NYC-WTC_000195490

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

This proposal is based on the findings of a General Accounting Office study that examines the fairness of the FMAP formula. A major recommendation of the study is to substitute the FMAP per-capita income calculation with the total taxable resources (TTR) assessment. TTR measures a state’s ability to finance program services from the total income produced or received within a state. Per-capita income often fails to capture the extent of poverty within a state, as is the situation in New York. I! Funding for Emerging Public Health Crises

Immunization: New York City seeks the restoration of immunization funding to the 1997 level of $10 million, a $5 million increase above the current level of funding. Two years ago, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) imposed an acrosS-the-board cut to immunization grants and reprogrammed certain funds. The reprogramming Si resulted in a 50 percent reduction in Federal funding for immunization programs in New York City. Increased Federal support is needed for the New York City Department of Health to continue its aggressive work in immunization service delivery, education, and outreach, all of which'have greatly increased the number of children whp are up-to-date on their immunizations. < y

Tuberculosis: Since 1999, Federal funding for tuberculosis (TB) programs has decreased by $8 million. Moreover, the proposed budget for Federal Fiscal Year 2002 called for a reduction in TB spending of $45 million, which could result in an additional loss of $2 million for New York City. The grant awarded to the New York City Department of Health in 2000 was $18 million, $8 million less than the 1999 award. While the funding for TB programs in New York City has declined, the national appropriation has risen by more than $9 million. According td the CDC, the available funds are being reprogrammed to other state and local governments, even though the need for maintaining the current level of service has not diminished in New York City. The City is a major entry point for visitors and immigrants from countries with exploding rates of drug-resistant TB.

Since the TB epidemic’s height in 1992, when the case rate was five times the national average, the City has reduced TB deaths by over 59 percent. The current case rate of 23.6 per 100,000 people, however, is still more than three times the national average. Completion of treatment is the key to both the successful control of TB and to the prevention of drug-resistant TB. The City’s program of Directly Observed Therapy has been largely j responsible for a 91 percent reduction in drug-resistant cases since 1992. The restoration of the 1999 level of TB funding to New Yprk City remains critical in order to provide adequate support for the City ’s TB programs.

Asthma Funding: The New York City Department of Health receives little Federal aid to support asthma­ control activities. Current funding consists of only one small grant that supports surveillance studies which enable the Department of Health to evaluate the prevalence of asthma in school-age children. While no other Federal aid is made available to the City directly, the CDG has reported that the death rates from asthma among 25 to 45 year bld adults are much higher in New York City than in other major urban areas in the nation. New York City is requesting that Congress appropriate funding for asthma detection and prevention and that the CDC allocate at least $8 million to New York City.

Mosquito-Borne Disease Control Program: Last year, the City mounted a rapid emergency response to the West Nile virus, a mosquito-bome disease that previously had not been recognized in the Western Hemisphere. lb In order to prevent future infectious disease outbreaks, the New York City Department of Health developed a nil comprehensive surveillance and control plan that will detect and combat mosquito-borne diseases before they spread to humans. This plan should help prevent the virus from spreading to other areas of the country. In support of these activities, the City spent $15 million in calendar year 2000. In 2002, the City is requesting at least $5 million of Federal reimbursement for costs associated with control of the West Nile virus.

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