Mayor De Blasio announces plans for city’s first pandemic response institute

New York: Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)on April 15 released a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking partners to launch and operate the Pandemic Response Institute (PRI), a new institution dedicated to preparing New York City for future pandemics and public health emergencies. The Institute is part of an ongoing vision, outlined in Mayor de Blasio’s State of the City address, to make New York City the public health capital of the world.

Supported by a commitment of $20 million in City funds, the PRI will work to make the best aspects of New York City’s response to COVID-19 permanent, while addressing gaps in health infrastructure for the future – especially those that have disproportionately caused harm to communities of color and others facing structural inequities.

“New York City is determined to do more than recover from COVID-19. We will become the public health capital of the world – and ensure that no matter what the future holds for us, our city can mobilize immediately to keep New Yorkers safe,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The PRI will drive innovation, expand our life science capacity, and create job opportunities to drive a recovery for all of us.”

“Investing in New York City’s public health infrastructure will steel the city against future health emergencies and supercharge our economic recovery,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been“Establishing the Pandemic Response Institute is a core component of this approach, and we look forward to the responses from potential operators of this space.”

The PRI, which will commence operations this year, will convene and coordinate City agencies, communities, industry, and academia to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from future public health emergencies. 

Image courtesy of (Image courtesy: newyorker.com)

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