New York City health clinic requests citizenship proof, citing Trump
Federally funded community health centers are mandated by law to offer essential health services to all individuals within their service area.
TroibNews 
**NEW YORK** — A well-known community health center with a longstanding history of serving asylum-seekers is now requesting proof of citizenship from patients. This decision seems to be a reaction to the Trump administration’s extensive warnings regarding federal funding and its anti-immigrant stance.
The Floating Hospital in Queens is asking patients for documents such as Social Security cards or other forms of citizenship verification, referencing an unspecified executive order from the Trump administration. This information was shared in an audio recording reviewed by PMG, along with insights from two city lawmakers who were briefed on the situation and allowed anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.
According to state and national trade organizations, this new policy, which was enacted earlier this month, seems to conflict with federal mandates for community health centers outlined in the Public Health Service Act. Organizations like the Floating Hospital must provide essential health services to all patients in their vicinity, irrespective of their ability to pay, to qualify for federal grant money.
Health Resources & Services Administration data indicates that the Floating Hospital receives more than $4 million each year in federal grants for primary health care.
Requests for comments from spokespeople for the Floating Hospital went unanswered. Attorney Sean Granahan, the organization’s president and general counsel, also did not respond to inquiries from PMG.
The actions taken by the health center exemplify the far-reaching effects of President Donald Trump’s initiatives aimed at compelling recipients of federal funding to align with his political objectives. In New York City, a traditionally progressive area within a predominantly Democratic state, a medical school in the Bronx removed mentions of diversity initiatives from its website, and several Manhattan hospitals altered their strategies concerning gender-affirming care for transgender adolescents.
Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, emphasized that universal access to medical services is a moral obligation crucial for public health. He stated, “Excluding certain people from this care will hurt every New Yorker, and creates a chilling effect for providers and for recipients alike.” He went on to assert that “any ‘health care’ institution that turns its backs on its mission to care for all has made the wrong choice, but it is not too late to correct this mistake and fulfill its mandate to serve the people of New York City.”
It remains uncertain whether other local community health centers are adopting the same policies as the Floating Hospital. Reports suggest that a health center in New Mexico began denying services to noncitizens after a recent executive order by Trump mandated that federal agencies ensure no taxpayer-funded benefits are provided to “unqualified aliens.” That center later reversed its decision following public criticism from Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich.
The National Association of Community Health Centers is informing its members that federal law continues to mandate the provision of care to all residents within their service areas, highlighting the need to avoid discrimination against patients based on identity, as stated by a spokesperson in communication with PMG.
According to the city health department's website, every New Yorker has the right to quality health care, regardless of their immigration status, which includes access to emergency medical care.
Historically, the Floating Hospital promoted a 155-year tradition of offering “expert medical care to all who have needed it, regardless of insurance status, immigration status or ability to pay,” as indicated by an archived version of its homepage accessed via the Wayback Machine. However, the current homepage now replaces “immigration status” with “identity status.”
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
The Floating Hospital in Queens is asking patients for documents such as Social Security cards or other forms of citizenship verification, referencing an unspecified executive order from the Trump administration. This information was shared in an audio recording reviewed by PMG, along with insights from two city lawmakers who were briefed on the situation and allowed anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.
According to state and national trade organizations, this new policy, which was enacted earlier this month, seems to conflict with federal mandates for community health centers outlined in the Public Health Service Act. Organizations like the Floating Hospital must provide essential health services to all patients in their vicinity, irrespective of their ability to pay, to qualify for federal grant money.
Health Resources & Services Administration data indicates that the Floating Hospital receives more than $4 million each year in federal grants for primary health care.
Requests for comments from spokespeople for the Floating Hospital went unanswered. Attorney Sean Granahan, the organization’s president and general counsel, also did not respond to inquiries from PMG.
The actions taken by the health center exemplify the far-reaching effects of President Donald Trump’s initiatives aimed at compelling recipients of federal funding to align with his political objectives. In New York City, a traditionally progressive area within a predominantly Democratic state, a medical school in the Bronx removed mentions of diversity initiatives from its website, and several Manhattan hospitals altered their strategies concerning gender-affirming care for transgender adolescents.
Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, emphasized that universal access to medical services is a moral obligation crucial for public health. He stated, “Excluding certain people from this care will hurt every New Yorker, and creates a chilling effect for providers and for recipients alike.” He went on to assert that “any ‘health care’ institution that turns its backs on its mission to care for all has made the wrong choice, but it is not too late to correct this mistake and fulfill its mandate to serve the people of New York City.”
It remains uncertain whether other local community health centers are adopting the same policies as the Floating Hospital. Reports suggest that a health center in New Mexico began denying services to noncitizens after a recent executive order by Trump mandated that federal agencies ensure no taxpayer-funded benefits are provided to “unqualified aliens.” That center later reversed its decision following public criticism from Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich.
The National Association of Community Health Centers is informing its members that federal law continues to mandate the provision of care to all residents within their service areas, highlighting the need to avoid discrimination against patients based on identity, as stated by a spokesperson in communication with PMG.
According to the city health department's website, every New Yorker has the right to quality health care, regardless of their immigration status, which includes access to emergency medical care.
Historically, the Floating Hospital promoted a 155-year tradition of offering “expert medical care to all who have needed it, regardless of insurance status, immigration status or ability to pay,” as indicated by an archived version of its homepage accessed via the Wayback Machine. However, the current homepage now replaces “immigration status” with “identity status.”
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
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