Following the deaths of two men in courthouse holding cells earlier this year, the City Council is considering a bill that would require the city to build health clinics in all of its criminal courthouses.

The bill, backed by South Queens Councilmember Nantasha Williams, would demand that Correctional Health Services, the branch of the city’s Health + Hospitals system that provides health care in the city’s jails, and the Department of Correction open seven clinics in courthouses throughout the city.

According to lawmakers, suffering a medical emergency while waiting for a judge could have fatal consequences for detainees. Should a detainee need medical assistance, regardless of the severity of the issue, often the only option is to call 911, an expensive and inefficient solution, accord

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