Garcia goes big on health care access

Mayoral contender Kathryn Garcia rolled out several health policy proposals Monday aimed at bridging disparities that have had a negative impact on people of color throughout New York City.

Garcia (inset), who served as Mayor de Blasio’s sanitation commissioner before launching her City Hall bid, wants to enroll all eligible city residents in Medicaid and food stamps, reduce wait times for primary care physician appointments to a week at most and drastically cut the number of mothers who die during pregnancy — a problem that’s most acutely felt among Black women.

“Every day, New Yorkers navigating health care and social services experience frustration and bureaucracy. We will take every step to improve this experience because better access means better outcomes,” she said.

“My plan will invest in coordinated systems and faster, easier access to benefits that help residents stay connected to the services they need.”

Black women are up to eight times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than whites.

Garcia aims to address that by expanding and focusing outreach to expecting Black mothers and to those who have recently given birth.

She would also expand midwife programs.

Under the plan, the city would deploy “coordinated mobile care teams” to people’s homes, expand telehealth services in the city’s public Health + Hospitals network and increase hours of service at community health centers.

Overall, Garcia has said she plans to make accessing health care, housing and employment benefits easier.

How exactly she intends to do this remains unclear, though.