January 2014 marks not only the beginning of a new year, but a new administration for the City of New York.
I congratulate Mayor Bill de Blasio, Comptroller Scott Stringer, Public Advocate Letitia James, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and all newly appointed Councilmembers.
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s progressive agenda message resonated with the majority of New Yorkers. We are particularly heartened by the Mayor’s plans to address issues that are of paramount importance to ICL, namely access to affordable supportive housing, community healthcare centers for the chronically ill, homelessness, and partnering with schools to provide supportive services to students.
As Mayor de Blasio points out, one of the major factors driving up healthcare costs is that patients with chronic illnesses are often homeless or have complex mental and behavioral issues. They can’t afford healthcare or even know how to “work the system” to get the help they need and constantly end up in emergency rooms for treatment, which is both costly and ineffective.
ICL knows first-hand how supportive housing, combined with managed care programs and an integral “whole health” approach can significantly reduce the healthcare costs for this population. Over 1,400 individuals, families, children, and homeless veterans live in our residences, emergency transitional housing, and subsidized rental apartments where, with the support of case managers and counselors, they get access to the services they need to stay healthy and out of the hospital.
Our Healthy Living and PROS programs help people with mental illness to better manage their medical conditions and gain the skills they need to live more healthy and independent lives. These thriving programs echo Mayor de Blasio’s vision of reducing healthcare costs by increasing access to affordable healthcare.
We at ICL are happy to be one of the stepping-stones on the road that provides better, happier, and healthier lives for this often underserved population of New Yorkers.
Improving lives and helping people get better, is what we do.
Sincerely,
David J. Woodlock
