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Children's health in New York

New York medicine looks after children very well, but nothing resembles France: no universal health coverage, an insurance plan that decides which doctor you can see, emergency rooms that send bills and a vaccination record checked by the school. Here is how it works, with verified addresses and the official list of French-speaking practitioners.

Verified on 30 October 2026

How the health system works

Everything rests on insurance, usually provided by the employer, and on its network of doctors and hospitals. Children also benefit from a state public programme, Child Health Plus, open with no immigration status condition.

Good to know

  • No federal law still requires you to be insured, the tax penalty only applying to plan years 2018 and earlier; but without insurance every procedure is billed at full price and the United States has the highest medical prices in the world. The employer's plan, taken out on hiring, is the normal route for an expatriate family. Source
  • The monthly premium is only part of the cost: add the annual deductible, the copay at each visit and an annual out-of-pocket maximum. HMO plans require a primary care doctor and a closed network; PPO plans let you see a specialist directly, including out of network, at a higher cost. Source
  • Child Health Plus covers children under 19 living in New York State who have no other insurance: free for modest incomes, then a monthly premium of $15 to $60 per child depending on income, and the plan's full premium above four times the poverty level. Enrolment goes through the NY State of Health marketplace. Source
  • The French State covers no health costs abroad, neither hospitalisation nor repatriation; the Caisse des Français de l'étranger (CFE) offers voluntary membership that combines with local insurance, and the consulate can help the most vulnerable families access it subject to means. Source
  • For the non-vital, urgent care clinics (CityMD and others) take walk-ins, evenings and weekends, treat children and accept most insurance plans: far cheaper than a hospital ER visit, which is billed in hundreds or thousands of dollars. Source

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Choosing a paediatrician and getting school-ready

Here the community paediatrician exists and follows the child from birth to 18: choose one in your insurance network on arrival, before you need them. They will fill in the medical form the school requires and copy your French vaccines into the city registry.

Good to know

  • The well-child visit schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics sets an appointment at 3 to 5 days, then at 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24 and 30 months, and yearly from age 3; these visits are usually covered by insurance without a copay. Source
  • Check that the practice is in-network with your plan before the first appointment, then bring the insurance card, the child's passport and the French health record: the paediatrician will read the vaccines already given and record them in the city registry.
  • There is no paper health record: the city's Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR) centralises all vaccines reported by New York doctors for children, and parents listed as such by the doctor view the record online on My Vaccine Record. This official record is accepted by daycares, schools and camps. Source
  • Every child entering public school or child care for the first time, Pre-K included, must provide a health examination on form CH-205 completed by their doctor: history, weight and height, vision, blood pressure, teeth, development, vaccines; for a first entry into child care or Pre-K, lead and anaemia screening are added. Source
  • Public school enrolment is done at the zoned school or, for newcomers, at a Family Welcome Center by appointment (virtual or in person, Monday to Friday) with ID and the child's proof of address, birth and vaccination documents. Source

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Emergencies and children's hospitals

One number for life-threatening emergencies, a poison centre reachable day and night, and children's hospitals with their own paediatric emergency departments. For everything else, urgent care avoids a hospital bill.

Good to know

  • 911 is the single emergency number (police, fire, ambulance); it serves all urban areas. The consulate only answers out of hours for extreme emergencies involving a French national. Source
  • For a suspected ingestion (medicine, household product, plant), the city's poison centre answers 24/7 on 212-POISONS (212-764-7667), free of charge, with interpretation in over 150 languages; if the child is unconscious, having a seizure or struggling to breathe, call 911. Source
  • An ambulance and an ER visit are billed, often heavily even with insurance: for a fever, an ear infection or a small cut, the neighbourhood urgent care is enough; for a fracture, breathing difficulty or dehydration, go to the nearest children's emergency department. Source
  • The hospitals below have an emergency department reserved for children, with paediatric emergency doctors 24/7; choose the nearest, and check it is in your insurance network to avoid out-of-network charges. Bring the insurance card and the child's medication list. Source

Addresses

  • NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital

    Emergency

    3959 Broadway (165th Street), Washington Heights, NY 10032

    The city's only hospital devoted solely to children, open 24/7, one of the region's largest paediatric centres, with a Level IV neonatal intensive care unit; children's emergency department in upper Manhattan.

