Guaranteed Comprehensive Healthcare for All New Yorkers is Closer Than You Think is a free, virtual event, open to the public, organized by Hudson Valley Demands New York Health, and hosted by the Newburgh Free Library and the Desmond-Fish Public Library, on Thursday, January 28th, 7pm. Attendees will learn about the bill, its legislative trajectory and why it is important for New Yorkers to demand its passage in 2021. The panel discussion will focus on how the bill would affect various aspects of the healthcare system, including patients and healthcare providers, as well as the cost to municipalities. The keynote speaker will be NYS Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, followed by a panel discussion including Dr. Reena Agarwal (MD, MPH, FACP), Darius Shahinfar (Albany City Treasurer), and Lynn Esteban (patient/healthcare activist), and moderated by Jess Robie (RN). The event will be facilitated by Jeff Mikkelson (Co-Founder, HVDNYH). Registration for the event is required to attend: bit.ly/NYHealthActJan28.

Affordable, accessible, healthcare is an important issue for many Americans. Although most New Yorkers have health insurance, many people have long struggled to afford premiums, co-pays, deductibles, and the high cost of prescription drugs. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed the dysfunction and inadequacy, as well as the racial and class inequality, of our current healthcare system.

If passed, the New York Health Act would guarantee comprehensive health coverage to every New Yorker while eliminating premiums, deductibles, and co-pays, and would help address the structural inequalities of our current system. It would also save money for individuals, local governments and New York State.

This public education event is organized by Hudson Valley Demands New York Health (HVDNYH), a coalition of grassroots groups and individuals working to guarantee comprehensive healthcare for all New Yorkers by passing the New York Health Act (NYHA).

WHAT: Guaranteed Comprehensive Healthcare for All New Yorkers is Closer Than You Think: A Virtual Town Hall on the New York Health Act
WHERE: Virtual Event, Register Here: bit.ly/NYHealthActJan28
WHEN: Thursday, January 28, 2021 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Speaker Bios

Jessica Gonźalez-Rojas, NYS Assembly Member
Jessica Gonźalez-Rojas was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020 to represent the 34th Assembly district, which encompasses several diverse communities in Queens. She has been an unapologetic leader for social justice on the national and local level for over two decades. For 13 years Jessica served in the leadership at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. She has fought for immigrant rights, racial justice, and gender equity. Prior to running for the Assembly, Jessica served as a community liaison for Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez. As a long time leader in community and electoral politics, Jessica has received numerous proclamations for her advocacy work.

Reena Agarwal, MD, MPH, FACP
Dr. Agarwal is a primary care physician trained in Internal Medicine. She completed her residency in Social Internal Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center and a residency in Public Health/Preventive Medicine at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She also has an extensive background in quality improvement. She has spent her career working in New York Hospitals and Community Health Centers where her focus has been on providing care for the underserved as well as teaching resident physicians.

Darius Shahinfar, Albany City Treasurer
Darius Shahinfar is the elected Treasurer and Chief Fiscal Officer of the City of Albany.

His work as City Treasurer led him to research the effect of health care financing on municipal budgets and local property taxes. He has testified on this subject to the NYS Legislature and has spoken on these issues to numerous organizations. He believes strongly, not only in the moral imperative of universal health care coverage, but also that single payer will result in dramatic tax and cost savings. He is a graduate of Bates College, and Albany Law School, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Albany Law Review.

Lynn Esteban, Patient/healthcare activist
Lynn Esteban is an artist and activist who lives in Poughkeepsie with her family. A bout of Mono (Epstein Barr virus) in 2011 triggered a chronic illness, the severity of which has left her unable to work. She has had a protracted and challenging battle with the healthcare system to reach a correct diagnosis and effective treatment. Lynn is a disability activist and volunteer with MEAction, an international advocacy organization that educates physicians and the public about managing post-viral conditions.