Advancing Lifestyle Medicine in New York City's Public Health Care System.

Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in the United States, and much of this burden can be attributed to lifestyle and behavioral risk factors. Lifestyle medicine is an approach to preventing and treating lifestyle-related chronic disease using evidence-based lifestyle modification as a primary modality. NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest municipal public health care system in the United States, is a national pioneer in incorporating lifestyle medicine systemwide. In 2019, a pilot lifestyle medicine program was launched at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue to improve cardiometabolic health in high-risk patients through intensive support for evidence-based lifestyle changes. Analyses of program data collected from January 29, 2019 to February 26, 2020 demonstrated feasibility, high demand for services, high patient satisfaction, and clinically and statistically significant improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors. This pilot is being expanded to 6 new NYC Health + Hospitals sites spanning all 5 NYC boroughs. As part of the expansion, many changes have been implemented to enhance the original pilot model, scale services effectively, and generate more interest and incentives in lifestyle medicine for staff and patients across the health care system, including a plant-based default meal program for inpatients. This narrative review describes the pilot model and outcomes, the expansion process, and lessons learned to serve as a guide for other health systems.

Geographic, Occupational, and Sociodemographic Variations in Uptake of COVID-19 Booster Doses Among Fully Vaccinated US Adults, December 1, 2021, to January 10, 2022.

Importance: COVID-19 booster vaccine can strengthen waning immunity and widen the range of immunity against new variants. Objective: To describe geographic, occupational, and sociodemographic variations in uptake of COVID-19 booster doses among fully vaccinated US adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional survey study used data from the Household Pulse Survey conducted from December 1, 2021, to January 10, 2022. Household Pulse Survey is an online, probability-based survey conducted by the US Census Bureau and is designed to yield estimates nationally, by state, and across selected metropolitan areas. Main Outcomes and Measures: Receipt of a booster dose was defined as taking 2 or more doses of COVID-19 vaccines with the first one being the Johnson and Johnson (Janssen) vaccine, or taking 3 or more doses of any of the other COVID-19 vaccines. Weighted prevalence estimates (percentages) were computed overall and among subgroups. Adjusted prevalence ratios (APRs) were calculated in a multivariable Poisson regression model to explore correlates of receiving a booster dose among those fully vaccinated. Results: A total of 135 821 adults completed the survey. Overall, 51.0% were female and 41.5% were aged 18 to 44 years (mean [SD] age, 48.07 [17.18] years). Of fully vaccinated adults, the percentage who reported being boosted was 48.5% (state-specific range, from 39.1% in Mississippi to 66.5% in Vermont). Nationally, the proportion of boosted adults was highest among non-Hispanic Asian individuals (54.1%); those aged 65 years or older (71.4%); those with a doctoral, professional, or master's degree (68.1%); those who were married with no children in the household (61.2%); those with annual household income of $200 000 or higher (69.3%); those enrolled in Medicare (70.9%); and those working in hospitals (60.5%) or in deathcare facilities (eg, funeral homes; 60.5%). Conversely, only one-third of those who ever received a diagnosis of COVID-19, were enrolled in Medicaid, working in pharmacies, with less than a high school education, and aged 18 to 24 years old were boosted. Multivariable analysis of pooled national data revealed that compared with those who did not work outside their home, the likelihood of being boosted was higher among adults working in hospitals (APR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.17-1.30), ambulatory health care centers (APR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.09-1.24), and social service settings (APR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.01-1.15), whereas lower likelihood was seen among those working in food or beverage stores (APR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.74-0.96) and the agriculture, forestry, fishing, or hunting industries (APR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.72-0.97). Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest continuing disparities in receipt of booster vaccine doses among US adults. Targeted efforts at populations with low uptake may be needed to improve booster vaccine coverage in the US.

COVID-19 Infections Among Students and Staff in New York City Public Schools.

BACKGROUND: The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic led many jurisdictions to close in-person school instruction. METHODS: We collected data about COVID-19 cases associated with New York City (NYC) public schools from polymerase chain reaction testing performed in each school on a sample of asymptomatic students and staff and from routine reporting. We compared prevalence from testing done in schools to community prevalence estimates from statistical models. We compared cumulative incidence for school-associated cases to all cases reported to the city. School-based contacts were monitored to estimate the secondary attack rate and possible direction of transmission. RESULTS: To assess prevalence, we analyzed data from 234 132 persons tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in 1594 NYC public schools during October 9 to December 18, 2020; 986 (0.4%) tested positive. COVID-19 prevalence in schools was similar to or less than estimates of prevalence in the community for all weeks. To assess cumulative incidence, we analyzed data for 2231 COVID-19 cases that occurred in students and staff compared with the 86 576 persons in NYC diagnosed with COVID-19 during the same period; the overall incidence was lower for persons in public schools compared with the general community. Of 36 423 school-based close contacts, 191 (0.5%) subsequently tested positive for COVID-19; the likely index case was an adult for 78.0% of secondary cases. CONCLUSIONS: We found that in-person learning in NYC public schools was not associated with increased prevalence or incidence overall of COVID-19 infection compared with the general community.

A Phone Call Away: New York's Hotline And Public Health In The Rapidly Changing COVID-19 Pandemic.

In early March 2020 an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in New York City exerted sudden and extreme pressures on emergency medical services and quickly changed public health policy and clinical guidance. Recognizing this, New York City Health + Hospitals established a clinician-staffed COVID-19 hotline for all New Yorkers. The hotline underwent three phases as the health crisis evolved. As of May 1, 2020, the hotline had received more than ninety thousand calls and was staffed by more than a thousand unique clinicians. Hotline clinicians provided callers with clinical assessment and guidance, registered them for home symptom monitoring, connected them to social services, and provided a source of up-to-date answers to COVID-19 questions. By connecting New Yorkers with hotline clinicians, regardless of their regular avenues of accessing care, the hotline aimed to ease the pressures on the city's overtaxed emergency medical services. Future consideration should be given to promoting easy access to clinician hotlines by disadvantaged communities early in a public health crisis and to evaluating the impact of clinician hotlines on clinical outcomes.

Staffing Up For The Surge: Expanding The New York City Public Hospital Workforce During The COVID-19 Pandemic.

Confronted with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, New York City Health + Hospitals, the city's public health care system, rapidly expanded capacity across its eleven acute care hospitals and three new field hospitals. To meet the unprecedented demand for patient care, NYC Health + Hospitals redeployed staff to the areas of greatest need and redesigned recruiting, onboarding, and training processes. The hospital system engaged private staffing agencies, partnered with the Department of Defense, and recruited volunteers throughout the country. A centralized onboarding team created a single-source portal for medical care providers requiring credentialing and established new staff positions to increase efficiency. Using new educational tools focused on COVID-19 content, the hospital system trained twenty thousand staff members, including nearly nine thousand nurses, within a two-month period. Creation of multidisciplinary teams, frequent enterprisewide communication, willingness to shift direction in response to changing needs, and innovative use of technology were the key factors that enabled the hospital system to meet its goals.