    Website Source

  • NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital

    Emergency

    525 East 68th Street, Upper East Side, NY 10065

    Weill Cornell's children's hospital on the Upper East Side, open 24/7: emergencies, paediatric heart surgery, burn centre; the closest to the Lycée Français.

    Website Source

  • Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital

    Emergency

    1184 Fifth Avenue (100th Street), East Harlem, NY 10029

    Children's Emergency Department north of Museum Mile; the city's first hospital paediatric department, founded in 1878, regularly ranked among the country's top children's hospitals.

    Website Source

  • NYU Langone, KiDS Emergency Department (Hassenfeld Children's Hospital)

    Emergency

    570 First Avenue (33rd Street), Kips Bay, NY 10016

    KiDS paediatric emergency department within Tisch Hospital's Ronald O. Perelman emergency centre, 40 care spaces, on-site imaging and family space at the bedside; for central and east Manhattan.

    Website Source

  • NYC Health + Hospitals / Bellevue

    Hospital

    462 First Avenue (27th Street), Kips Bay, NY 10016

    Manhattan's main public hospital, with a paediatric department and children's emergency care; the public NYC Health + Hospitals network treats everyone regardless of insurance, means or immigration status.

    Website Source

  • Maimonides Children's Hospital

    Emergency

    4802 Tenth Avenue, Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY 11219

    Brooklyn's only children's hospital and paediatric trauma centre: a standalone 32-bay children's ED with separate entrances, on-site X-ray, ultrasound and CT, designed to be calming.

    Website Source

  • Cohen Children's Medical Center (Northwell)

    Emergency

    269-01 76th Avenue, New Hyde Park, Queens, NY 11040

    On the Queens and Long Island border, ranked the state's top children's hospital: paediatric emergency department with specialised doctors and nurses 24/7, for families in eastern Queens and on Long Island.

    Website Source

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French-speaking doctors, dentists and therapists

The French consulate general in New York publishes a list of French-speaking doctors in its district (file posted in April 2026, document dated September 2024). It is provided for information only, without engaging the administration's responsibility, and the choice of practitioner is free. We list the practitioners useful to families, completed with French Morning's health directory for psychologists. All work privately: check that they accept your insurance.

Good to know

  • The official list covers French-speaking GPs, a paediatrician, obstetrician-gynaecologists, a dermatologist, ophthalmologists, dentists, a neurosurgeon and a physiotherapist in Manhattan and Westchester; it is the only public list checked by the administration for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Source
  • Before booking, ask whether the practitioner is in your insurance network: out of network, the visit may be billed to you largely or in full, even with good cover. Source
  • French Morning's US French-speaking directory complements the list with professionals who register themselves (dentists, dermatologists, general practice, psychiatrists and psychotherapists); French District New York also publishes a health directory. Source

Addresses

  • Dr Alain Le Guillou

    Paediatrician

    Larchmont, Westchester (Palmer Avenue)

    Paediatrician and adolescent medicine (FAAP), integrative medicine; the only paediatrician on the consulate's list, a stone's throw from the French-American School of New York.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Dr Claudia Cooke

    General practitioner

    Murray Hill, Manhattan (East 35th Street)

    General practitioner.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Dr Patrick Mizrahi

    General practitioner

    Upper East Side, Manhattan (East 86th Street)

    General practitioner, in the Lycée Français neighbourhood.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Dr Nicole Moulin

    General practitioner

    Midtown East, Manhattan (East 47th Street)

    General practitioner; Dr Michel F. Moulin, a French-speaking ophthalmologist, consults at the same address.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Dr Philip Heinegg

    General practitioner

    Larchmont, Westchester (Palmer Avenue)

    General practitioner, for families settled in Westchester.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Dr Liora Benichou

    Dentist

    Upper East Side, Manhattan (East 81st Street)

    Paediatric dentistry: the children's dentist on the consulate's list.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Dr Nathalie Gal

    Dentist

    Midtown East, Manhattan (East 58th Street)

    Dentist, general dentistry for teenagers and adults.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Dr Ronald Birnbaum

    Dentist

    Midtown West, Manhattan (West 57th Street)

    Dentist, near Columbus Circle.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

  • Dr Gérard Epelbaum

    Dentist

    Murray Hill, Manhattan (East 40th Street)

