We're going to start to see Trump's effect on healthcare coverage in the coming months. In NY State 1.7 million NYers are under threat of losing coverage. Great explanation from @marisadonnelly.bsky.social on how the state government is trying to save coverage for as many people as possible.

The Bill will have devastating cuts to rural healthcare services. This article does a good job explaining how Medicaid cuts will impact rural hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes in Upstate New York, basically forcing many to close www.syracuse.com/health/2025/...

Let’s go! Live at 10am est!

It’s a big day for YLE New York! 1. Our community just hit 10k subscribers! I’m blown away by this milestone and beyond grateful for the support 🫶🫶 2. We published our first health policy voter guide. Voting for the NYC Mayoral Primary starts Saturday. Guide here: open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...

Great overview from @viralvibes.bsky.social of what’s on the line with the potential Medicaid cuts within the next federal budget. This concentrates on NY but applies more broadly to most states.

New Jersey wildfire updates🔥: 12k acres burned, 35% contained. Evacuations are 100% lifted for those who evacuated yesterday (good news!). Smoke is still a risk: check AQI here airnow.gov New Jersey Forest Fire Service Facebook page is the best place for updates: www.facebook.com/NJForestFire...

Fluoride in New York's drinking water: What's happening, is it safe, and why does it matter? A quick thread 🧵 from YLE New York's most recent post (1/11)

Rapid changes in our federal public health systems are directly impacting New York — from threats to 9/11 first responder programs to delays in vaccine recommendations. At the same time, vaccine-preventable diseases, including flu and measles, are active in our region.

State laws don’t just shape health policy—they act as shields, protecting patients and providers when federal policies fall short. Whether it’s emerging infectious disease threats or reproductive rights, New York is showing how states can be frontline defenders of public health.

Changes to NIH and other federal public health funding will impact New Yorkers and the local economy. In New York, NIH supports more than 29,000 jobs and $8 billion in economic activity. With funding freezes, we're already seeing the short-term impacts on local health programs.

How the federal chaos is impacting NY state public health (from respondents to national survey by YLE). NY data n=58. Compiled by @viralvibes.bsky.social & reported in her weekly Healthbeat email newsletter. One example below. Note how much research is impacted. 1/n

New York’s strong public health system and accessible data dashboards help shield it from federal chaos — good news for epidemiologists and the public. But a weakened CDC and federal rollbacks could still ripple through and impact New Yorkers. Here’s how 👇

LA friends, masking is crucial right now: -if you smell smoke or see ash, wear at least an N95 (or higher protection, like P100) -if you are at/nearby a burned or smoke-damage property, mask up -relying on AQI has limitations - some toxins in the air following fires aren't included in AQI data

For those close to fires: -Shut windows -Turn off vents to the outside -Wear a N95 mask outside, but P100+organic vapor is better to stop toxic gas exposure -Use air purifiers inside -After the fires, change your house AC filter From @kkjetelina.bsky.social & Joseph Allen

If you're in an evacuation zone in SoCal, please check in with any disabled/aging neighbors you have to see if they need help evacuating.

Los Angeles friends, please stay safe! Download the Watch Duty app www.watchduty.org to get alerts on the wildfires. Listen to evacuation orders -> mapped here www.fire.ca.gov/incidents.html. Remember to wear an N95 outside to avoid inhaling smoke.

Our post this week is special because it celebrates the kind of impactful work that people in public health do - work that creates lasting, positive changes for communities. And it’s not just New York; these wins are happening all over the country and in your communities. Here's to 2025!

Last week, the NYC health dept. alerted providers that overdose is the leading cause of pregnancy-associated death in NYC. This emerging issue is awful. The bigger picture is that any-cause maternal mortality in NY, and the rest of the US, is a public health crisis. New YLE NY piece out today 🧵

New this week from CDC After months of declining or flat trends, COVID-19 now "beginning to increase from low levels in some areas" www.cdc.gov/respiratory-... You can see especially in Midwest, where wastewater climbed to "moderate" in recent weeks www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVI...

This week, I got to do something pretty awesome: attend a White House event with other public health communicators and advocates from across the country. It was inspiring, humbling, and honestly, soooo much fun! 🤗 I wanted to share a couple of takeaways from the day 🧵👇

Highly recommend this easily sharable vaccine FAQs list from @kkjetelina.bsky.social and @yalesph.bsky.social. Here's a reminder of how we know vaccines don't cause autism. yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/api/v1/file/...

Food insecurity affects 1.9 million New Yorkers. This is up 76% since 2021, and is higher than the 55% increase seen nationwide. NYC’s rates are highest in the Bronx, where 1 in 3 children experience food insecurity. 🔗 Read the full story from @viralvibes.bsky.social at Healthbeat.org

Great explanation of the viral dynamics at play in assessing the risks of an H5N1 pandemic.

This week I cover increases in whooping cough in New York (and nationally), stark statistics on hunger and food insecurity, and a brief update on recent wildfires and Code Blue warnings. There’s a lot going on in New York public health these days…

Important to remember that COVID-19 vaccines saved more than 3 million adult lives in 2 years and more than $1.5 trillion dollars. yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/hhs-picks-...

