New York Health — Join the Conversation
New York Health
Comprehensive, Affordable, Quality Care
Better than any health insurance available in NYS
Tuesday, January 28th
7pm at Landmark on Main
Register Here
Melanie D’Arrigo, Executive Director for the Campaign for NY Health
Is a Port Washington resident, mother of three and a former congressional candidate. With a career rooted in allied health, Melanie has developed preventive health strategies and programs for organizations across the United States. Melanie is a leading voice for universal healthcare in national politics.
Melanie holds a B.A. from Barnard College and a Master’s degree in Health Sciences from Long Island University. Her work continues to focus on creating equitable, accessible healthcare systems that prioritize people over profits.
Maria Alvarez, Executive Director, StateWide Senior Action Council
Maria has worked with senior citizens and advocacy groups as an organizer, advocate, and director of housing and caregivers programs for over 30 years. She has designed and implemented educational, social service, and leadership programs for older adults.
Under her leadership StateWide has played an important role in bringing awareness to the importance of economic security for elders, age-friendly banking, enacting the NYS Observation Status Law, the Safe Patient Handling Law, the re-funding of the NYS Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage, and other important policies in the state and the nation. Other important issues include organizing the CNY Health Task Force Project to overcome health care barriers for Central NY’s residents as well as co-leading the NYS Home Care Crisis Campaign which strives to find solutions to the workforce shortage in the Home Care industry in New York State. Additionally, under her direction, StateWide’s federally funded Senior Medicare Patrol has served to alert and assist millions of New Yorkers to avoid Medicare fraud.
Richard N. Gottfried was first elected to the Assembly in 1970 at 23, while in law school, and retired at the end of 2022, serving 52 years – the longest-serving member of the Legislature in New York State history. He had chaired the New York State Assembly Committee on Health since 1987. He was a Democrat representing a Manhattan district including Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Midtown, and part of the Upper West Side.
He sponsored the N.Y. Health Act to create a single-payer health plan for New York. He was a leading proponent of patient autonomy and reproductive freedom. He was the sponsor of the law to allow medical use of marijuana in New York and the HIV Testing and Confidentiality Law. He worked to fund Medicaid, community health centers and school health clinics, and creating and expanding public health insurance programs in New York, including Child Health Plus.
He introduced the first Assembly bill to recognize same-sex marriage and the law to protect transgender rights. He was the author of the law creating Hudson River Park.
He is a graduate of Cornell University (BA, 1968) and Columbia Law School (JD, 1973). He is a member of the boards of the Community Service Society, the Javits Convention Center, and Physicians for a National Health Program/NY-Metro chapter. He is a member of the NY Civil Liberties Union, the Art Students League and the China Institute.
Judith B. Esterquest, PhD, Issues Specialist for Healthcare for LWV of NYS
As the state League Issues Specialist, Judy chairs a state-wide committee that analyzes pending healthcare bills, helps set statewide priorities for League advocacy, educates League members, and advocates with legislators, DOH personnel, and others. She led a national team to update the LWVUS Healthcare Position with new NYS language, explicitly favoring single-payer healthcare, safe staffing, evidence-based cost-saving methods and delinking insurance from employment.
Judy has led workshops to train advocates in effective policy communication and spoken about healthcare to regional and national audiences. She serves as an elected Trustee of the Manhasset Public Library, as a board member of the Harvard Club of Long Island, and as a board member of Red Bull Theater, a NYC company that centers its seasons on classic stories told in heightened language.
Professionally, she spent three decades advising corporate executives at multinationals and top-tier consultancies, following a faculty position in the MBA program of the Harvard Graduate School of Business. She holds her PhD, MA, and BA (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from Harvard University. She has worked on six continents and traveled to 95 countries for business and pleasure.