Jan. 18 (UPI) -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams has unveiled a plan to combat inequality in healthcare that includes expanding the availability of abortion pills at city clinics, launching a sexual education task force and convening experts to create a comprehensive women's health agenda.
The Democratic mayor outlined his so-called women's health agenda Tuesday during a press conference while surrounded by some of the city's healthcare leaders, saying for too long healthcare has been centered around men to the detriment of women.
"Women are the majority of the healthcare consumers. Many suffer from preventable health conditions, yet face more constrains and discrimination than men when it comes to getting care," he said.
The mayor painted the stark reality that women in need of medical assistance face, stating they are on average diagnosed four years later than men concerning hundreds of diseases and sometimes wait up to 10 years to be properly diagnosed. One of the most common reasons women seek medical attention, he said, is vaginal discomfort, which is "misdiagnosed more often than they are correctly diagnosed."
"To be clear that is worse than a coin flip. We would have a lot more research and care options for women's health if we weren't so afraid of saying the word 'vagina,'" he said.
"Every New Yorker has a women in their life who has struggled to get the care they need. It is because historically women's health has not been prioritized."
As part of his agenda, the city from Wednesday will begin rolling out abortion medication to four Department of Health clinics, starting with the Bronx, then to Queens, Harlem and Brooklyn by the end of the year. The expansion is on top of the 11 public hospitals where such medication is already available.
Dr. Leslie Hayes, deputy commissioner for child and family health at the city, told reporters during the press conference that those seeking the medication can schedule an appointment, but the clinics do take walk-ins.
"The medication abortion clinics are going to start tomorrow, will be opening the first one at the Marosena site in the Bronx. And then others will be rolled out after that" Hayes said. "Jamaica hospital, Central Harlem and the I believe Fort Greene."
Under his agenda, they city will also relaunch the city's sexual education task force that will educate young New Yorkers with an aim to "create a culture of sexual wellness and inclusivity," a statement from Adams' office said.
The task force will ensure school staff has a basic understanding of exclusivity and be able to connect students with appropriate sexual health resources outside the classroom setting. It will also increase community support for sexual health education through various campaigns.
Adams said the task force with help to educate young New Yorkers "about their bodies and break taboos from an earlier age."
The agenda will also see the city immediately begin tracking rates of various diseases, including cancers and mental health conditions, to better understand the needs regarding women's health, the mayor's office said.
Leaders from various sectors will also be convened in March for a summit focused on "all aspects of women's health, from research and data collection to programming around chronic disease prevention, reproductive health and mental health," in order to produce the city's women's health agenda, Adams said.
The mayor added that his plan will also seek to change the stigma around menopause and create more menopause-friendly workplaces in the city.
"New York City has always been a beacon of leadership in this nation, and we're going to continue to lead," he said.