What You Should Know
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz 32nd Senatorial District
You should know that the New York State Department of Health is attempting to exclude Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy for Medicaid patients, and on behalf of these Medicaid patients, I am calling upon Governor Andrew Cuomo, who oversees the Department of Health, to stand by his decree that “healthcare is a human right” and permit this therapy to continue for the poor and the needy.
It is important for you to know that Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy is a safe and effective treatment for patients suffering from chronic, open wounds that come from diseases like diabetes, and have not responded to other forms of therapy.
For several years, I have met with Medicaid patients who use Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy because it helps to prevent amputations.
You should know that New York State’s Medicaid patients who need this treatment are overwhelmingly low income Black and Hispanic people, and more of these patients live in the 32nd Senatorial District in the Bronx than in any other part of the State of New York.
This means the New York State Health Department’s decision, which are overseen by our beloved Governor Andrew Cuomo, affects me personally because it affects the people I directly represent and care about deeply.
Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy treatment is proven effective and New Yorkers like those in my district cannot afford to lose access to it. It is imperative that the State of New York does not deny our Medicaid patients the treatment they need and already receive.
My colleagues in the New York State Legislature and I have been fighting to make sure the State covers Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy treatment. We in the Senate have even passed the bill.
I’m asking Governor Andrew Cuomo to step in and do whatever it takes to protect our vulnerable Medicaid patients who rely upon Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy, because their healthcare is a human right, too.
I am State Senator Rubén Díaz and this is what you should know.
