Public Health

Addressing Public Health Needs

The city conducted an aggressive vaccination campaign in FY22; enabling students to return to school safely through major changes to school facilities, policies, and healthcare staffing and addressing the needs of vulnerable populations through innovative mental and behavioral health programs and wraparound services. As of Aug. 18, 2022, 98.6% of the city’s adults and 69.4% of children 5-17 have received at least one dose of vaccine. 79.3% of the city’s total eligible population have been fully vaccinated, which is well above the national average of 67.3%. Updated boosters continue to be offered at NYC H+H sites.

FY22 Project Highlight: Test & Trace (now Test & Treat)

Agency: Health + Hospitals
Website: Test & Treat

The NYC Test & Trace Corps was created to provide no-cost testing, contact tracing, and culturally appropriate public education throughout the city, and to ensure that people with the virus received care and could isolate safely when needed. Carried out by a corps of doctors, public health professionals, and community advocates, it made free COVID-19 testing available to all and developed resources that helped people stay healthy and to find treatment for COVID. The program’s ability to track the spread of the virus helped the city monitor high-risk demographics, alert the public to increases in infection in particular communities, and direct resources where they were most needed.

In FY23, the program transformed into the NYC Test & Treat Corps, to reflect a new approach to providing New Yorkers with fast, convenient testing and access to treatment.  No-cost COVID-19 testing remains accessible through mobile units, H+H hospital sites, and the distribution of millions of free at-home test kits to CBOs, non-profits, houses of worship, schools, Parks, and libraries as well as developing cutting edge pathways to treatment for COVID. NYC Test & Treat Corps created the nation’s first ever “test to treat” fleet, which is a singlep-stop service to provide testing, clinical evaluation for Paxlovid, and prescriptions all in one place at no cost.

FY22 Project Highlight: Mobile Mental Health

Agency: Dept of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)
Website: Mobile Mental Health Program

ARP-SLFRF programs also supported public health initiatives beyond testing and vaccinations. The stresses of COVID-19 are having long-term consequences on health and well-being that include increased behavioral health problems, such as exacerbation of existing mental health conditions, substance use, anxiety, depression, and complicated grief; risk factors vary by race, ethnicity, and financial circumstances. New Yorkers who are living with serious mental illness have additional challenges when it comes to receiving appropriate care.

The Mobile Mental Health program focused on this population with Intensive Mobile Treatment (IMT) teams of mental health, substance use, and peer specialists who provide support and treatment, including medication. The mission of IMT is to improve an individual’s quality of life through: counseling; advocacy at both the individual and system level; support and assistance for the patient’s individual needs and goals, and opportunities to connect with a diverse team of service providers.

Read about a peer specialist delivering care through the Intensive Mobile Treatment program.