New York City is hosting the biggest, most crowded party in its history over the next few months, including\u00a0the\u00a0NBA\u00a0Finals,\u00a0the FIFA World Cup,\u00a0America\u2019s 250th birthday, Sail 250, Pride Month,\u00a0the Puerto Rican Day Parade, and other\u00a0iconic\u00a0events.\u00a0As New York City\u2019s health commissioner and\u00a0chair of the City Council\u2019s Committee on Health, we want\u00a0New Yorkers stay in the game all summer long by protecting\u00a0their health.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Like a world-class goalie, the NYC Health Department\u2019s job is to\u00a0anticipate\u00a0challenges, block threats, and defend the health of everyone in our city. And the City Council\u00a0leads\u00a0the city\u2019s\u00a0legislative\u00a0attack, looking for gaps in the law to ensure\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0keeping New Yorkers safe.\u00a0Together, through rigorous planning and teamwork, we\u00a0are\u00a0ready\u00a0to protect\u00a0the health of\u00a0New Yorkers,\u00a0and\u00a0our\u00a0millions of\u00a0visitors\u00a0this summer,\u00a0so\u00a0you can focus on\u00a0having fun\u00a0from kickoff to the final whistle.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Keeping ourselves and our families safe is a team sport, which means you also have a role to play.\u00a0And you\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0enjoy the festivities if\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0sidelined by heat stroke or other illnesses.\u00a0Fortunately, these\u00a0and other\u00a0health risks\u00a0are preventable.\u00a0Here are 10\u00a0ways you can\u00a0help\u00a0make sure you have the time of your life and make it home in good health.\u00a0<\/p>\n
#1,\u00a0stay cool. Air conditioning\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0just cool you down. When\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0very hot,\u00a0it\u00a0will help keep you safe. If you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have air conditioning, find a cool place to visit nearby. That could be a\u00a0friend\u2019s apartment, a mall, museum, coffee shop, library, or an\u00a0NYC cooling center.\u00a0If you live in Brownsville, East Harlem, or Tremont, that could also be one our\u00a0our\u00a0Neighbrohood\u00a0Health Action Centers, which were\u00a0recently added as cooling center locations<\/a>.\u00a0Visit\u00a0the\u00a0NYC Cool Options Map\u00a0to\u00a0locate\u00a0nearby places to stay cool.\u00a0\u00a0You can also cool off at parks,\u00a0in\u00a0areas with shade, sprinklers, or pools.\u00a0Take a break in the shade especially during peak heat\u00a0from\u00a011 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dizziness, nausea, or confusion mean\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0time to get out of the sun\u00a0immediately. Call 911 if symptoms are severe.\u00a0<\/p>\n #2,\u00a0stay hydrated.\u00a0Drink water regularly, aiming for at least 8 ounces every hour\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0outside.\u00a0And remember that sweet drinks and alcohol will\u00a0actually dehydrate\u00a0you faster.\u00a0Always make sure\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0getting enough water.\u00a0New York City Parks\u2019\u00a0Cool It! NYC map<\/a>\u00a0can help you\u00a0find places near you to hydrate, refresh, and stay in the shade.\u00a0<\/p>\n #3, dress appropriately.\u00a0Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing and put on sunscreen every two hours.\u00a0This will help keep\u00a0you\u00a0cool and\u00a0protect your skin from the sun.\u00a0Visit\u00a0nyc.gov\/beattheheat<\/a>\u00a0for more health tips.\u00a0<\/p>\n #4, get vaccinated. Ensure you and your family are up to date on routine vaccines before traveling abroad or mixing into large crowds. To find locations throughout NYC that provide vaccination\u00a0services for children and adults, search the\u202fNYC Health Map<\/a>\u202for\u202fcall 311.\u00a0<\/p>\n #5, leave the fireworks to the pros. Consumer fireworks are illegal in NYC. Avoid injuries and fines, kick back,\u00a0and watch the\u00a0free public pyrotechnics<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n #6,\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0forget about your mental health.\u00a0Huge crowds and\u00a0high temperatures\u00a0can be overwhelming. If the stress gets to you, call 988\u00a0or chat online at\u00a0988lifeline.org<\/a>\u00a0for free, confidential, 24\/7\u00a0assistance.\u00a0<\/p>\n #7, watch out for bugs.\u00a0Use insect repellent and wear long sleeves at dawn and dusk to keep mosquitoes at bay, which can carry disease. Prevent tick bites with an EPA-registered\u00a0tick repellent,<\/a>\u00a0and check yourself and your pets for ticks after being in wooded areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n #8,\u00a0If you use drugs or alcohol,\u00a0plan ahead\u00a0and consider creating a safety plan to protect yourself and others from overdose and other harms.\u00a0Naloxone is a safe medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.\u00a0Get\u00a0free\u00a0naloxone in NYC.\u00a0\u00a0<\/a>Visit the\u00a0\u202fAlcohol and Drug Use Services<\/a>\u202fpage for more information.\u00a0<\/p>\n #9, if you have sex, use safer sex strategies\u00a0including\u00a0condoms, \u202fPrEP,\u00a0and emergency PEP\u202fto prevent HIV,\u202fdoxy PEP\u202fto prevent certain STIs, and birth control to prevent pregnancy. Learn more at\u202fnyc.gov\/sexualhealth<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n And #10, make sure\u00a0your\u00a0health\u00a0insurance\u00a0is up to date.\u00a0With upcoming changes to the Essential Plan and Medicaid, many New Yorkers may be unsure of their current coverage or eligibility.\u00a0\u00a0The\u00a0city\u2019s\u00a0health insurance enrollment counselors<\/a>\u00a0can help you enroll or renew your health coverage,\u00a0in addition to\u00a0assisting\u00a0with applying for\u00a0other benefits, like\u00a0SNAP.\u00a0To make the most informed decision about you and your family\u2019s health coverage, speak with an enrollment counselor by calling 311, texting \u201cCoveredNYC\u201d to 55676, or visiting\u00a0nyc.gov\/healthcoverage<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n No matter\u00a0what your summer plans are,\u00a0we want to\u00a0keep your family safe and healthy.\u00a0Now get out there, play hard, and have a great summer.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Lynn Schulman\u00a0represents\u00a0District 29 in the New York City Council and serves as chair of the City Council\u2019s Committee on Health.\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Alister\u00a0F.\u00a0Martin\u00a0is New York City\u2019s Health Commissioner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York City is hosting the biggest, most crowded party in its history over the next few months,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":871181,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,210,115572,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,354484,18374,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-871180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-america","tag-health","tag-health-tips","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-newyork","tag-newyorkcity","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-summer-health-tips","tag-tips","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116759911700975857","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=871180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871180\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/871181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=871180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=871180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=871180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}