Council’s historical support of initiatives including Asthma Control, HHC’s Child Health Clinics, Infant Mortality Reduction, Obesity Prevention and Family Planning. CCC also thanked the Council for its Fiscal Year 2013 one-year restoration of sexual health programs targeting high-risk NYC teens and for its Fiscal 2013 midyear restoration for four School-Based Health Centers.

CCC’s testimony also called attention to an overarching theme plaguing the FY 2014 Preliminary Budget– nearly all of the proposed cuts to the DOHMH target primary and preventive programs disproportionately serving families living in low-resourced and medically underserved communities. These programs promote healthy development among children and empower them to reach their full potential. They also protect against more intense and costly health interventions down the road, promoting optimal health outcomes while saving health care consumers and taxpayers money.

The Mayor’s proposed cuts could decimate outreach staff at the East Harlem Asthma Center of Excellence, slow the delivery of school health vision screenings to kindergarteners and first graders, reduce access to City-sponsored immunization services and jeopardize children’s access to primary care in select school settings, to name a few.

CCC acknowledged that despite the Councils’ broad support of these programs, its capacity to fund a constantly expanding list of endangered vital programs year after year is becoming more limited. CCC asked that the Council work with the Mayor to protect dedicated funding for these programs in the final budget.