This article originally appeared at Your Local Epidemiologist New York. Sign up for the YLE NY newsletter here. Public health, explained: Sign up to receive Healthbeat’s free New York City newsletter here.
With so much going on, taking breaks and recharging are key to preventing burnout. We’ll be taking next week off to do just that.
But before we sign off, here’s your dose of New York health news.
Zohran Mamdani wins NYC mayoral Democratic primary
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded to state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday night. New Yorkers will vote in the general election in November to determine the next New York City mayor.
I highlighted some of Mamdani’s health-related plans in our Mayoral Primary Voter Guide earlier this month. To recap, Mamdani’s proposals include:
- Establishing a Department of Community Safety, backed by $1.1 billion in funding, that aims to prevent violence and strengthen social safety nets. This program would invest ~$350M in mental health services, expanding preventive and ongoing mental care, as well as crisis intervention for severe mental illness through increasing the number of mobile crisis teams.
- Creating city-funded grocery stores to improve healthy food access and combat food insecurity.
- Providing new parents with baby baskets that contain essential goods and resources, like diapers and baby wipes, and information on newborn home visiting programs, breastfeeding, and postpartum depression.
We’ll be back with more info as we get closer to the general election.
Free AC program for those with asthma
We just made it through our first heat wave of the year, with temps across the state hitting 100°F. While next week looks cooler, more extreme heat is likely in the weeks ahead. In addition to last week’s heat safety tips, there’s now a new resource available to help New Yorkers manage heat-related health risks.
Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul launched the Essential Plan Cooling Program, which offers free air conditioners to eligible New Yorkers. Specifically, it’s for those enrolled in the Essential Plan (New York’s Medicaid expansion) who also have persistent asthma. This program is different from the Home Energy Assistance Program. The application and additional details are available here.
Why asthma? Hot, humid weather is a known trigger of asthma symptoms. It also increases ozone in the air (smog), which can trigger asthma. Heat speeds up the chemical reaction that creates ozone, so air is often smoggier on hot days.
There are things you can do to prepare for the heat if you have asthma:
- Check the air quality, temperature, and humidity using airnow.gov before you go outside. If air pollution or temperature is high, limit how much you’re out.
- Stay hydrated. Drinking water can help cool the mucus in your lungs and airways.
- Always have your medication on hand.
- Use a HEPA air filter to reduce pollution indoors.
- Prepare for power outages, which can be caused by excessive heat. If you use a nebulizer, oxygen concentrator, or other electronic medical device, have a backup plan with your health care team for what to do in the event of a power outage.
A win for SNAP
Over the weekend, a bill moving through Congress proposing to cut $128 billion in federal funding from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, failed to meet Senate requirements. This means the bill can’t move forward with the cuts — good news for the nearly 3 million people in New York who rely on SNAP to put food on the table.
The bill would have required states to shoulder at least 5% of SNAP benefit costs, substantially slashing federal support. Because the bill is moving through a special “budget reconciliation process,” it must follow certain rules. The Senate parliamentarian (essentially a non-partisan referee) evaluated the bill and determined that the SNAP cuts didn’t meet the criteria. They also determined that another part of the bill, a proposal to bar non-citizens from receiving SNAP benefits, didn’t meet the criteria. That means that immigrants who qualify for SNAP, regardless of immigration status, can still receive benefits.
In New York City alone, 1.8 million people rely on SNAP. Statewide, nearly 1 in 7 residents depend on it — 30% of recipients are children, and 21% are elderly people. Since the pandemic, the number of New Yorkers needing food assistance has mostly grown.
SNAP isn’t just a lifeline for feeding families, it also adds to the economy. Every $1 spent on SNAP generates an estimated $1.54 in economic activity. This means that the $7.4 billion spent on the program in New York annually generates about $11.5 billion in economic activity.
While this win is meaningful, it’s not final. Lawmakers will likely look for alternative means to fund tax cuts, potentially affecting SNAP down the line.
Medicare Advantage update for NYC retirees
Last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated that ~250,000 retired city workers would not be switched from traditional Medicare to privatized Medicare Advantage plans. The original plan to switch city workers to private Medicare Advantage was proposed to save the city about $600 million annually. However, it garnered significant criticism.
Medicare Advantage is a type of Medicare plan offered by private insurance companies, approved by Medicare. While it can offer additional benefits like dental, vision, and hearing coverage, it has some drawbacks:
- Limited networks. Fewer doctors and hospitals accept these plans.
- Pre-approvals for care. Services often require prior authorization.
- Potential for higher out-of-pocket costs. Plans may have lower up-front premiums, but can lead to higher out-of-pocket costs depending on the services needed.
Because of these drawbacks, many retirees raised concerns and pushed back against the Medicare Advantage plans. With this change, City Hall will now continue to look for other ways to save money on health care.
Pride month resources, and a mental health update
New York has been celebrating Pride for the past month, from the Capital Pride Parade in Albany to Rainbow City in Niagara Falls. And there’s still more ahead — the New York City annual Pride March and PrideFest are this Saturday.
To safely celebrate, the New York City and New York state health departments have put together resources and recommendations, including spending time with community, practicing safe sex (including PrEP and PEP), and checking in on mental health.
LGBTQ+ individuals often face unique mental health challenges, driven by factors like family rejection, discrimination, or social isolation. These stressors have tragically contributed to higher suicide rates in this community.
Since 2022, the national 988 suicide hotline has provided an option for LGBTQ+ callers to be connected to specially trained counselors who share similar life experiences to offer support. But last week, the federal government ended this specialized support to cut costs.
It’s important to know the 988 line is still active and available to everyone. But this loss in dedicated support for the LGBTQ+ community is a step in the wrong direction for addressing mental health a high-risk population.
For LGBTQ+-specific mental health services, the following hotlines are still available:
- The Trevor Project provides national, 24/7 crisis care for LGBTQ+ young people. Call (866-488-7386), text (678-678), or chat from anywhere in the United States.
- The Trans Lifeline is a national, English/Spanish hotline (877-565-8860) offering peer support phone service for trans people.
- NYC Teenspace is a free mental health support program available to any teenager age 13 to 17 living in New York City. It connects teens to licensed therapists for ongoing support.
- The NYC Anti-violence Project offers an English/Spanish hotline (212-714-1141) that can connect callers with trained counselors specializing in LGBTQ+ and HIV-affected mental health.
Covid-19 activity remains low in New York
The summer wave I’m expecting still hasn’t taken off in New York. Both wastewater and hospitalizations data show that Covid-19 activity is still low across the state. Though I do anticipate things will pick up soon.
I’ll be keeping a close eye on things and report back with updates.
Bottom line
You’re all caught up with New York health this week! See you after our break next week.
Love,
Your NY Epi
Dr. Marisa Donnelly, PhD, is an epidemiologist, science communicator, and public health advocate. She specializes in infectious diseases, outbreak response, and emerging health threats. She has led multiple outbreak investigations at the California Department of Public Health and served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Donnelly is also an epidemiologist at Biobot Analytics, where she works at the forefront of wastewater-based disease surveillance.
