Mayor Eric Adams, along with health officials from various city departments, announced the New York City Women’s Health Agenda on January 17th. This is a working plan to improve women’s health in the city. The women’s health agenda is being implemented to break the systemic barriers that have prevented women from receiving the best health care available. Mayor Adams spoke at City Hall, sharing the ideas and programs of the health agenda that will be put in place to assist women.
“For too long health and health care has been centered around men, but that changes today,” said Mayor Adams. “We have been standing on the sidelines of women’s health for too long, and I have personally seen firsthand how the health system is letting our women down. It is long overdue that we break taboos and make New York City a model for the future of women’s health care. We are going to build a city that is here for all women and girls.”
Women’s Health Agenda
The Women’s Health Agenda will see the implementation of several different programs to provide adequate care to women. The New York Commission on Gender Equity will work with the Department of Education and the Mayor’s Office of Equity to relaunch the Sexual Education Task Force. The task force will work towards the education of young New Yorkers regarding matters of sexual wellness and inclusivity. 11 recommendations from 2018 will be updated and applied, ensuring school staff is competent in sexual education. The task force will also have a responsibility to educate the broad community through awareness campaigns and information sessions.
There will be various programs that will assist women who struggle with specific areas of their health. A campaign will be implemented to support women suffering from diabetes and hypertension. This campaign will target the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. A Family-Based Substance Use Disorder Program will also be part of the agenda. This program is geared to assist pregnant or parenting people who suffer from substance abuse issues. It will also help with mental health and psychological issues. This will apply to both parents and children.
Women generally experience and suffer from preventable health conditions. As a measure of acting against these illnesses, the health agenda will track the rates of diseases such as cancer, mental illness, heart disease, and other ailments that affect the different aspects of a woman’s life.
Calling on Expertise
The health agenda will also see experts well-versed in the fields of research, public health, health care, business, and several others called upon to share their skills and knowledge. These people will meet at a summit during Women’s History Month in March. The city will also set up a committee of experts that will build and improve the historical successes of the city’s workforce. This will include making the workplace better for staff members, especially women.
The Adams Administration’s Women’s Health Agenda will provide abortion pills at the city’s health clinics. The Morrisania Sexual Health Clinic in the Bronx will be the first to provide the service. Clinics in Crown Heights (Brooklyn), Central Harlem (Manhattan), and Jamaica (Queens) will provide the service by the end of the year. The move to provide free abortion pills has seen both pro-abortion and anti-abortion advocates.
Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom, who LittleAfrica News previously interviewed, was at the launch of the health agenda, where she shared a few words. “This agenda will help us, as a city, prioritize, and address the health needs of women across the lifespan and elevate the voices of women at every step along the way,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “The work to implement this agenda has already begun and I look forward to continuing to be part of that effort and doing so alongside so many dedicated and accomplished women inside and outside of government.”
