SENATOR BIAGGI CELEBRATES SENATE PASSAGE OF HER BILL TO STUDY ASTHMA RISK FACTORS IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR
February 1, 2021
BRONX, NY – Today, February 1st, 2021, the New York State Senate passed Senator Biaggi’s bill S.410A to establish a Minority Coordinating Council of Asthmatic Affairs to assess the asthma risk factors for people of color in New York, identify existing barriers to quality asthma treatment and care among communities of color, develop action steps for addressing care issues, and launch a state-wide asthma awareness campaign.
This bill is named in honor of Lydia Soto, a child from the South Bronx who tragically passed away due to asthma complications.
State Senator Alessandra Biaggi (D-Bronx/Westchester) issued the following statement:
“Lydia Soto was a young child from the South Bronx who, like so many, tragically passed away due to asthma complications. 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. The purpose of Lydia Soto's law is to create a Minority Coordinating Council on Asthmatic Affairs to address contributing factors, improve awareness and management of asthma prevention, and work to expand treatment services for communities of color across the state. I extend my deepest gratitude to Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins for her support in moving this legislation forward."
###
