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Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
More concerned about teeth than constituents: Gale Brewer faces backlash over demanding dental care for migrants
Upper West Side councilwoman Gale Brewer is facing backlash after calling for free dental care for migrants, after she revealed already have paid up to $10,000 out of her own pocket to cover their dental expenses. The 73-year-old Democrat made the plea during a budget hearing with the NYC Health Department on May 23, where she criticised the lack of attention to migrants' full health needs. 'Is someone paying attention to all of their health needs?' she demanded. 'They have a lot of health needs. Forget the dental! I'm already out $8,000–$10,000 on the dental. So who is paying attention to them?' Brewer, who earns $148,500 as a council member, later told The New Post that she has been covering the cost of procedures such as root canals and cavity fillings for several migrants, especially young people she supports personally. 'I've been doing this kind of stuff for years, especially helping younger people,' said Brewer, who, along with her late husband Cal Snyder, fostered 35 children. 'This is nothing new for me.' She also pressed acting health commissioner Dr Michelle Morse to improve awareness among migrants about the city's existing free healthcare options. Brewer said many asylum seekers, particularly young delivery workers, are enrolled in city-funded health insurance schemes like NYC Care but have no idea how to use them. 'And I assume you can't do dental, because you can't get dental for Americans — let alone for anybody else. They all have dental issues.' Brewer added, 'I happen to know a lot of asylum seekers and support them.' 'These are young guys. They're pretty lost' she said, referring to what benefits the immigrants qualify for. However, her remarks have sparked criticism from some in her own district. Longtime Upper West Side activist Maria Danzilo accused Brewer of ignoring her constituents. 'This is another example of misplaced priorities from Gale Brewer,' Danzilo said. 'It's unfortunate that Gale feels migrants' dental problems are more important than the needs of her own constituents. What is she doing about the healthcare needs of her community? Plenty of New Yorkers also lack medical coverage.' Morse responded by promising that the Health Department would work with city hospitals to improve outreach efforts about available healthcare services under NYC Care. City law already requires all hospitals to treat emergency patients regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay. Migrants seeking asylum are eligible for Medicaid, while minors, seniors, and pregnant women can access free healthcare regardless of immigration status. The health department declined to say whether Brewer could have referred migrants to more affordable city options rather than paying out of pocket. This isn't the first time Brewer has made headlines during budget hearings. In March, she told correction officials that the food served at Rikers Island made her sick — and suggested the city should serve inmates 'farm-to-table' meals like those at high-end Manhattan restaurants.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
Woke NYC Councilwoman Gale Brewer demanding free dental care for migrants
A lefty Upper West Side councilwoman demanded free dental care for illegal immigrants this week — as she revealed she's shelled out more than $8,000 of her own dough to keep their pearly whites intact. 'Is someone paying attention to all of their health needs!' Councilwoman Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan) roared at NYC Health Department officials during a May 23 budget hearing. 'They have a lot of health needs. Forget the dental! I'm already out $8,000-$10,000 on the dental. So who is paying attention to them?' she scolded. 7 Councilwoman Gale Brewer claims getting proper dental care for illegal immigrants is like pulling teeth. Getty Images Brewer, who earns $148,500 as a council member, told The Post Friday she's been fighting tooth and nail for migrants' health needs — including paying out of her own pocket for some of them to root canals, cavity fillings, and other dental procedures. 'I've been doing this kind of stuff for years, especially helping younger people,' said the 73-year-old Brewer, who previously fostered 35 children with her husband, author Cal Snyder. 'This is nothing new for me.' During the hearing, Brewer told Acting Health Commissioner Michelle Morse the agency needs to do a better job spreading the word about what free healthcare assistance is available to migrants at city hospitals — including dental. 'Those guys you see driving those mobile e-bikes, they all have [city-funded health insurance] …, but they don't know what to do with it, to be honest with you,' she said. 7 'They have a lot of health needs. Forget the dental! I'm already out $8,000-$10,000 on the dental. So, who is paying attention to them?' Brewer said. New York City Council 'And I assume you can't do dental, because you can't get dental for Americans — let alone for anybody else. They all have dental issues.' 