By Eyewitness News
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — The New York City Council has passed a package of bills aimed at combatting vaccine misinformation, and expanding access to shots across the city.
The measures require the health department to work with schools to distribute clear information to parents about how vaccines work, their safety, and where to get them.
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By Sadie Brown
City Council leaders said Thursday that it would lead the charge on promoting vaccines and public health in New York in an era when the federal government has effectively withdrawn from that effort.
Speaker Julie Menin, Committee on Health Chair Lynn Schulman, Committee on Education Chair Eric Dinowitz and Committee on Oversight &
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By Trenton Daniels
The New York City Council on Thursday passed a package of bills seeking to do more to educate parents about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines as immunization rates show signs of starting to dip.
The five bills aim to make it easier for schools to disseminate accurate information about vaccines to parents, as well as to require the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to develop a plan by year’s end that will educate New Yorkers about the importance of childhood and adolescent vaccinations.
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By Elizabeth Kim
The New York City Council is flexing its oversight powers over a mental health response program that Mayor Zohran Mamdani has made a key part of his new approach to changing how the city handles 911 calls involving people in mental distress.
The Council on Thursday passed legislation requiring the Mamdani administration to submit regular performance reports on the Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division, also known as B-HEARD.
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By Maya Kaufman
The City Council unanimously passed legislation Thursday to require more comprehensive and frequent data reporting on the B-HEARD initiative, which sends specially trained emergency medics and social workers to respond to select 911 calls about a mental health crisis.
The bill would require relevant city agencies to share aggregate data every six months on mental health-related 911 calls and B-HEARD dispatches, in addition to the program’s average response time and demographic information of the individuals in crisis.
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Council Member Lynn Schulman (District 29) announced that the iconic ‘Queens, The World’s Borough’ sculpture, created by Forest Hills resident Larry Ng, was relocated to Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, where it will continue to serve as a vibrant symbol of Queens pride and diversity.
“After a very successful and popular one year exhibit at MacDonald Park, I am thrilled that ‘Queens, The World’s Borough,’ has moved to the New York Mets at Citi Field.
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By Bob Hennelly
The radical rollback by the Trump administration of the schedule of vaccines required for the nation’s tens of millions of children and a resurgence in measles nationally, prompted the New York City Council’s Health Committee to convene hearings this week to hear from New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin.
WBAI carried these hearings LIVE as well as a LIVE call-in show hosted by Jenna Flanagan and Dr.
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I’m deeply troubled that New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) employees launched a so-called ‘working group’ focused on foreign political issues—during work hours and using city resources—while New Yorkers face serious and urgent public health challenges at home.
We are in the midst of a health crisis in this country: health care costs continue to skyrocket, preventable and eradicated diseases are re-emerging, vaccination rates are slipping, and too many families are struggling to access basic care.
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We are outraged by the antisemitic attack that occurred in our district, in which a Rabbi was verbally harassed, physically assaulted, and threatened for being Jewish. This was a targeted act of hate, and it has no place in our community or anywhere in New York City.
No one should ever fear for their safety because of their religion, identity, or beliefs.
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