November 25, 2008
IN ONE OF NEW YORK'S ASTHMA HOT SPOTS, THE BRONX: GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES ENFORCEMENT INITIATIVE TO CURB HEALTH IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH HEAVY TRUCK EMISSIONS
Announces Reimbursement for Qualified Health Care Providers Offering Asthma Self-Management Education to Patients
Governor David A. Paterson today announced plans to step up New York’s long-term enforcement plan to reduce the adverse health impacts associated with smoke-spewing and idling diesel trucks and buses. He made the announcement in the Bronx – home of the highest asthma rate in the State. Additionally, Governor Paterson announced that beginning January 1, 2009, New York’s Medicaid program will reimburse qualified health care providers for providing asthma self-management education to patients, which has been shown to reduce complications and avoidable hospital admissions for asthma patients.
Under the enforcement plan, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will carry out regular but unannounced enforcement actions in urban areas of heavy truck traffic. At these hot spots, DEC deploys “pull over” operations that target trucks emitting visible exhaust in violation of State air regulations. Each time a “smoking” truck enforcement action is implemented, DEC also conducts random enforcement against illegal idling (with the help of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection when operations take place in New York City). The State strategy focuses on communities that have been disproportionately impacted by pollution, also called environmental justice neighborhoods, including neighborhoods in New York City, Albany and other urban centers across the State.
Today, to exemplify this enforcement strategy, DEC conducted a pull over operation in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx, near the intersection of Longwood and Tiffany streets. Much of the truck traffic that services Hunts Point pours through this area every day.
“Every New Yorker deserves a clean, safe and healthy community in which to live,” said Governor Paterson. “But today, noxious exhaust from smoking and idling trucks and buses continues to pollute the air and undermine the health of too many New Yorkers. For instance, some areas of the South Bronx are burdened with some of the highest asthma rates in the State – four to five times the national average. The Bronx as a whole has the highest asthma mortality rate and the highest rate of asthma-related trips to the hospital emergency room in the State. That’s unacceptable. That is why New York is accelerating its plan to crack down on vehicles that don’t comply with clean air laws.”
The initiative is based on a successful pilot program to crack down on truck pollution last year in East Harlem, a neighborhood with elevated asthma rates and heavy truck traffic. Based on that operation and a similar one conducted last month, DEC estimates that close to 20 percent of the thousands of trucks traveling this corridor daily are emitting illegal levels of pollutants into the air of East Harlem.
Penalties for violation of State air emission standards are $700 for the first offense and $1,300 for subsequent offenses. Operators that repair non-compliant vehicles can have the fines reduced.
New York State Commissioner of Environmental Conservation, Pete Grannis, said: “Protecting the environment is not just about lakes and rivers and wilderness, it's also about safeguarding our urban neighborhoods. We made a pledge to the people of New York to go into every borough with this initiative and we are demonstrating that commitment today. We cannot sit by and allow our vulnerable populations – especially in those communities disproportionately burdened by pollution – to be exposed to the toxic emissions from trucks and buses that operate in violation of State law. With Governor Paterson's support here today, we are sending a clear signal to polluting trucks and buses to clean up their act.”
New York State Commissioner of Health, Richard F. Daines, M.D., said: “As a physician who worked in the Bronx for many years, I have seen the devastating impact of asthma on the health and lives of children and adults. With Governor Paterson’s support, we are fighting asthma with a multi-pronged approach that includes reducing exposure to environmental triggers such as vehicle emissions and second-hand smoke, support for community-based efforts, and reforming health care to increase access to preventive care and better chronic disease management.”
Kellie Terry-Sepulveda from The Point, CDC, said: “THE POINT CDC is excited to welcome Governor Paterson to our neighborhood and we thank him for focusing on the critical need to reduce air pollution from trucks in our community. For decades, poor air quality has been a human rights and environmental justice concern in South Bronx Communities and communities like ours in urban centers. The statistics are startling and speak for themselves. We commend the Governor for placing a high priority on addressing asthma and air pollution and look forward to working with his office on the numerous community based initiatives created to tackle these and other critical environmental justice issues.”
Yolanda Gonzalez from Nos Quedamos, said: “The asthma rate in the South Bronx is more than 17 percent higher than the national average, with childhood asthma rates 33 percent higher. Truck traffic and idling is a major culprit in the asthma epidemic in the Bronx. This initiative will help bring down truck emissions and raise awareness about the link to asthma. I applaud Governor Paterson and DEC for taking this step to reduce truck emissions and fight asthma in our communities.”
Approximately 1.3 million adults and 370,000 children in New York State suffer from asthma. Among New York’s counties, the Bronx, including the neighborhood of Hunts Point-Mott Haven, has the highest rates of adult and child hospitalizations for asthma – approximately three times the statewide rate. The Bronx also has the highest rate of emergency department visits and deaths due to asthma. Asthma hospitalizations in New York State cost approximately $502 million annually, and Medicaid pays for 45 percent of asthma-related hospitalizations.
Additionally, New York State provides approximately $2 million in funding to 11 Regional Asthma Coalitions to help address asthma in their regions. These coalitions – such as the South Bronx Asthma Partnership – work with local stakeholders to provide asthma education for patients and families; improve care management and coordination by physicians, hospitals, schools and day care programs; and promote environmental assessment and remediation in homes.
For more information about asthma and New York’s action to control asthma please visit the New York State Department of Health website at: http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/asthma/.
