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the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and leader of the newly created Pandemic Response Institute. The institute, which is funded by the New York City Economic Development Corp., is a collaboration between Columbia and the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, and it will partner with nonprofits like the United Way of New York City, corporations and faith-based institutions. It will focus on improving technologies to collect and share data in real time; bolster research and the technologies that will enable officials to quickly ramp up for the next public health emergency; coordinate drills within communities; and promote racial equity in the response to future health crises. “Our goal is not to replicate and duplicate
“It’s time to live with COVID and build systems around COVID until it dissipates and leaves us.” – New York City Mayor Eric Adams
what the city is doing. The goal of this institute is to work hand in hand with the city and other stakeholders to really identify the gaps and identify the priorities and focus on those,” El-Sadr said. One way in which New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera has been looking to identify gaps – and address racial and gender inequities – is through a bill that would create an Office of the Patient Advocate within the city health department. “It would collect patient feedback and complaints regarding health care experiences in New York City, answer general questions about insurance and access, and have an investigative and reporting team to look at troubling trends in our city health care facilities,” the former Hospitals Committee chair explained. Initially introduced in 2019, she is hoping the bill will pass in the current term. Meanwhile, the city health department said much of its work to address racial disparities in vaccine distribution and testing
January 24, 2022
have centered on the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity, led by NYCHA executive Sideya Sherman. Bassett said the state doesn’t have a program similar to the Pandemic Response Institute, but the state’s Public Health Corps fellowship program was focused on preparing for future public health emergencies. The program was created to identify and train public health professionals to work with local health departments and communities. Levine has hailed the creation of the institute, and has also told a newly created COVID-19 recovery task force in his office to help plan and advocate for better preparedness, among other responsibilities. It is chaired by Aldrin Bonilla, who is executive vice president of the Fund for the City of New York and a former Manhattan deputy borough president. While the task force is still being formed, Bonilla said it is already considering ideas that could help deal with future surges. The Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board, which is under the borough president office’s purview, has proposed strengthening the infrastructure around wastewater testing. Bonilla noted the growing area of research relating to detecting and tracking the presence of the coronavirus in municipal wastewater. “By looking at our wastewater, both the liquid and the solid waste, this could be a leading indicator so you can get ahead of the next wave.” Recently, Adams told MSNBC, “It’s time to live with COVID and build systems around COVID until it dissipates and leaves us.” Levine said he agreed with that approach, and added: “Let’s have systems in place so that we can immediately pivot without some of the chaos and delays that we endured over the last two years.”
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Sheryl Huggins Salomon is City & State New York’s advisory board chair and the chief communications officer at the NYU McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research.
FALLING BEHIND Schools are struggling to keep up with a surge in mental health and behavioral issues related to the pandemic. By Clem Richardson