It's a great time to review the list of recommended vaccines for your kids and make sure they are fully covered while you are at it, checkout adult vaccines too and make sure you are covered too.

Respiratory viruses creep up as we head into the holidays https://www.healthbeat.org/newyork/2024/11/27/your-local-epidemiologist-how-to-stay-healthy-during-holidays/

One of my favorite sources of useful science and data is @kkjetelina.bsky.social. Here’s her latest on viruses for Thanksgiving week. Good news is that most infections are colds right now! open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...

I've really enjoyed the 'Your Local Epidemiologist' column from @healthbeat.org lately! great, practical info from someone who knows what they're talking about:

1/ 🦃 Respiratory viruses are creeping up just in time for the holidays. Here's a quick rundown of what's happening in NY and tips to stay healthy this Thanksgiving! 🧵

[email protected] reports finding #H5N1 #birdflu virus in raw milk. The producer, Raw Farm LLC of Fresno County, has agreed to recall a batch of a whole milk product called "cream top." Milk from infected cows contains staggering levels of virus. www.statnews.com/2024/04/29/b...

Bird flu was detected in raw milk purchased from a California store. Raw Farm milk produced Nov. 9, with expiration date Nov. 27, lot ID #20241109, is recalled. California state health officials state "consumers should not consume any of the affected raw milk." Note: Pasteurization kills the virus!

It’s hard to know exactly what is causing the decline in overdose deaths - a combo of changes in drug supply, plus harm reduction strategies and new patterns in the types of drugs used are all having an effect. Regardless, a drop in the extremely high rates of deaths we’ve seen is a welcome trend

Hot off the presses: We @yalesph.bsky.social collaborated w/ @kkjetelina.bsky.social & Your Local Epidemiologist to answer 12 common questions about vaccines. Please read & share! If you have more q’s, let us know…This is just the beginning 💉🩺🛟🧪 yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/the-dose-n...

Full post on wildfires and health is now available 🔥 Thankfully, this rain in New York is helping alleviate the strain of the fires and drought, but it likely won't fully extinguish them. The fire ban is still in place and conserving water is still encouraged www.healthbeat.org/newyork/2024...

1/11 🚨 Your Local Epidemiologist NY post for wildfires in New York Wildfires aren’t just a West Coast problem anymore. Fires are burning across NY, NJ, and CT, impacting communities and health. Let’s break down what’s happening and how to stay safe. 🧵

🔥 Our latest Your Local Epidemiologist NY post on wildfires is in inboxes now, with tips to stay safe from smoke! It goes live on Healthbeat tomorrow, but in the meantime, subscribe to get updates straight to your inbox: www.healthbeat.org/newyork/subs... Highlights thread coming soon! 🧵

I am one of 100s of scientists in the the World that is Watching the U.S. Deal With Bird Flu, and It’s Scary! Today, my opinion piece on the NY Times. Let's hope we take more serious epidemics and pandemics and deal with them before they emerge. www.nytimes.com/2024/11/19/o...

Statewide drought watch declared in New York, with southern regions including NYC elevated to drought warning. Gov. Kathy Hochul encourages residents in drought warning areas to conserve water over the next couple of weeks

It’s helpful to have multiple streams of surveillance data, like wastewater and animal surveillance here, to give this type of useful context

One person has died and 39 people have become ill in an E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots, federal regulators said on Sunday.

Great guidance, and very cool 👏🏼👏🏼

This is a great thread about the potential impact of some of the mutations found in the H5N1 virus from the patient in BC. A lot of people want to know what this means for pandemic risk and the answer is a very complex but unsatisfying “we don’t know”. Host adaptation is complicated.

Voluntary evacuations in Orange County, NY as gusty winds affect the spread of the Jennings Fire. Residents are asked to contact the Warwick Police Dept at 845-986-5000 or the Greenwood Lake Police Dept if special requests or assistance is needed in evacuating. abc7ny.com/post/jenning...

New Yorkers, due to wildfires, air quality is not great in NYC or western New York rn. It's a good idea to check your local air quality index (AQI) at www.airnow.gov?city=New%20Y... I'll be running my air purifier today. If you are more sensitive to air quality, consider keeping workouts indoors.

Congestion pricing in NYC is coming soon, promising cleaner air in Manhattan. But we must monitor for spillover effects—if traffic shifts to other neighborhoods like the Bronx, air quality there could worsen. Equity in outcomes is crucial. www.healthbeat.org/newyork/2024...

I think in the near future, it will be especially important to have effective science communicators. As someone who has been doing this for a while, I thought it might be useful to explain my major principles for science communication that I use in my own work 🧵:

Absolutely fascinating survey from Pew Research on public trust in science came out today. If you are wanting to reach across the aisle and help restore trust in science, the very first step is knowing your audience. Here's what they found. www.pewresearch.org/science/2024...