DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE | Page 155
WHAT WE DO
The Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene (DOHMH) protects and
promotes the health and well-being
of New Yorkers. The Department
engages with communities to
develop and implement robust public
health programming and policy
recommendations, enforces health
regulations, responds to public health
emergencies, and provides limited
direct health services. The Department
works toward just and fair health
outcomes for all New Yorkers.
The Department seeks to reduce
death and disability from chronic
diseases, such as heart disease and
cancer, by reducing smoking and
the consumption of unhealthy
foods and beverages, improving
the control of blood pressure and
ensuring access to health care and
preventive services. It contracts with
community-based organizations to
deliver mental health, developmental
disability and alcohol and substance
use disorder treatment services. It
works with health care providers
to improve health care delivery and
to increase the use of preventive
services, such as immunizations and
cancer screenings, and collaborates
with community-based organizations
to prevent, detect and treat HIV and
other communicable infections.
Direct services are provided at four
tuberculosis clinics, eight sexual health
clinics, one immunization clinic and
more than 1,200 public schools. The
Department issues birth and death
certificates, inspects restaurants and
child care centers and protects public
safety through immediate response
to emergent public health threats.
The Department’s Early Intervention
Program serves infants and toddlers
with developmental delays. The
Department‘s surveillance systems
provide the basis for cutting edge
research grounded in public health
principles.
FOCUS ON EQUITY
The Department’s programs work to address and advance health equity. The City
must be deliberate in naming and addressing health inequities rooted in historical
and contemporary injustices and discrimination, including racism, in order to
move forward in getting better health outcomes faster. At the cornerstone of
these efforts is the Department’s focus on centering communities, bridging public
health and healthcare delivery as well as infusing mental health into our public
health initiatives. It envisions a city where every New Yorker lives in a thriving
neighborhood with equitable access to resources that will support their health
and their community’s health. The Department promotes equity by using data
and storytelling to highlight injustices, inform policy, systems and environmental
change and by implementing neighborhood-based programs and strategies to
foster health. The Department invests in three neighborhood-based bureaus that
serve catchment areas that have historically experienced the highest burden of
premature mortality. These bureaus also oversee Neighborhood Health Action
Centers in East Harlem, Tremont and Brownsville that offer coordinated health
and social services, as well as community programs, under one roof. The Action
Centers provide a central location for people to connect and plan for improving
the health of their neighborhoods.
OUR SERVICES AND GOALS
SERVICE 1 Detect and control infectious diseases.
Goal 1a Reduce new cases of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
Goal 1b Prevent the spread of other infectious diseases.
SERVICE 2 Prevent chronic diseases by promoting healthy behaviors
and preventive health care.
Goal 2a Reduce tobacco use and promote physical activity and healthy
eating.
Goal 2b Improve preventive health care.
SERVICE 3 Promote a safe environment.
Goal 3a Reduce hazards to children in homes and child care programs.
Goal 3b Reduce the threat of foodborne illness.
Goal 3c Reduce animal-related risks to human health.
SERVICE 4 Prevent and address mental illness, developmental delays
and disabilities, and substance misuse.
Goal 4a Reduce the adverse health consequences of substance misuse.
Goal 4b Facilitate access to services for New Yorkers with or at risk of
developing mental illnesses or developmental disabilities.
SERVICE 5 Provide high quality and timely service to the public.
Goal 5a Provide birth and death certificates to the public quickly and
efficiently.
Page 156 | MAYOR’S MANAGEMENT REPORT
HOW WE PERFORMED IN FISCAL 2020
SERVICE 1 Detect and control infectious diseases.
Goal 1a Reduce new cases of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
The annual number of new HIV diagnoses in the City continued to decline with a 20 percent decrease from Calendar
2018 to Calendar 2019. This progress is consistent with the key goals and wide-ranging initiatives of the City’s “Ending
the Epidemic” campaign.
