Home / Health / Bellevue Torture Survivor Program Faces Closure
Bellevue Torture Survivor Program Faces Closure
25 Apr
Summary
- Program for torture survivors at Bellevue Hospital is set to close by mid-May.
- Administrators cite concerns over federal grants and immigrant status data collection.
- Over 10,000 patients have been treated by the program in the last three decades.
The Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture, a vital resource for over 10,000 persecuted individuals since its inception in 1995, is scheduled to close by mid-May.
This decision stems from administrative concerns regarding federal grants under the Trump administration. Bellevue's leadership worried that accepting funding might necessitate collecting and potentially disclosing patients' immigration status.
While NYC Health and Hospitals stated that current patients will continue to receive care within the broader hospital system, program leaders dispute this, fearing a loss of specialized support.
Founded in 1995 and largely federally funded since 1998 through the Torture Victims Relief Act, the program's closure has sent ripples of concern through the medical community nationwide.
