By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE (Associated Press)
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York City plans to cancel its contract with a medical services company that was hired to accommodate and look after a recent flood of international migrants. This comes after the company faced criticism over its expensive deal with the city and the quality of its help for the migrants.
Mayor Eric Adams’ office announced on Tuesday that the city will not renew its contract with DocGo before it ends on May 5. Instead, they will look for a new provider to house the migrants.
DocGo, which had previously assisted the city with COVID-19 testing, was given a $432 million emergency contract last year without a competitive bidding process. This was to help the city handle a large number of new migrants.
City Comptroller Brad Lander raised concerns about the contract, saying there wasn't enough information to justify the cost and it wasn't clear if the company had the experience to transport, house, and feed thousands of migrants.
Reports from the New York Times and Albany Times Union revealed alleged mistreatment of migrants under the company’s care, including problems with healthcare and wastage of food. The CEO resigned after admitting to lying about his education.
DocGo is currently caring for 3,600 migrants in New York, with half in the metro area and half upstate, according to officials.
The company will continue to help migrants who were moved upstate until a new vendor is chosen. The city aims to have a new contractor by the end of the year. In the meantime, New York City will use an existing contract with Garner Environmental Services for migrant care.
Camille Joseph Varlack, the mayor's chief of staff, stated that ending the contract will save the city money and allow other organizations and internationally-recognized resettlement providers to apply for the work, making better use of city funds.
The city has other contracts with DocGo that will continue.
DocGo's spokesperson said the company is very proud of the exceptional work done by their team for the city.
New York has struggled to deal with a large number of international migrants arriving in the city since 2022, with over 187,000 people seeking shelter.
Politico first reported the city's decision not to renew the contract with DocGo.
