A state lawmaker is urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to issue emergency guidance to make sure gender-affirming care continues to be delivered at the three private hospital systems where nearly 15,000 nurses have been on strike since Jan. 12.
State Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, whose district spans from midtown up to 93rd St. on the west side of Manhattan, penned a letter to the governor on Jan. 13 amid concerns that hospitals and clinics could choose to delay and/or cancel gender-affirming care surgeries or related treatments due to staff shortages stemming from the strike.
The nurses are striking at NewYork-Presbyterian, Montefiore, and Mount Sinai hospitals, which have spent more than $100 million to hire temporary nurses and place them in hotel rooms, according to the New York Times. Nurses say management has threatened to cut their healthcare benefits and fail to provide adequate protection from workplace violence. Nurses are also pushing for wage increases.
A spokesperson for Rosenthal told Gay City News that a constituent reached out to the lawmaker’s office and said there have been discussions that their surgery could be postponed, causing them great distress. The individual said they’re aware of the same thing happening to another person who is traveling to New York City for care.
“Medical professionals are well aware that gender-affirming surgery and related treatments are not elective procedures, and that delays in receiving such care can have profound consequences on one’s mental health, physical well-being, and overall safety,” Rosenthal wrote in the letter.
Rosenthal further said the state “must issue guidance to impacted providers, clearly requiring them to continue providing gender-affirming care to New Yorkers during this tumultuous period.”
Some private hospitals — including New York-Presbyterian and Mount Sinai — faced criticism early last year following reports that they had halted appointments for young patients seeking gender-affirming care after the Trump administration issued an executive order vowing to pull federal funding for institutions offering such care. New York Attorney General Letitia James subsequently issued sent a letter to providers across New York State reminding them that New York State law requires providers to to deliver services without discriminating on the basis of sex or gender identity.
The governor’s office, when asked about Rosenthal’s letter, did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
“We cannot allow transgender New Yorkers to live in fear,” Rosenthal told Gay City News in a written statement on Jan. 14. “While close to 15,000 nurses are valiantly fighting for a fair contract, hospital administrators must ensure that gender-affirming care surgeries and treatments remain available. New York is a safe haven for a reason — and we must live up to that promise, even under extraordinary circumstances. So, while Donald Trump threatens and bullies the transgender community, we must use every possible opportunity to stand up for their civil rights and dignity.”
NewYork-Presbyterian, Montefiore, and Mount Sinai did not respond to a request for comment. The New York State Nurses Association, the union representing the nurses, also did not respond to a request for comment.
