Governor Kathy Hochul has quietly extended a state pilot program that picks up the tab for primary, sexual, behavioral and dental care for people who do sex work, a move critics say will cost taxpayers about $2.5 million and resurrect a controversy that first flared in 2023. The expansion reaches services in New York City and parts of Western New York and names two community clinics as program partners. Backers call it basic public-health outreach for a high-risk group, while opponents paint it as a questionable use of limited state dollars.
On June 20, the Department of Health’s decision surfaced in a report that said the “Sex Worker Health Pilot Program” has been extended through June 2028 and that internal documents put the extension’s price tag at roughly $2.5 million. As reported by the New York Post, the paperwork identifies Community Health Project Inc. (Callen-Lorde) and EHS Inc./Evergreen Health as contracted partners and bundles that information with sharp criticism from conservative commentators.
What The Contracts Show
State contract records filed with the Office of the State Comptroller list grants tied to a Sex Worker Health Pilot Program that began in mid-2023. The comptroller’s Open Book database shows an entry for Community Health Project Inc. associated with the pilot and a separate EHS Inc. award. Those records list differing contract amounts and end dates, with the Community Health Project entry in recent listings appearing with a term through June 30, 2028, and the EHS Inc. record reflecting a 2023 award that runs through June 30, 2025. The contract listings are available on Open Book New York.
How It Was Rolled Out
When the pilot first launched in 2023, local coverage noted that the Department of Health directed roughly $1 million to community partners to operate the two-year program, a move that immediately drew fire from some Western New York lawmakers. As Spectrum News Buffalo reported at the time, critics warned that the state awards could be read as encouraging sex-work activity, while officials countered that the whole point was to reduce stigma and open the door to basic screenings and care.
Supporters' Public-Health Case
Public-health advocates argue that bringing low-barrier clinical services directly to people who do sex work can cut the spread of sexually transmitted infections, connect people to mental-health and substance-use treatment and offer survivors of violence a safer way to seek care. Callen-Lorde highlights programs such as its COIN Clinic, which it describes as a targeted and affirming service hub with care coordination for people in the sex trade. The center frames the state pilot as a harm-reduction effort aimed at people who often avoid or delay mainstream medical care. More background on those services is available from Callen-Lorde.
Political Backlash
Opponents counter that the program steers scarce public money toward a politically loaded niche. The New York Post quoted conservative voices who said Hochul is “absolutely catering” to activist groups and accused the administration of prioritizing ideological causes over other front-line health and safety needs. The outlet presented those reactions side by side with the contract records it obtained.
What To Watch Next
The program’s extension, and the way it shows up in state contract databases, is already driving new questions about transparency and measurable results. Advocates say the most useful scorecard will be hard numbers on screenings, dental visits and referrals to social services, arguing that those outcomes will show whether the pilot delivers enough public-health value to justify the price tag.
Recent state communications have stressed removing barriers to care for New Yorkers who face stigma and violence, and observers are watching the Department of Health’s press pages for formal statements or updated filings tied to the pilot. For now, the fight is likely to center on whether the program’s documented results, once they are published, are convincing enough to calm critics who see the added expense as a misuse of taxpayer funds.
The two community-health partners involved already operate in New York City and Western New York, and the cost and reach of the extension are poised to remain a flashpoint as lawmakers and local officials dig through contract records and eventual outcome data.
