(The Center Square) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is touting new state funding for regional health clinics to expand services for disabled individuals to help offset looming cuts in federal funding.
Hochul announced Thursday that the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities will be making $25 million available for the development of Regional Disability Health Clinics to serve the developmentally disabled
“People with developmental disabilities often struggle to access dental care, physical therapy and specialty medical needs,” Hochul said in a statement. “Waiting years for proper care or finding out medical adaptive equipment is unavailable is not an option and harms the dignity and health of those who need care most. Equal access to healthcare is crucial for every New York family.”
To qualify for the grant funding, capital projects must improve both access to and the quality of physical health care services specifically for people with developmental disabilities. Projects will receive priority if they will open new dental services or expand or improve existing dental clinics, improve physical space to better accommodate wheelchairs, or improve access to specialty disability services in “health care deserts,” according to the Hochul administration.
Willow Baer, commissioner of the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, said a frequent complaint among the state’s disabled is that they often feel “left behind when it comes to accessible settings and availability of medical professionals trained to treat the physical health needs of people with developmental disabilities.”
“No one should have to suffer the indignity of an office visit without the proper medical equipment or the frustration of not being able to find healthcare in their community,” he said in a statement. “We are excited to receive proposals that recommend innovative ways to deliver increased access to the healthcare people with developmental disabilities need and deserve.”
Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which would extend the president’s 2017 tax cuts and increase border security funding while overhauling federal Medicaid and food assistance programs. The spending plan would cost an estimated $4.5 trillion. To pay for it, Trump and other Republicans are calling for up to $2 trillion in cuts over the next decade, including $880 billion from Medicaid.
The Hochul administration said Trump’s new law will cut $6 billion in federal funding from the state’s Medicaid program, which would result in more than 1.5 million New Yorkers losing health care coverage under those programs and increased costs for everyone.
The cuts would include about $2.5 billion in lost federal funding and $500 million in new state administrative costs, according to the administration, which says it will result in more than $3 billion in losses for hospitals across the state.
“Where the federal government seeks to slash healthcare funding to fund tax giveaways for billionaires, New York State will continue to stand up and protect the needs of our most vulnerable and New Yorkers living with disabilities,” state Sen. Pat Fahey said in a statement. “By tailoring care and services to the needs of our disability community, we’re connecting even more New Yorkers to lifesaving and high-quality healthcare, with a special emphasis on supporting expanded dental care.”