'I happen to know a lot of … asylum seekers [and] support them,' she ranted. 'You can't imagine how well I know then them – extremely well. And so, I've taken on a lot of the young people, a ton of them.' 'These are young guys. They're pretty lost' about what taxpayer-funded health benefits they qualify for, Brewer added. 7 Brewer told Acting Health Commissioner Michelle Morse the agency needs to do a better job spreading the word about what free healthcare assistance is available to migrants at city hospitals. 7 Morse said her agency would work with the city's hospital system to expand education to migrants about free healthcare services through the 'NYC Care' program. New York City Council 'I'm really concerned about their health.' Critics said the longtime pol is more concerned with illegal migrants' pearly whites than the needs of her own district. 'This is another example of misplaced priorities from Gale Brewer,' said longtime Upper West Side activist Maria Danzilo. 7 Recently arrived asylum seekers get information on free health care in front of P.S. 188 in Coney Island, which has recently begun housing migrants in the school gym on May 16, 2023, in New York City. Getty Images 'It's unfortunate that Gale feels migrants' dental problems are more important that the needs of her own constituents in the community. 'What is she doing about the healthcare needs of her community? Plenty of New Yorkers also lack medical coverage.' Morse said her agency would work with the city's hospital system to expand education to migrants about free healthcare services through the 'NYC Care' program. 7 Darton College dental hygiene students Regina Schirato and Brooke Wenck give a farm worker a dental exam Wednesday evening, June 18, 2003, in a migrant farmer camp near Moultrie, Georgia. Getty Images All city hospitals – both public and private – are required by law to treat emergency patients regardless of their ability to pay or immigration status. Migrants who've applied for political asylum are also eligible for Medicaid benefits. Minors, seniors, and pregnant women are eligible for free health care regardless of their immigrant status. The Health Department declined to comment when asked if Brewer could've saved herself some cash by directing migrants with dental issues to city hospitals or health centers. 7 Brewer said she's been fighting tooth and nail for migrants' health needs. Laura Cavanaugh This isn't the first time during hearings over the next fiscal year's budget where Brewer's gone off on a wild tangent. She told Department of Correction honchos during a March hearing that the food menu offered on Rikers Island is so bad it makes her sick to her stomach. Brewer then proclaimed she wanted the city to feed jailbirds 'farm-to-table' meals, like ones served up at some of the Big Apple's top Michelin-starred restaurants.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NYC flu cases rising, health officials urge precautions
NEW YORK (PIX11) – Flu cases in the city are rising. That has public health officials reminding people to take precautions. The city says current flu cases are higher than peaks in the past five years. More Local News New York City Health and Hospitals executive director of NYC Care, Dr. Jonathan Jimenez, explains the symptoms of influenza. 'You get a fever, body aches, muscle pains, and a cough. But it's the fever and the malaise.' Dr. Jimenez adds this year, the flu is peaking later in the year. 'There's a few reasons. There are different strains different years,' Jimenez added. 'One of the reasons we have seen influenza spread is cause people are indoors. We had an unusually warm fall so some people have hypothesized that's behind the delay in the peak.' As of Jan. 25, more than 23,000 people tested positive for the flu in the city, four percent more than the week before. So, for this season, one pediatric patient has died from an influenza-associated illness. Dr. Jimenez says, 'It's dangerous for people who are very young or very old or in the middle with other conditions like diabetes lung disease are more at risk for severe outcomes.' Dr. Jimenez recommends that people get the flu shot, wash their hands frequently, stay away from people if they are sick, and mask up. Long Island resident Julia Hsia is on high alert – she's concerned about contracting the flu after she learned that Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu just died from pneumonia, a complication of the flu. 'I am originally from Taiwan, and there's a really well-known actress that just passed from the flu, and people were like, oh ok, it's better to get the vaccine.' That's why Hsia booked an appointment to get the flu shot tomorrow. Nicole Lopez-Jantzen from Woodside Queens has already got the flu. She suffers from long covid. 'Every time I get even a cold, I'm out for a week. Definitely flu, COVID, RSV cold. I don't want to get any of it, so the easiest thing is to mask on the subway.' Health and hospitals remind people they can get tested and vaccinated at a city-run facility for a low cost or free, regardless of their insurance or immigration status. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
