RESPONDING TO A POST
Classmate post.
No sources are needed but if you decide to use a source, it has to be APA 7. This is what she wrote. Being a resident of one of the largest cities in the world, New York City, brings many challenges. Living in a large urban environment brings many opportunities for advocacy of a healthcare concern. Health disparities among different neighborhoods, boroughs, ethnic groups and socioeconomic groups still exist to this day. The topic that I selected, though, as my focus this class is air pollution in New York City. This is a healthcare concern that affects all New Yorkers, including those who work or travel into the city as well.
I am happy to say that I live in a city of transparency. New Yorkers can find and access the information regarding air quality in the city through the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Through a study conducted through grant research, the city’s DOH was able to analyze the air quality from 2008-2020 and discovered some impacts around fine particulate matter and ozone related to health outcomes. This report discovered that air pollution causes more than 3,000 deaths, 2,000 hospital admissions and about 6,000 emergency room visits for asthma in adults and children annually (Kheirbek et al, n.d.).
I am also happy to say that the city has taken steps to improve air quality (Community Air Survey, 2019). Despite this, expansion on current legislature needs to take place to continue to make a difference. After conducting my own research, I found a need for improvement with emissions related to commercial restaurant kitchens and their charbroiler use. During COVID-19, traffic resumed in June of 2020 but many small businesses did not open again until January of 2021. The air quality reports show low levels of fine particulate matter during these months, revealing that cars are not the only contributer to air pollution in New York City (COVID-19 Air Quality, 2019). These reports suggest that commercial kitchens continue to contribute to air pollution (COVID-19 Air Quality, 2019).
My proposal is to expand on current Department of Environmental Protection New York City Administrative Code Section 1403 (c) by requiring all commercial kitchens with a charbroiler to have emission reducing equipment installed (not just those that cook over 875 pounds of meat per week like the current regulations). In addition, I would like to propose tax breaks or incentives to small businesses who are willing to provide and promote plant-based options on their menus. This legislation has not been addressed since 2016 and could use improved measures if we want to take steps to reduce air pollution in New York City.
Due to the nature of this problem, and given that New York City has existing legislation regarding air pollution, I believe that an incremental approach would be best to tackle this issue. Small changes can help make large impacts. When it comes to air quality, even the smallest of impacts can work to reduce overall emissions. Starting small and working up to much larger impacts would be best for this issue.
