Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an expansion of the city’s free health care program and increased access to mental health services Tuesday, all part of a string of announcements in recent days as protests against police brutality and the city’s coronavirus crisis continues.
The mayor delivered his daily briefing at City Hall on Tuesday, this time surrounded by a group of police reform and community activists.
De Blasio said the city will expand NYC Care, the city’s free health insurance programs to Queens and Manhattan, four months ahead of schedule as the city continues to battle the COVID-19 crisis. The program had only been available in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island.
“That means primary care. It means special care. It means surgery, dental care, eye care, women's health, affordable medications. Again, no one charged more than they could pay,” de Blasio said.
The $37.5 million expansion is expected to reach 54,000 residents, the majority of them in Queens, which was severely affected by the COVID-19 health crisis.
In the beginning of the city’s health crisis, de Blasio appointed a task force for “racial inclusion and equity,” which in recent weeks has been working to help tailor the city’s response to communities of color, which have been disproportionately affected by the virus.
The mayor also announced he held meetings over the weekend with representatives from the Cure Violence movement, the mother of Eric Garner and local police reform activists to discuss how the city should respond to ongoing police protests.
During that meeting, the mayor said they pushed a proposal to paint and rename city streets in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“The activists said it's time to do something officially representing this city to recognize the power of the fundamental idea of black lives matter, the idea that so much of American history has wrongly renounced, but now must be affirmed,” de Blasio said.
The city will work with local members of the City Council and the borough presidents to choose the locations.
The mayor has been under intense criticism from members of his staff to former allies and activists who have been dissatisfied with his handling of protests last week and his consistent defense of the NYPD, despite evidence that officers often used questionable amounts of force when handling protests.
In recent days, the mayor has said the NYPD’s disciplinary process will be sped up, although he has not provided specific details. And following mounting pressure, the mayor has also said he will redirect funds from the NYPD to youth services, although he has not committed to a precise figure.
“Saying that we need to take money from a police department and give it to youth services and social services because we have desperate needs that must be addressed because our young people must be uplifted,” de Blasio said.
