Crain’s New York Business — In a recent letter to the editor, Independence Care System (ICS) President and CEO Regina Estela applauded Governor Kathy Hochul’s commitment to support one of the country’s most vulnerable, underserved populations—people with physical disabilities—by improving access to primary care and essential health services.

Ms. Estela wrote that in reading Governor Hochul’s 2024 State of the State address, she was pleased to see that the governor noted that in striving to expand access to primary care for adults with complex needs, the state will increase support for health care providers serving individuals with physical, intellectual, or developmental disabilities—something that is tremendously needed in New York State.

She explained that at Independence Care System, the organization’s top priority is to serve people with physical disabilities to support their health, mobility and independence, and to ensure the coordination of care they need not just to live, but to also thrive. Ms. Estela applauded the governor’s efforts to support one of the country’s most vulnerable, underserved and marginalized populations. People with physical disabilities face health disparities that are exacerbated by race, ethnicity and gender, she wrote, as well as implicit bias barriers and challenges to securing necessary, primary care and services to live fulfilling, quality lives.

In what was significant news late last year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) officially designated people with disabilities as a health disparities population, recognizing that people with disabilities have continued to face widespread disparities in the health care system. People with disabilities—one of the most vulnerable and underserved populations—often have to navigate a challenging, complex health care delivery system, often without receiving the support and services they need. This designation, she noted, will work to create funding opportunities and programs to improve the overall health of people with disabilities, allow researchers to better study these health disparities and lead to those with disabilities being involved in important research.

To address barriers and challenges to primary care for people with physical disabilities, in 2019, ICS launched the Primary Care Program for People with Physical Disabilities with crucial funding from the New York City Council. With a dedicated team of physicians and administrators from NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H), ICS is leading a ground-breaking project to improve access to competent primary care for people with disabilities by working with patients and their providers to understand the accommodation needs of patients and the training gap for providers.

The Primary Care Program for People with Physical Disabilities secures the engagement of primary care physicians (PCPs) across H+H facilities, and offers practical recommendations for accessible equipment, provides disability sensitivity and skill-building trainings for staff in health areas, and in partnership with H+H works to create standards of preventative care for people with physical disabilities. Primary care focuses on promoting health and wellness, preventing disease, helping patients make decisions about their care, and diagnosing new and chronic illnesses. Disability-competent primary care helps reduce the use of emergency rooms and clinic visits, allows for comprehensive physical exams and helps address health disparities.

“Efforts on the State level will make a difference in ensuring Medicaid members—including ICS members—are more likely to have accessible primary care, receive routine, quality health services and manage their medical issues and concerns,” she wrote. “We need to do everything we can to reduce high rates of unmet healthcare needs and to reduce the barriers to care people with disabilities face to ensure for better health outcomes, and better overall health, for those who need it most.”

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