Mayor Eric Adams laid out his plan on Tuesday to improve women's health across New York City, and said his $1.2 million package starts by expanding access to reproductive care.
Starting on Wednesday, a clinic in the Morrisania section of the Bronx will be the first of four city-run free clinics to begin offering abortion pills, free of charge.
"The system needs to change. We must do better and we will do better," Adams said at a press conference outside City Hall. "For New York City to truly lead the nation, we must go further."
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Women — no matter where they live — can get access to the abortion pill after consulting with a doctor.
In addition to creating access to the abortion pill, he wants to see research around illnesses that impact women, and is calling on workplaces make changes that support women through all stages of life.
City leaders said they want to create an abortion hub that helps women navigate options available to them, and many said they believe access to the pill is the next step. City Hall said the new effort came in part as a result of the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Right now, that pill is available in the city's 11 health and hospital locations. But the change will make pills accessible at city health clinic, as locations in Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn will get it before the end of 2023.
Getting the pill at one of the clinics comes with less obstacles: Health care providers won't ask for insurance or whether your a citizen of the United States.
"This is city dollars going to this purpose and we are the first in the nation to do that," said NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan.
The city's hope is that with the clinics providing care as well, an additional 10,000 women will be able to get the pill.
"We have been standing on the sidelines of women's health for too long. We are going to build a city for all women. And girls," Adams said. "Women's health needs some intensive care."
The next step on Adams' path: hosting a women's health summit in March.
