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Newsletters 2008
December
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
December 10, 2008
Check out the Public Advocate's Corner!
Please check out my blog, the Public Advocate's Corner, at http://www.publicadvocatescorner.com/ One of my recent posts regards the rising cost of receiving life support in ambulances.
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results
A Bronx man who suffers from kidney failure called my office for help with an alarming problem: Medicaid had suspended his transportation benefit, which he absolutely had to have to get to and from weekly dialysis treatments. The problem centered on the man's re-certification papers. He said he sent all relevant documents to his Medicaid office. Staffers there closed his case, however, saying they never received the documents. Heather Francis, one of my ombudswomen, immediately contacted Medicaid on the man's behalf, stressing the life-and-death nature of the problem. Medicaid agreed to reopen the case and send another re-certification packet to the man. Since it would take as long as 72 hours for the case to be re-activated, Ms. Francis also called the transportation company that had been taking the Bronx man to his dialysis appointments. It agreed to re-bill Medicaid and, in the interim, take the man to and from his next treatment.
"Customer Survey" Results Released
Last week Mayor Bloomberg and I released the NYC Feedback Citywide Customer Survey, which is designed to improve city services and accountability. This was the largest municipal services survey ever conducted in the United States, and it was the first of its kind in New York City. I thank every New Yorker who took part in the survey, which provides valuable feedback about the quality of a wide range of city services -- parks, libraries, education, public housing, public safety and more. We'll now use focus groups and market research techniques to help us better understand survey results -- and better respond to New Yorkers' needs and concerns.
The news release about the citywide customer survey, including highlights of survey findings, is here. Click here for survey results.
Long Waits, Misplaced Documents Among Problems at Job Centers
New Yorkers who visit city Human Resources Administration (HRA) Job Centers face excessively long waits, misplaced documents, non-working computers and unclear explanations of rules and requirements, according to my new survey.
Survey findings include:
• Eighty-two percent of respondents reported long waits. On average, clients spent 20.3 hours per year in Job Centers.
• Most respondents (73 percent) returned to a Job Center two or more times in the past year because of problems with their case.
• More than half (52 percent) experienced HRA workflow problems, including no record of prior visits, misplaced documents and inoperable computers.
The report, Barriers to Benefits: A Survey of Clients at New York City Human Resources Administration Job Centers, and my recommendations are at http://pubadvocate.nyc.gov/news/documents/HRASurvey.pdf
Low-income New Yorkers already face enough problems making ends meet. Accessing benefits can be complicated, especially for people whose primary language isn’t English. This administration needs to do everything in its power to make sure the process runs as smoothly as possible. Accordingly, I once again urged the City Council to enact the Ready Access to Assistance Act, which I introduced in 2006 with Councilmembers Bill de Blasio and Eric Gioia as co-sponsors. This bill would allow non-profit advocates to set up help desks in city public benefits offices.
Northern Ireland Government Ministers Visit
As a trustee of the New York City Employees' Retirement System, I was among those who met last week with Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness. We discussed city pension funds investments in Northern Ireland and how the economic climate, here and abroad, affects investments. The ministers also shared their perceptions of what impact the Barack Obama administration may have on reviving the economy.
Have a great week!
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
December 15, 2008
Check out the Public Advocate's Corner!
Please take a look at my interactive blog, the Public Advocate's Corner, at http://www.publicadvocatescorner.com/. Among the featured items this week is information on how to apply for HEAP, the Home Energy Assistance Program.
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results
A Queens man contacted my office because he was having trouble obtaining a copy of his father's death certificate. His employer, he said, required it as proof of his absence from work, and without it he would not be paid. Bronce Perez, one of my ombudsmen, contacted the Office of Vital Records of the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on his behalf. He explained the man's situation and asked that the request be expedited. Later that same day, a DOHMH staffer advised that the father's death certificate had been sent and that the son should receive it within two business days -- and he did.
Recommendation: Close Youth Detention Center, Use Funds for Alternative Programs
New York may enjoy low crime rates, but the city nonetheless marked an 11 percent rise in the number of "gang-motivated incidents" between Fiscal Years 2005 and 2008. In discussions about gangs, one perspective that almost always is omitted is that of youth. Recognizing this, my office surveyed young New Yorkers about gang activity. We then hosted a series of roundtable discussions, bringing together students, educators, community leaders and city officials to find solutions to the gang problem. Among my recommendations:
--Close the under-capacity Bridges Youth Detention Center and instead fund cost-effective alternatives to detention, which have lower recidivism rates.
--Review community policing strategies and identify additional ways that police may engage young people and others in anti-gang efforts.
--Create a public/private fund to preserve and expand youth programs.
--Create a youth program guide and website.
--Give young people a chance to take part in violence prevention efforts, including a Youth Manifesto that expresses beliefs, rights, goals and specific measures for improving police and community relations.
My updated report, "Old Problem, New Eyes: Youth Insights on Gangs in New York City," is at http://pubadvocate.nyc.gov/policy/documents/gangs-recs-comboreportfinal.pdf .
LGBT New Yorkers Lack Adequate Health Care
Last week I released a report that chronicles the barriers that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) New Yorkers confront in obtaining health care from the city Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) that is sensitive to their medical needs. Facing homophobia and hostility, many members of this community avoid accessing basic healthcare services.
