GENOME SEQUENCING: The city Health Department awarded a $792,000 contract to Memphis, Tennessee-based lab testing firm PathAI Diagnostics to provide genome sequencing for Covid-19, according to a notice in the City Record Monday. The agency said that the goal of the contract is to increase sequencing among New Yorkers’ Covid samples so that the agency can monitor emerging variants.
WORKER RELIEF: Regional Care Network, a health care staffing agency based in New Rochelle, was ordered to pay $363,000 to more than 1,000 workers after the city found that the firm violated paid sick leave laws, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection said Monday. The department’s investigation found that Regional Care Network did not offer workers paid sick time nor provide time off when they needed it. In addition to payments to staff, the firm is required to pay $36,000 in civil penalties and costs.
HOME VISITS: The city’s $34 million New Family Home Visit initiative, which sends health care workers to the homes of expecting parents, has served 12,000 families since its expansion two years ago, Mayor Eric Adams said Monday. Through the initiative, trained staff such as doulas, midwives, nurses or lactation consultants conduct in-person or virtual appointments with expecting parents to identify maternal health needs, ensure parents are ready for the delivery of their newborns and connect families with social services. The program is one of the city’s efforts to reduce maternal mortality by 10% through the mayor’s Women Forward NYC initiative.
TICK-BORNE DISEASES: Tick-borne diseases are trending upward in New York City, which reported more than 3,000 cases of Lyme Disease in 2023, according to an advisory from the city Health Department Monday. The agency warned New Yorkers to take prevention measures as the weather gets warmer, such as wearing insect repellant and conducting tick checks. The Health Department surveils human diseases derived from ticks, but also monitors tick populations in the five boroughs.
Amanda D'Ambrosio , 2024-05-14 11:33:04
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