Council Member Schulman on Legionnaires disease hotline bill

Councilmember Shulman, followed by Gutierrez.

Thank you.

I want to start out by acknowledging our intern, Scarlett Perez, who's in the balcony.

Today is her last day.

She is a constituent and a student at Yale.

And I also had an intern who left recently from the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation.

Newton Mayerfield, so I want to acknowledge him as well.

I want to start by thanking Speaker Menon for her tireless leadership on public health this summer and for the seriousness with which she's approached the Legionnaires'disease outbreak on the Upper East Side.

During the outbreak this summer, too many New Yorkers didn't know where to turn to, who to call, what symptoms to watch for, how to get connected to care.

That kind of uncertainty during a public health emergency only adds to people's fear and can slow down our response.

That's why I'm introducing Intro 1016 today to require the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to establish

and maintain a Legionnaires' disease hotline during the summer months and whenever outbreaks occur.

This hotline will be staffed with health care providers who can answer questions and connect callers to medical guidance, resources, and care.

Public health information should never be hard to find in a moment of crisis.

This bill will help ensure that the next time Legionnaires'disease strikes, New Yorkers will know exactly where to turn.

I look forward to chairing the oversight hearing in September and working with my colleagues to advance this legislation and other legislation and improve our city's response to public health emergencies.

Thank you.

Thank you.