Committee on Hospitals meeting
March 16, 2026, 11:30 AM
The Committee on Hospitals held its FY2027 preliminary budget hearing on NYC Health and Hospitals, the city's public hospital system. The committee took testimony and recorded no votes.
What was discussed
- Budget hearing convenes and the administration panel is sworn in The Sergeant-at-Arms opened the Committee on Hospitals' FY2027 preliminary budget hearing on New York City Health + Hospitals, and Committee Counsel administered the affirmation to President and CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz, CFO John Ulberg, and Correctional Health Services head Dr. Patsy Yang.
- Opening statements from the chair and the Public Advocate Chairperson Mercedes Narcisse framed the hearing around H+H's $1.74 billion FY2027 operating budget, its capital plan, the B-HEARD restructuring, and coverage losses expected from the federal bill HR1. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams testified on HR1's projected uninsurance and economic losses, the
- Dr. Katz on H+H as the city's health-care safety net President and CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz testified that H+H is the affordability backbone of city health care, highlighted housing-focused programs including the Bridge to Home model for homeless people with serious mental illness, said the system would close FY2026 on target with about 16 days of cash
- Does H+H support the new B-HEARD model, and can it staff it? Chairperson Mercedes Narcisse questioned the panel on the plan to move B-HEARD fully under H+H. Dr. Mitchell Katz said the current model is structurally broken because an EMT shortage means most eligible calls get no B-HEARD response, and that he would support any configuration that reliably gets a
- How did H+H run winter warming centers, and will the funding be baselined? Chairperson Mercedes Narcisse asked about the emergency warming centers. Dr. Mitchell Katz said H+H operated 15 sites (11 hospitals plus Gotham centers, later corrected to seven Gotham sites) and that sending out ambulettes to bring people in — about two-thirds accepted — was what ended cold deaths
- What has medical debt relief achieved, and could the city legislate on hospital bills? Co-Chair Linda Lee questioned the panel on medical debt. CFO John Ulberg said H+H signed a December 2025 contract paying the nonprofit Undo $4.6 million to relieve over $1.1 billion across about 1 million accounts, and Dr. Mitchell Katz suggested the city could, as a landlord, require hospitals to
- What mental-health services and budgets will the correctional outposted units provide? Council Member Tiffany Cabán pressed for operating budgets for the correctional outposted units at Bellevue, Woodhull, and North Central Bronx. Dr. Patsy Yang said Bellevue will expand a therapeutic housing unit to nearly 30 beds and house 104 patients, with Woodhull and NCB weighted toward mental
- How does H+H handle federal immigration agents at its hospitals? Council Member Tiffany Cabán asked about immigration enforcement at hospitals. Dr. Mitchell Katz described a policy requiring staff to obtain ID and call H+H legal counsel — available 24/7 — before any access, said agents lacking valid paperwork have so far always left, and noted H+H deliberately
- What is the status of the Rockaway trauma center and Far Rockaway capital projects? Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers asked about the planned Rockaway Peninsula trauma center and Far Rockaway health projects. Dr. Mitchell Katz said $50 million is committed, the identified NYCHA site is ideal and not needed for housing, and construction could take two to three years once land is
- How does H+H prioritize capital, and what is its relationship with Palantir? Council Member Elsie Encarnación asked how capital is prioritized and about data firms tied to federal enforcement. Dr. Mitchell Katz said capital is divided among facilities by size while letting each decide its projects, cited Metropolitan's emergency department as a priority, and said the
- How many B-HEARD social workers has H+H hired, and what do they earn? Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez asked about B-HEARD social-worker staffing and pay. CFO John Ulberg said 41 social workers were hired, and Dr. Mitchell Katz said master's-level social workers earn about $70,000 — a low salary he agreed should be part of the city's compensation advocacy.
- Which youth mental-health clinics opened, and does H+H use AI in patient care? Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez asked about the new youth clinics and AI. Dr. Mitchell Katz said clinics opened at Woodhull and Queens hospitals based on need and are fully staffed, and that H+H uses AI only to assist clinicians — with ambient listening requiring each patient's consent — and has
- What does the Department of Correction need to do to keep detainees safe? Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez asked what would help Correctional Health protect patients at Rikers. Dr. Mitchell Katz said overcrowding worsens detainees' mental health and prevents staff from bringing people to care, and argued the correctional system must refocus on rehabilitation — libraries
- Does the budget account for nurse wages, staffing, and safety concerns? Council Member Shirley Aldebol asked whether the budget reflects NYSNA's wage, staffing, and safety concerns. Dr. Mitchell Katz said H+H will need a city raise to keep pace with private-sector nurse wages, reported low vacancy rates, and described safety measures — panic buttons, mirrors, and
- What gender-affirming and maternal-child care does H+H provide, and what does the Bronx need? Council Member Amanda Farías asked about gender-affirming care and maternal-child health. Dr. Mitchell Katz said H+H has continued gender-affirming care as other systems stopped, is accepting referrals, and received increased funding for comprehensive youth care; he said the free Maternal Child
- Is there enough maternal mental-health support in maternity departments? Chairperson Mercedes Narcisse pressed on maternal mental health. Dr. Mitchell Katz said every H+H maternity unit has a maternal-focused psychologist and sufficient behavioral-health capacity, and urged that additional resources target the year after birth, when most maternal morbidity and postpartum
- How will the Maimonides merger be funded and reflected in the budget? Chairperson Mercedes Narcisse questioned the pending Maimonides merger. Dr. Mitchell Katz said it is backed by state funding with no city funds, that money for Maimonides will stay at Maimonides, and that higher Medicaid rates plus a modern billing system should close its roughly $350 million
- What will comprehensive adolescent care and expanded homeless-outreach programs fund? Chairperson Mercedes Narcisse asked about several new investments. CFO John Ulberg and Dr. Mitchell Katz said $7.5 million funds comprehensive adolescent care, that the SHOW mobile-outreach program grows from six to nine vans (about $8.3 million to $13 million), and that the Bridge to Home program
- How much coverage will HR1 cost H+H, and what is the plan to protect patients? Chairperson Mercedes Narcisse asked about HR1's coverage and revenue losses. CFO John Ulberg said the state won federal approval to preserve essential-plan groups EP1–EP4, leaving about 425,000–450,000 EP5 enrollees still at risk, and Dr. Mitchell Katz described a strategy of securing
- How does the State-Directed Payment plan boost H+H reimbursement? Chairperson Mercedes Narcisse asked about the State-Directed Payment plan. CFO John Ulberg said a Biden-era rule lets Medicaid rates rise toward the average commercial rate, that H+H began receiving payments totaling roughly $2.3–2.4 billion, and that Dr. Mitchell Katz confirmed the plan is
Agenda
1 item
- T2026-1374 New York City Council Budget and Oversight Hearings on The Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2027, The Preliminary Capital Plan for Fiscal Years 2027-2030 and The Fiscal 2026 Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report 11:30 a.m. Health + Hospitals 1:00 p.m. Public Hearing Held by Committee