NY to spend $3.5M on TB screening, treatment for asylum seekers. Where will money go?

David Robinson, New York State Team
Updated ·4 min read
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The state Department of Health plans to spend $3.5 million to cover the cost of tuberculosis screening and treatment for hundreds of asylum seekers relocated from New York City to communities across New York.

The state taxpayer-supported funds will flow to seven counties that have so far taken in more than 2,100 migrants from New York City, officials said.

Asylum seekers walk around midtown Manhattan after being located in the Roosevelt hotel on Friday, May 19, 2023, in New York City.
Asylum seekers walk around midtown Manhattan after being located in the Roosevelt hotel on Friday, May 19, 2023, in New York City.

The county health departments in Westchester, Monroe, Orange, Dutchess, Erie, Albany, and Schenectady will each receive $500,000 under the state contracts, which are being finalized and will cover costs through March 2024, state health officials said.

This newly reported use of state funds followed USA TODAY Network reporting last month that raised questions about the rising cost of health services for asylum seekers sent from New York City to other counties.

What is NYC paying for asylum seeker health care?

New York Mayor Eric Adams addresses a rally in support of asylum-seekers on Aug. 15, 2023. Less than a month later, Adams says 10,000 migrants are entering every month and the city is not receiving any support on the "national crisis."
New York Mayor Eric Adams addresses a rally in support of asylum-seekers on Aug. 15, 2023. Less than a month later, Adams says 10,000 migrants are entering every month and the city is not receiving any support on the "national crisis."

While the state money covers the tuberculosis-related costs, some details about other health-related services for asylum seekers remain shrouded in secrecy. That is because New York City has withheld records related to its $432 million contract with for-profit company DocGo to provide various services — including health care — to asylum seekers in New York City and other communities.

The DocGo contract, which USA TODAY Network obtained via a public-records request, includes some details about the company’s plans for providing medical services to asylum seekers in New York City and other communities.

That includes a $4,380 cost per day for providing on-site medical care through a medical team stationed at a hotel for 12 hours per day, the contract shows. The deal also allows for up to 600 telehealth visits per month, at a cost not to exceed $39,000 per month.

But the contract also allows DocGo to pursue subcontractors in some cases, which makes it difficult to determine which entity is actually providing medical services at each hotel housing asylum seekers across the seven counties.

USA TODAY Network is pursuing additional records related to any nonprofits or for-profit companies providing medical services to asylum seekers in the seven counties outside New York City.

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Previously, independent budget estimates in New York City suggested providing basic medical care for migrants would cost about $1,500 per person per year, but the early projections now appear well below what it will cost to meet real-world health needs.

For example, the state-funded estimate for TB-related services works out to nearly $1,700 per person per year based on the roughly 2,100 migrants bused to the seven counties as of late August. And it remains unclear if the state will provide additional funding for other health services.

"The need for additional public health funding for asylum seekers arriving in the state is reviewed on an ongoing basis," state Health Department spokesperson Erin Clary said in a statement.

Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2023, about her efforts to get the Biden administration to speed up worth authorization for asylum seekers. She also has asked for financial support for the state as more than 100,000 migrants have headed to New York.
Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2023, about her efforts to get the Biden administration to speed up worth authorization for asylum seekers. She also has asked for financial support for the state as more than 100,000 migrants have headed to New York.

What are TB costs for NY asylum seekers?

At least two tuberculosis, or TB, cases among asylum seekers outside New York City have been identified, with one case each in Westchester and Erie counties, according to local officials.

Local health officials discovered the highly contagious illness during medical screenings of migrants after their arrival in those communities. No further TB infections were reported in connection to those two cases.

The state Health Department didn’t answer questions about the total number of TB cases identified among asylum seekers.

In a statement, the agency asserted state and local health officials are working with other medical providers to ensure asylum seekers are receiving appropriate medical care, including for TB and vaccination services related to other illness.

"State and local health departments will issue health advisories, as needed, if public health concerns are identified," Clary said in a statement.

Bags containing a pillow, towel, and bed sheets are placed on cots inside a dormitory tent at the Creedmoor Psychiatric Hospital shelter New York City set up to house up to 1,000 migrants in the Queens borough of New York, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023.
Bags containing a pillow, towel, and bed sheets are placed on cots inside a dormitory tent at the Creedmoor Psychiatric Hospital shelter New York City set up to house up to 1,000 migrants in the Queens borough of New York, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023.

Why didn't TB cases get discovered earlier?

DocGo has asserted in a statement that it conducts medical screenings of migrants before they are sent from New York City to other communities in the state.

At least one nurse practitioner or physician assistant verbally screens for signs and symptoms of diseases, and performs a rapid COVID-19 test, the company noted, adding the workers also “visually” screen for rashes or lesions.

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But the discovery of at least two TB cases post-arrival in communities outside New York City underscored mounting complaints about substandard services being provided for some asylum seekers. Further, many of the migrants spend time together on buses and at hotels in close quarters that are conducive to infectious-disease outbreaks.

Westchester County officials noted previously the county health department provided the TB screening services before securing reimbursement as a public-health necessity.

County spokesperson Catherine Cioffi noted the $500,000 in state funding will cover services retroactively to April 1.

"Westchester County is proud to reaffirm its commitment to public health and humanitarian support by providing some essential care services for asylum-seeking migrants," she said in a statement.

"We have said we would do our part within reason, and that is what we have been doing," she added.

Includes reporting by Chris McKenna of USA TODAY Network.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY asylum seekers: State to spend $3.5M on TB screening, treatment