Senate to pass package aimed at alleviating racial gaps in health care

Two more of the bills have to do with addressing the risk of asthma, particularly among people of color in New York City. One of them, the "Lydia Soto law," would create a dedicated team within the state Department of Health to study asthma risk factors for people of color in New York and would start a statewide public information campaign to educate people about asthma.

“Lydia Soto was a young child from the South Bronx who, like so many, tragically passed away due to asthma complications," said Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, a Westchester County Democrat. "The South Bronx holds some of the highest asthma death rates in the country, disproportionately impacting children, communities of color, and low-income families. We must move with a sense of urgency to address this public health crisis, and the underlying conditions that made so many of our communities susceptible to the worst impacts of COVID."