All New Yorkers deserve equal access to public healthcare. And every New Yorker should expect the quality of care to be the same, no matter the patient's sexual orientation or gender identity. My office worked with LGBT organizations to identify the most widely shared concerns and formulate recommendations. I've shared these concerns and recommendations with HHC, and I expect HHC to take the necessary steps to help LGBT New Yorkers receive quality care.
In this important effort, I worked with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS; Bronx Community Pride Center; Callen-Lorde Community Health Center; Empire State Pride Agenda; Gay Mens Health Crisis; National LGBT Cancer Network; The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center; Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, Inc.; and Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders (SAGE).
My news release is at http://pubadvocate.nyc.gov/news/12.10.08LGBTHHC.htm. My report, "Improving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Access to Healthcare at New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation Facilities," is at
http://pubadvocate.nyc.gov/policy/documents/LGBThealthrecsreportfinal_pdf.pdf .
Language Barriers Pose Prescription Dangers
Last week I warned New Yorkers with limited English proficiency (LEP) about the dangers posed by language barriers when they get prescriptions filled. I introduced legislation in October, the Language Access in Pharmacies Act of 2008, which will require city pharmacies to post signs saying that LEP New Yorkers have a right to free, accessible language assistance and translation services when filling prescriptions.
More than 1.8 million LEP residents live in New York City. Many could be putting their lives at risk by taking prescription medications without a clear understanding of directions and warnings associated with their use. We can’t continue to allow so many New Yorkers to be put in danger every time they pick up a prescription.
At my news conference calling attention to this matter, I was joined by Councilmember Eric Gioia and representatives of the non-profits Make the Road New York and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. My news release is at http://pubadvocate.nyc.gov/news/12_09_08RxRelease.htm
Fighting Hunger in New York City
The New York City Coalition Against Hunger recently marked its 25th year of fighting hunger in New York City by honoring Sandra Silverman, president and executive director of the Scherman Foundation, and City Councilmembers Eric Gioia and Bill de Blasio. All three are long-time supporters of NYCCAH. Led by Executive Director Joel Berg, the Coalition represents soup kitchens and food pantries and works to meet the food needs of low-income New Yorkers. The 25th anniversary event, which took place in space provided by the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, called attention to some startling facts: in New York, one of the richest cities in the world, one in five kids lives in a food-insecure household. Put another way, about 400,000 New York kids live in homes that can't afford sufficient food. As a progressive and compassionate society, we should and must do more to address this fundamental human need.
Have a great week!
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
December 22, 2008
Take a Look at My Blog!
Please check out my blog at http://www.publicadvocatescorner.com/ . This week I discuss what candidates for the Office of Public Advocate should know. I also call on the city Department of Education to correct problems in special education.
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results, Case #1
A Bronx single mother contacted my office because, she said, she had been waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting for a Section 8 housing voucher, with no end to the wait in sight. This was despite the fact that she was a domestic violence survivor, which should have put her on a high-priority list. Instead, she'd been waiting for more than one year. Frances Santiago, one of my ombudswomen, immediately contacted the Bronx Leased Housing office on her behalf. Told of the woman's situation, staffers there quickly arranged for her to receive the voucher. The woman's reaction: "This is the best Christmas gift anyone could have given me."
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results, Case #2
A Long Island man contacted my office on behalf of his mother, who lived in Queens and whose water bill, he said, had unaccountably risen to $1,400. Bronce Perez, one of my ombudsmen, intervened with the city Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). A staffer there advised that DEP would inspect the water meter. DEP did so, and quickly: A few days later, the Long Island man called to say that DEP had capped his mother's water bill at $400. He said DEP had found defects in the meter.
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results, Case #3
A Spring Valley, N.Y. woman contacted my office for help with a parking garage bill. The garage, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, maintained that cars had to be picked up before midnight to qualify for an $11 rate. The woman said that that requirement had not been clearly posted and that she was advised of it only after the fact. She said she picked up her car at 12:07 a.m. and that the extra seven minutes cost her $18, for a total parking bill of $29. Had she known of the midnight deadline, she said, she would have claimed her car before then. Tommy Lin, one of my ombudsmen, intervened on her behalf. He called the city Department of Consumer Affairs, which investigated. The parking garage reconsidered. Saying it wanted to maintain good customer relations, it agreed to refund the $18 and more: It cut a check for the full parking fee of $29.
HPV Vaccine Still Not Offered At City STD Clinics
Last week my office released a follow-up report that shows that city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) clinics that diagnose and treat sexually transmitted diseases (STD) still do not offer vaccinations against human papillomavirus (HPV), the nation's most common sexually transmitted disease. HPV is responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. Every young woman should have affordable access to this vaccine to reduce her cancer risk. I’m pleased that city Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) child and teen health clinics and DOHMH immunization walk-in clinics have increased access to this vaccine since last year, but more must be done.
Among my most recent findings:
• None of the 10 city-run STD clinics offer the vaccine.
• Four of five immunization walk-in clinics operated by the DOHMH now offer the vaccine for free, up from none in 2007.
• About 90 percent of child and teen health clinics operated by HHC now offer the vaccine, up from 57 percent in 2007.
• For the uninsured, HPV vaccine out-of-pocket costs vary widely among HHC child and teen health clinics; at one clinic the cost is $600.
My news release about my follow-up report, including my recommendations, is at http://www.pubadvocate.nyc.gov/news/HPVvaccine2008.html . The full report, "A Better Shot at Prevention: HPV Vaccine More Available at City Health Clinics," is at http://www.pubadvocate.nyc.gov/news/documents/FinalHPVReport2008_000.pdf .
Have a Great Week, Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!
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