Women’s Health

Council Member Elizabeth Crowley is dedicated to making sure that women in New York City have access to affordable, quality health care. Throughout her first term she has been an outspoken leader in the fight against breast and ovarian cancer, and has taken many routes to ensure that women here are well-cared for:

In 2010, along with Speaker Christine Quinn and the women of the New York City Council, Elizabeth hosted the first-ever panel discussion at City Hall to discuss ways to reduce cancer fatalities with early detection tools and preventative lifestyle choices. World-renowned researchers and oncologists joined the panel to offer their expertise and provide effective tools that all New Yorkers could implement toward preventing and diagnosing cancer.

Council Member Elizabeth Crowley has also taken a great interest in the crippling malpractice insurance rates that have made obstetrics and women’s cancer imaging too costly for doctors, medical centers and hospitals. These rates have forced medical professionals to move their practices elsewhere, leaving New York City women with far fewer medical professionals to go to. As part of her mission to equip New York City women with better health care options, Elizabeth introduced the Medical Malpractice Insurance Resolution. This legislation urges the New York State Insurance Department to address the unreasonably high medical malpractice rates for general practitioners, obstetricians, gynecologists and radiologists.

“The current medical malpractice insurance system – which is regulated by our government – is driving doctors out of New York, and the first doctors to go are the ones who provide women’s healthcare,” said Council Member Elizabeth Crowley.  “New York City is losing more obstetricians at a faster rate than in any other area in the country.  If we continue in this direction who will care for pregnant women? Who will deliver babies in New York?”

Council Member Elizabeth S. Crowley is dedicated to improving women’s access to quality medical care. With continued work on legislation to address these issues at the City level, Elizabeth has been a leader in the fight to improve women’s healthcare.