NYC Health + Hospitals today announced the one-year anniversary of telehealth abortion care through its Virtual ExpressCare service. In its first year, the service has provided over 2,700 virtual visits, mailed over 800 medication abortion kits, and referred an additional 1,050 patients for in-person care. The average wait time for a virtual visit is less than 7 minutes. Over 75% of the patients identify as people of color. The service has a 90% patient satisfaction rate and a Net Promoter Score of 74. The service allows patients in NYC seeking abortion care to speak to a New York State-licensed health care professional on demand by video or phone for an assessment, counseling and access to medication if eligible. The telehealth service is available 7 days a week, 9am – 9pm, and will provide patients with access to safe and legal abortion care. The NYC Health + Hospitals Virtual ExpressCare service is available in over 200 languages and can be accessed at expresscare.nyc or by calling 631-EXP-Care (631-397-2273). A flyer about the program is available in 13 languages: English, Spanish, Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, French, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Korean, Polish, Russian, Simple Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Urdu.
“Health care is a human right and that includes reproductive health care,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “Since the Dobbs decision, New York City has stood up to protect and defend reproductive rights and make care accessible to all in need. NYC Health + Hospitals’ Virtual
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ExpressCare has helped tens of thousands of people in need of care connect with a medical provider. We will continue to make reproductive health care services available and accessible for all.”
“We’re proud of the impact our telehealth abortion service has made in its first year, providing safe and accessible care to underserved communities,” said Erfan Karim, MPH, Executive Director of NYC Health + Hospitals Virtual ExpressCare. “This milestone highlights NYC Health + Hospitals’ ability to leverage technology to break down barriers and ensure equitable reproductive health care for all New Yorkers.”
“This service has allowed people to access abortion care earlier in the pregnancy and without the same opportunity cost that a clinic appointment has,” said Marisa Nadas, MD, MPH, NYC Health + Hospitals Reproductive Health Clinical Lead and Virtual ExpressCare Associate Medical Director. “It has reached people who would have otherwise struggled to come in for care. People deserve to access abortion care when and where they need it, and telehealth helps make that possible.”
The telehealth abortion service by NYC Health + Hospitals is based in and for New York City. Medication is mailed to New York City addresses only and is available to clinically eligible patients who are up to 10 weeks into their pregnancy.