The number of reported primary and secondary stage syphilis cases decreased overall by almost three percent from 1,974
in Fiscal 2019 to 1,925 in Fiscal 2020; however, a decrease was observed in persons reported as male, and the number of
cases increased among persons reported as female and transgender. The overall decrease may be due in part to the impact
of the COVID-19 public health emergency on STI screening and reporting across the City, as the Department received
substantially fewer electronic laboratory reports for STIs during the initial peak of the pandemic. Throughout the pandemic,
DOHMH has continued to provide syphilis testing and treatment in select NYC Sexual Health Clinics, monitor citywide
reports of syphilis and ensure that New Yorkers receive correct treatment. The Department has also continued work to
prevent ongoing syphilis transmission to sex partners and to prevent congenital syphilis infection by notifying, testing and
treating the partners of individuals diagnosed with infectious syphilis.
The number of male condoms distributed by DOHMH decreased 17 percent from 19,076,000 in Fiscal 2019 to 15,921,000
in Fiscal 2020. There was an increase in the number of condoms distributed to the community during the first half of Fiscal
2020 following the launch of the NYC Safer Sex Portal in April 2019, but overall distribution is down due to the COVID-19
public health emergency and New York State PAUSE restrictions.
Performance Indicators
Actual Target Trend
FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21 5-Year
Desired
Direction
« New HIV diagnoses (CY Preliminary) 2,493 2,279 2,157 1,917 1,533 ò ò Down Down
« Patients enrolled in Ryan White Part A with current antiretroviral (ARV) prescription at last assessment (%) 86.2% 90.1% 95.8% 96.1% 96.4% 94.0% 96.0% Up *
« Syphilis cases 1,807 1,912 1,936 1,974 1,925 ò ò Neutral Down
Male condoms distributed (000) 35,666 35,220 20,917 19,076 15,921 34,045 25,000 Down *
« Critical Indicator “NA” Not Available ñò Directional Target * None
Goal 1b Prevent the spread of other infectious diseases.
There were 566 new tuberculosis (TB) cases in Calendar 2019, an increase of one percent from Calendar 2018. Over the
past 10 years the decline in new TB cases in the City has slowed and recently plateaued. In response, the Department is
focusing on priority populations, screening and treating individuals with latent TB infection and providing case management
to all contacts started on preventive treatment in the City.
The percentage of seniors, aged 65 and older, who reported receiving a flu shot in the last 12 months increased 4.8
percentage points from 62.8 percent in Calendar 2018 to 67.6 in Calendar 2019. This increase is attributed to public
messaging on the importance of flu vaccination in older adults and a growing number of providers, such as neighborhood
pharmacies, offering flu vaccination services.
The percentage of children aged 19 to 35 months with up-to-date immunizations decreased 3.6 percentage points from
72.9 percent in Fiscal 2019 to 69.3 percent in Fiscal 2020. This is due in part to a decrease in vaccine administration during
the COVID-19 public health emergency.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE | Page 157
Performance Indicators
Actual Target Trend
FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21 5-Year
Desired
Direction
« New tuberculosis cases (CY) 575 565 613 559 566 ò ò Neutral Down
Seniors, aged 65+, who reported receiving a flu shot in the last 12
Capital commitments ($000,000) $23.9 $21.4 $17.2 $67.1 $50.2 $116.6 $195.2 Up
Human services contract budget ($000,000) $626.3 $651.5 $682.8 $720.3 $792.9 $806.5 $718.3 Up
¹Actual financial amounts for the current fiscal year are not yet final. Final fiscal year actuals, from the Comptroller's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, will be reported
in the next PMMR. Refer to the “Indicator Definitions” at nyc.gov/mmr for details. ²Authorized Budget Level ³Expenditures include all funds “NA” - Not Available * None
Page 162 | MAYOR’S MANAGEMENT REPORT
SPENDING AND BUDGET INFORMATION
Where possible, the relationship between an agency’s goals and its expenditures and planned resources, by budgetary unit
of appropriation (UA), is shown in the ‘Applicable MMR Goals’ column. Each relationship is not necessarily exhaustive or
exclusive. Any one goal may be connected to multiple UAs, and any UA may be connected to multiple goals.
Unit of Appropriation
Expenditures
FY191
($000,000)
Modified Budget
FY202
($000,000) Applicable MMR Goals3
Personal Services - Total $531.6 $556.0
101 - Health Administration $64.9 $61.8 All
102 - Disease Control $102.3 $127.9 1a, 1b
103 - Family and Child Health and Health Equity $137.0 $120.2 1b, 2b