The city Health Department says it has just the Rx for the public and medical professionals looking for guidance on health issues — a hot line that would cost $100 million over six years.
Mayor Eric Adams’ administration is preparing to launch the sweeping, central, around-the-clock “Public Health Call Center,” which will make doctors available to field questions from New Yorkers and health-care providers about a range of medical issues, including during emergencies such as coronavirus outbreak, the Post has learned.
The call center, overseen by the Health and Mental Hygiene Department, will be staffed with clinicians — including nurses and doctors — as well as phone operators.
The plan is to award a six-year, $100 million contract to a firm next year to run the call center, which will receive calls as well as make out-bound calls to residents.
The call center would open Jan. 1, 2025.
“Such a call center is critical to reducing health disparities by providing equitable access to health information, providing a single resource for both the public and healthcare providers to speak with experienced clinicians for guidance on public health topics, and allowing DOHMH to scale up and down operations as needed based upon outbreaks and public health emergencies,” the department said in a “concept paper” explaining its proposal.
“The COVID-19 public health emergency reinforced the need to provide comprehensive call center services to New Yorkers.”
During the pandemic, the health agency fielded thousands of calls monthly on topics including COVID testing locations, quarantine and isolation orders, vaccination eligibility and paid sick leave.
The Health Department has operated emergency call centers at various times during such emergencies, including outbreaks of Ebola, Zika and the measles.
There is already a mental-health hotline, “800-NYCWELL,” the cornerstone of former Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray’s controversial ThriveNYC initiative, and a Poison Control hotline.
But the Public Health Call Center would have a regular, permanent presence and a more expanded catch-all approach, according to the plan.
The hotline could also play a role in connecting the thousands of migrants to medical care, many of whom are not vaccinated against the contagious and potentially deadly polio virus, according to city Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan.
“DOHMH plans to competitively procure both the technological and staffing services needed to implement and manage a call center able to respond to both the public and healthcare providers in NYC about various public health topics,” the department says.
The call center will:
The operating call center will be staffed by phone reps from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. up to seven days a
week and by health clinicians, including doctors and nurses, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. up to seven days a week.
But the hours of operation will increase or decrease based on demand, and the agency “anticipates that a small number of clinicians may be needed on call” for overnight and early-morning shifts, providing 24-hour coverage Monday to Friday from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. and around-the-clock coverage on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
The call center is required to have the capacity to handle and respond to an estimated 40,000 inbound calls monthly from the public and 8,000 inbound calls from medical providers and school officials and make an estimated 20,000 outbound calls per month for targeted public-health initiatives.
A Health Department spokesman said, “The pandemic showed us how important it is to have regular contact with the public so we can help New Yorkers receive health services and guidance.
“Much as we did during past public health emergencies, our goal would be to identify ways to reach New Yorkers with public health guidance and to connect people at greater risk with services and support.”