| Releases & Statements
In response to pressure from Public
Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, the City has promised to institute new
procedures at its walk-in STD clinics so that individuals seeking
testing are no longer turned away. Gotbaum wrote a letter to Health
Department Commissioner Thomas Frieden in late July demanding
that he take steps to ensure that clinics are adequately staffed
and that all New Yorkers seeking testing are accommodated. In
his reply, Frieden outlined a series of measures, effective mid-September,
designed to address the problem, including a realignment of staff
work schedules and a thorough evaluation of employee productivity.
“Every New Yorker has a right
to immediate HIV testing, and no one should ever be turned away
from a City clinic,” Gotbaum said. “I am pleased that
Commissioner Frieden is taking my concerns seriously and working
to solve the problem.”
Gotbaum took action in response to
a July 14-20 report by Gay City News, “Demand Overwhelms
STD Clinics,” which indicates not only that clinics frequently
turn away New Yorkers seeking testing but also that clinic staff
fail to accurately record the number of turn-aways or to inform
the public of the right to immediate HIV testing. In his letter
to Gotbaum, Frieden stated that new standard for City STD clinics
will be that “a clinic manager or public health advisor
will speak with each patient to assess the most appropriate STD
care plan.” He also pledged to hire additional staff if
the problems persist.
“As Public Advocate, my job
is to fix government so that it’s working for all New Yorkers,”
Gotbaum said. “I spoke up about a lapse in the City’s
public health policy, and now the administration has agreed to
enact reform. That’s how the process works.”
Gotbaum said she will monitor the
City’s STD clinics to ensure that the new procedures are
fully implemented and to determine whether they adequately address
the problem.
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