SYRINGE BUYBACK PILOT: The city health department adopted regulations on Wednesday to launch a pilot program to pay New Yorkers to dispense used drug supplies, part of an effort to reduce overdose deaths. The syringe buyback program plans to pay individuals 20 cents per syringe and up to $10 per day to get rid of dirty drug supplies at city-operated sites. The program is set to launch in the five highest-need Council districts and will last for one year. The health department unveiled regulations for the buyback program, which is mandated by city law, in February.
DELI BRIBERY: A 61-year-old Manhattan deli owner has been charged for illegally bribing an inspector from the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, according to the city’s Department of Investigations. According to a criminal complaint filed on May 19, 2023, the DOHMH set her work bag on top of a freezer to use the restroom after conducting the investigation and informing Hassan Alborati, the owner of Gardenia Deli on 8th Avenue, that she had found 67 violations at the deli, instructing him to enlist an exterminator to seal holes identified as potential entry points for vermin. Later, she found an unmarked envelope with $400 inside. She called Alborati to confirm that he placed the cash inside, which he confirmed, saying that it would be good if the inspector did not show up in court so the judge could reduce the impact of the violations, according to the DOI. Alborati had to forfeit the $400 and DOHMH is expected to begin proceedings to revoke his restaurant license.
BIRD FLU: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed an additional human case of the bird flu tied to the dairy cow outbreak on Wednesday. The case, detected in a worker on a dairy farm in Michigan, marks the third human case of the H5N1 bird flu thus far and the second linked to the dairy cow outbreak. There have not yet been cases of the virus detected in New York’s dairy cow population.
Amanda D'Ambrosio, Amanda Glodowski , 2024-05-23 11:33:03
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