Contact: Colleen Roche/Brenda Perez (212) 788-2958
Sandra Mullin (DOH) (212) 788-5290
"I want to applaud the excellent work of the City's Department of Health and congratulate them for the recognition they have received," Mayor Giuliani said. New York City continues to lead the fight against tuberculosis nationally and internationally. Much of our recent success comes from the Health Department's aggressive strategies to make sure that every single TB patient is treated until they are cured of the disease. Since 1992, new TB cases have decreased by 55 percent, and cases of multidrug-resistant TB, a potentially deadlier and more difficult to treat form of TB, have decreased by 87 percent. As one of 25 programs selected from a field of over 1,400 nationally, the Health Department's TB Bureau is being deservedly recognized today for its creativity and vigilance in fighting this potentially deadly disease."
Joining the Mayor for the announcement at City Hall were Health Commissioner, Dr. Neal L. Cohen, Dr. Rosa Gil, Special Advisor to the Mayor on Health Policy, Dr. Paula Fujiwara, Assistant Commissioner of the Health Department's Bureau of Tuberculosis Control, and Dr. Patricia Simone, the Chief of Field Services Branch, Division of TB Elimination for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Neal Cohen said, "Earlier this year, we announced a significant decrease in new TB cases for the fifth straight year. The creative management strategy of the Patient Review Approach, together with the Directly Observed Therapy program, which has been recognized globally as an international model for TB control, have contributed to our success in decreasing TB over the past several years. Through these efforts, more TB patients are being given the medication needed to fight the disease, and the support system necessary to complete treatment."
Through the Patient Review Approach, a team of physicians, clinic and field managers and public health professionals work in concert to make sure that patients complete the full treatment of TB drugs over a period of six months to two years. Through quarterly review meetings between all case managers and supervisors, the Patient Review Approach ensures accountability for each patient's care.
The Health Department's Bureau of TB Control carries out several activities in the ongoing fight against TB including treatment at 10 TB chest clinics located throughout New York City, outreach services including the Patient Review Approach, directly observed therapy, epidemiology, and education and training.
The Innovations in American Government Award is funded by The Ford Foundation and administered by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Honoring the top 25 government initiatives that demonstrate success in addressing the nation's most difficult problems, the Awards program encourages replication of these initiatives in other parts of the country. Ten winners will be announced in October in Washington, D.C. Over the 12 years of the Award's existence, New York City programs have won on seven occasions.