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As Omicron Drives Up Hospitalizations, Adams Delivers Healthcare Funds And Optimism
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Jan 5, 2022
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Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Jan 5, 2022
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New York City will direct $111 million to its public hospital network in an effort to shore up staffing amid a sharp rise in hospitalizations due to the latest coronavirus surge, Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday at Elmhurst Hospital.
The news marked the first funding announcement for the Adams administration. It came during a busy first week for the new mayor, who has maintained a packed schedule that has included visits to police and fire stations, small businesses along with a string of national TV appearances. Throughout various stops, Adams has attempted a balancing act: projecting optimism about the city’s recovery while adjusting New Yorkers’ expectation around the reality of living with the virus.
“We're all tired. I know that and I see it every day,” he said. “We're not going to succumb or allow our lives to be defined by COVID. We're going to be stronger than ever when we cycle out of this period.”
The mayor has implored companies to keep their offices open to support the city's economy and strongly pushed back against what he has called "hysteria" over schools and the calls to move students to remote learning in the wake of the latest surge.
But at the same time, soaring infections have created staffing shortages that have impacted everything from businesses to the city’s subway system. The number of city hospitalizations has skyrocketed, rising from about 100 per day in early December to more than 700 last week.
Between 75% to 80% of all hospital beds in the city are currently filled, according to Dr. Dave Chokshi, the city’s health commissioner, who joined the mayor at the press conference.
Part of the latest injection of funding for public hospitals comes from the federal government under the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Back in September, FEMA agreed to cover nearly $1 billion in pandemic-related patient costs. The city public hospital system, known as New York City Health and Hospitals (H+H), consists of 11 hospitals with an $11 billion budget.
Adams noted that states and municipalities that do not use their federal aid by a certain deadline must return the money.
“We want to make sure that we use those dollars,” he said. “We're sending nothing back to Washington D.C.”
In addition to the funding for public hospitals, the city will provide $33 million in loans to so-called “safety-net hospitals” that serve the uninsured and neighborhoods of color through a program funded by Goldman Sachs. The money allows hospitals access to quick financing for staffing or equipment, according to Chokshi.
He said some of those expenses may be eligible for reimbursement for FEMA funding, but it was important to channel the money to hospitals now.
During the press conference, the health commissioner seized on one possible good sign in the city’s tracking of infections: Over the last few days, the number of cases in New York City appear to have leveled off, suggesting the omicron wave had peaked.
But Chokshi said it was too early to definitively know if that was the case. The data, which represents only a few days, could reflect changes in testing patterns due to the holidays.
Dr. Denis Nash, an epidemiology professor at CUNY, said it would be hard to know because of limitations in testing data—the city is not collecting results from New Yorkers who take at-home tests—and the pattern in which people seek care.
The Elmhurst Hospital press conference marked the second day in a row Adams visited a public hospital. On Tuesday night, he toured Woodhull Hospital, also part of the H+H network, in Brooklyn to thank frontline staff.
During his time there, he received care for an injured finger on his right hand.
On Wednesday, the mayor was asked by a reporter how he hurt the finger.
“I shook someone's hand. And I felt an electric shock in my little pinky, and it just went misaligned,” Adams said.
At Woodhull, he said, doctors gave him an X-ray and determined that the finger was not fractured.
“And since I'm a former athlete, I just put some tape on it,” he joked.
Following the publication of this story, the mayor's office revised the amount of the loan to safety-net hospitals provided by Goldman Sachs. It is $33 million, not $27 million.
Tagged
COVID-19
public hospitals
eric adams
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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