    Dentist; Dr Sylvie Epelbaum, a French-speaking dermatologist, consults in the same practice.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Dr Sylvie Epelbaum

    Murray Hill, Manhattan (East 40th Street)

    Dermatologist, invaluable for eczema and children's skin troubles.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN, ES

    Source

  • Dr Joseph-Francis Meltzer

    Upper East Side, Manhattan (East 64th Street)

    Ophthalmologist, general ophthalmology and glaucoma.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Matthieu Laurent

    Midtown, Manhattan (Fifth Avenue et 31st Street)

    Physiotherapist and osteopath, Change Physical Therapy.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Héloïse Junier

    Psychologist

    Manhattan

    Child psychologist (PhD), listed in French Morning's health directory.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

  • Sarah K. Pinson

    Psychologist

    Manhattan

    Clinical psychologist (PhD), listed in French Morning's health directory.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

  • Agathe David-Weill, ADW Therapy

    Psychologist

    Manhattan

    Bilingual psychotherapist, listed in French Morning's health directory.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

  • Vivian Jacobs

    Psychologist

    Manhattan et Larchmont

    Family psychotherapist (LMFT), listed in French Morning's health directory.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

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Pregnancy and maternity units

Pregnancy is followed by an obstetrician-gynaecologist or a midwife chosen in the insurance network, and you give birth in the hospital where that practitioner practises: choosing the doctor determines the maternity unit. The stay is short and maternity leave is pieced together from several schemes.

Good to know

  • Check first that the hospital and the practitioner are in your insurance network, and that the unit has a neonatal intensive care unit if your pregnancy is high-risk; each of the big hospitals below handles several thousand births a year. Source
  • The stay is brief: at NYU Langone, about one day after a vaginal birth and two to three days after a caesarean, with two support people allowed in the delivery room, doula included. Source
  • There is no paid federal maternity leave: the FMLA guarantees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave, in companies with 50 or more employees, after 12 months and 1,250 hours of work. Source
  • New York State, for its part, pays Paid Family Leave: up to 12 weeks paid at 67% of the average weekly wage (capped at $1,228.53 a week in 2026), to be taken within 12 months of the birth or adoption, for mother and father alike, with job protection and continued health insurance. Source
  • Registering the birth: a child born in the United States is American; for French civil status, the birth certificate is not registered in New York but with the Washington or Los Angeles consulates, which centralise civil status for the whole country. Source

Addresses

  • NewYork-Presbyterian Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns

    Maternity

    1283 York Avenue (70th Street), Upper East Side, NY 10065

    NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell's hospital devoted to pregnant patients and newborns: over 7,500 births a year, 75 private rooms, high-risk pregnancies and a 60-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit.

    Website Source

  • NYU Langone Tisch Hospital, maternité

    Maternity

    550 First Avenue (33rd Street), Kips Bay, NY 10016

    Over 5,500 births a year, Baby-Friendly designation for breastfeeding, labour rooms with birthing balls and adjustable beds, family suites for postpartum, regional perinatal centre with neonatal intensive care.

    Website Source

  • Lenox Hill Hospital (Northwell)

    Maternity

    100 East 77th Street, Upper East Side, NY 10075

    The Upper East Side hospital, a few blocks from the Lycée Français: obstetrics and gynaecology, maternal and child health, popular with neighbourhood families.

    Website Source

  • NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital

    Maternity

    506 Sixth Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215

    The maternity unit for Park Slope and Carroll Gardens families, Baby-Friendly designation, recognised for the quality of care during and after childbirth.

    Website Source

  • Dr Georges Sylvestre

    Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 East 68th Street, Upper East Side

    French-speaking obstetrician-gynaecologist, maternal-fetal medicine, on the consulate's list; delivers at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Website Source

  • Dr Ketly Michel

    Upper East Side, Manhattan (East 78th Street)

    Gynaecology and obstetrics, on the consulate's list.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

  • Dr Jean-Pascal Simon

    Upper East Side, Manhattan (Fifth Avenue et 76th Street)

    Medical gynaecology, preventive medicine and vaccinations, on the consulate's list.

