Increasing numbers of migrants and asylum seekers to the U.S. has propelled cities nationwide to find the necessary resources to care for the influx of the incoming population.
In many cases, this has placed strain on the systems that are in place in cities like Chicago and San Diego. New York City, which has seen upward of 116,000 migrants since April 2022, according to The New York Times, is also grappling with how to manage the crisis. New York City Mayor Eric Adams even released details Sept. 9 about stabilizing the fiscal impact from the influx.
Despite this, New York City's public health system remains stable. During FY2023 alone, migrants accounted for around 1 percent of the patient population in the city's public health system, a spokesperson for NYC Health + Hospitals told Becker's.
Within the last year, New York's public hospitals have provided 28,000 healthcare visits for asylum seekers — a quarter of which took place at NYC Health + Hospitals / Bellevue, the nation's oldest hospital.
Despite the influx of migrants to the city, the spokesperson confirmed that New York's public health system has both the capability and capacity to sustain care for migrant patients.
By the numbers, NYC Health + Hospitals has provided migrants with 40,000 vaccinations, delivered 300 infants and has connected more than 14,000 individuals with health insurance, the spokesperson said.
These individuals also need a different type of care that is individualized and emphasizes behavioral health since they are often coming from disastrous regions.
"After a long and arduous journey, asylum seekers are directed to New York City’s Arrival Center where our medical teams can address their urgent medical needs, including screening, treatment and vaccination for chronic and communicable disease; access to medications, which are often seized at the border; care for late-term and at-risk pregnancies; and assessments to address those suffering from depression, trauma and other behavioral health needs," the NYC Health + Hospitals spokesperson said.
The public health system also does all it can to reduce capacity issues by having "medical teams at our 15 humanitarian centers regularly treat serious medical complaints on-site," which has allowed for "diverting tens of thousands of visits from the ER."