Audit reveals insufficient language services in public health clinics

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli during a news conference in 2016. Photo: Mike Groll/AP

ALBANY/STATEWIDE — ACCESS TO REQUIRED LANGUAGE SERVICES at New York City’s public health clinics must be more consistently provided and tracked, says a new audit, released on Wednesday from state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

The audit, which covered January 2019 through December 2024, found that the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene did not consistently provide or track required language services across its public health clinics and other public-facing programs for patients and clients who have limited English proficiency, nor does it have a centralized system for doing so.

Auditors conducted site visits to 10 DOHMH public health clinics and other facilities across Brooklyn, including the Fort Greene Immunization Clinic. The audit found that the number of patients documented as receiving language access services was significantly lower (by more than 40%) than the recorded number of patients with limited English proficiency. It is unclear whether services were underreported or if language access services were not provided.

U.S. Census data from 2023 shows that more than 1.7 million NYC residents have limited English proficiency. DOHMH must by law offer free language assistance, including interpretation, translated documents and multilingual information on how to provide feedback or file complaints if necessary.

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