    Languages spoken : FR, EN

    Source

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Pharmacies and medicines

Drugstores (Duane Reade, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid) are on every corner, several open 24/7, and many common medicines are sold off the shelf, even in corner shops. On the other hand, Doliprane does not exist and your French prescription is worth nothing here.

Good to know

  • Equivalents: paracetamol is called acetaminophen (Tylenol, Children's Tylenol syrup), ibuprofen is sold as Advil or Motrin (Children's Motrin), sérum physiologique is saline nasal spray and children's syrups are dosed by weight, not age: keep the measuring syringe and check the concentration, which varies from one box to another.
  • A prescription written in France is not honoured by US pharmacies: have long-term treatments (asthma, allergies, the pill) rewritten by the local paediatrician or doctor in the first weeks, and bring the French leaflets to help match the molecules.
  • Prescription medicines are paid according to your insurance: a fixed copay for generics, more for brands, and the pharmacist can offer the generic; ask for the cash price without insurance, sometimes lower than the copay, and compare between chains.
  • At night or on a public holiday, look for a '24 hours' pharmacy on the chain's website; for a dosing error or an ingested product, the poison centre answers 24/7 on 212-POISONS, free of charge and in French on request. Source
  • Pharmacists vaccinate older children and adults (flu, boosters) without an appointment in most drugstores, often with no out-of-pocket cost with insurance; for little ones, it is the paediatrician or the city immunisation clinic. Source

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Vaccines: how the schedule differs from France

The American schedule broadly resembles the French one, with additions that surprise: hepatitis B at birth, rotavirus, hepatitis A, chickenpox, flu every year from 6 months. And here the school checks: without an up-to-date record, the child is not admitted.

Good to know

  • The CDC schedule sets hepatitis B from birth, rotavirus, DTaP, Hib, pneumococcal and polio in the first year, MMR, chickenpox and the first hepatitis A dose between 12 and 15 months, flu every year, then at 11 to 12 Tdap, HPV and meningococcal ACWY. Rotavirus, hepatitis A and chickenpox are not in the French schedule. Source
  • To be admitted to school in New York State in 2026-27, from child care to grade 12: DTaP (4 to 5 doses), polio (3 to 4), MMR (1 dose in Pre-K, 2 afterwards), hepatitis B (3 doses), chickenpox (1 then 2 doses), Hib and pneumococcal for under-5s, Tdap booster from grade 6, meningococcal ACWY from grade 7 with a booster in grade 12. The official document is available in French. Source
  • In New York, all students aged 2 months to 18 must be vaccinated to attend child care, Pre-K or school, public or private, and a child who is not up to date is sent home; between 1 July and 31 December, children aged 6 to 59 months in child care or Pre-K must also receive a dose of flu vaccine. Only medical exemptions are recognised, there is no religious exemption. Source
  • In France, eleven vaccinations are compulsory for young children and the carnet de santé is the record: have it translated or read by the paediatrician, who will enter the doses in the city registry and complete what is missing (chickenpox, hepatitis A, rotavirus if the age still allows). Source
  • Where to vaccinate: at the paediatrician's, covered by insurance; for ages 4 and up, the Health Department clinic in Fort Greene (Brooklyn) is open Monday to Friday regardless of insurance or immigration status, appointment recommended; the public NYC Health + Hospitals also vaccinate. Source

Addresses

  • Fort Greene Health Center, centre de vaccination

    295 Flatbush Avenue Extension, 5th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201

    The Health Department's immunisation clinic: children from age 4 with a parent and adults, Monday to Friday 8:30 to 15:00, billed to insurance with no copay, free or sliding scale without insurance.

    Website Source

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These landmarks do not replace the advice of a health professional. In an emergency, call the local emergency number shown above.

A place has closed, something has changed? Tell us: the mums of New York will thank you.

Sources for this page

The public pages these landmarks come from. The official website always prevails.

  1. 1 Consulat général de France à New York, liste de notoriété médicale
  2. 2 Consulat, prise en charge des frais de santé à l'étranger
  3. 3 New York State Department of Health, Child Health Plus
  4. 4 New York State Department of Health, vaccins exigés à l'école 2026-2027
  5. 5 NYC Health, vaccinations pour la crèche et l'école
  6. 6 NYC Health, centre antipoison
  7. 7 New York State Paid Family Leave 2026
  8. 8 French Morning, annuaire santé

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