\u00a0\u201cAsthma rates for children in the Bronx have decreased in the past 15 to 20 years, but remain concerningly high in parts of the Bronx,\u201d said NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cThis critical funding will continue and accelerate that improvement in children\u2019s respiratory health through environmental justice initiatives like these. Congestion pricing has been a win-win: fewer cars, safer streets, and better quality of life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The investment will be split between two major initiatives: $8.9 million for the Bronx Asthma Program, which supports community-based outreach and education, and $11.1 million to expand the city\u2019s Asthma Case Management Program.<\/p>\n
The case management program provides in-school support for students with asthma, including medication administration, care coordination and self-management education for families. Fifteen additional Bronx schools are expected to join the program.<\/p>\n
Officials also said the funding will help modernize how families submit asthma medication forms, creating an electronic system expected to be in place before the 2026\u201327 school year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReducing air pollution has always been one of the core parts of New York\u2019s Congesting Pricing program,\u201d said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThe data shows it\u2019s already succeeding, and now we\u2019re taking the next step by using revenues to fund improvements for Bronx residents.\u201d\u00a0
\n![\"Founding](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_4853-e1778100092603.jpg\")
Founding member Mychal Johnson presents the findings of a two-year long air quality study in the South Bronx, showing PM2.5 concentrations have increased in 13 air quality monitors.Photo by Keke Grant-Floyd\n<\/p>\n
South Bronx Unite study findings<\/p>\n
But just miles away in the South Bronx, environmental activists say data from the ground paints a much more grim picture.\n<\/p>\n
At a press conference near the Third Avenue Bridge, members of South Bronx Unite released findings from a two-year air quality study conducted in partnership with researchers from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.<\/p>\n
Analyzing data from 19 air monitors across the South Bronx between January 2024 and December 2025, researchers found that 13 recorded increases in PM2.5\u2014fine particulate matter linked to asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Overall, average PM2.5 concentrations increased by 0.22 micrograms per cubic meter following the implementation of congestion pricing.<\/p>\n
For years, South Bronx Unite has sounded the alarm about air quality in the South Bronx, often referred to as \u201cAsthma Alley\u201d because of its disproportionately high asthma rates and concentration of highways, warehouses and truck traffic.<\/p>\n
They argue that the city\u2019s congestion pricing program \u2014intended to reduce traffic, fund public transit improvements and cut emissions\u2014 has instead redirected more traffic<\/a> through the South Bronx as drivers attempt to avoid tolls when entering Manhattan.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile it was relatively clear that the congestion pricing policy would result in air quality improvements in the congestion pricing zone, there was concern that this would not be the case in the surrounding areas such as the South Bronx,\u201d said Dr. Markus Hilpert, an associate professor at Columbia\u2019s Mailman School of Public Health.<\/p>\n The most significant increase \u20141.29 micrograms per cubic meter\u2014 was recorded outside South Bronx Unite\u2019s office in Mott Haven, located between the Third Avenue Bridge and the Major Deegan Expressway, a heavily trafficked truck corridor.<\/p>\n South Bronx Unite co-founder Mychal Johnson said the MTA should work directly with community groups and take neighborhood-level monitoring seriously.\n<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s discuss what we should be doing together and understand that the problem here cannot be solved with peanuts or crumbs,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cIt has to be intentional measures that\u2019s going to reduce the burden our community has suffered for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re willing to share, we\u2019re willing to talk,\u201d he added. \u201cWe want them to really look at the science and look at real measures in which we can deter and create changes that we need with research-driven solutions,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n Reach Marina Samuel at\u00a0msamuel@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and Instagram!<\/a><\/p>\n