Mamdani: NYC to Spend $20M on Bronx Kids with Asthma

In New York City, the Bronx neighborhood of Mott Haven has so many children with chronic asthma — caused in part by air pollution from industrial development and traffic from two major freeways — that it’s regularly called “Asthma Alley.”  

But Mayor Zorhan Mamdani and New York City’s health department on Tuesday announced a plan to help those children breathe easier.  

To mark World Asthma Day, the mayor declared the city will invest $20 million to improve childhood asthma treatment for families in the Bronx. The money comes from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s congestion pricing traffic control plan, in which most drivers pay hefty tolls to enter the city’s downtown during peak times. 

Environmental Justice

“New Yorkers are already benefitting from congestion pricing, and now we’re taking it a step further by investing those funds to improve asthma outcomes for children in the Bronx,” Mamdani said. “Every New Yorker deserves to breathe cleaner air. This initiative puts public health front and center as we build a cleaner, healthier city.”

Dr. Alister Martin, New York City’s health commissioner, said the plan will help Bronx children become as healthy as their peers.

“Asthma rates for children in the Bronx have decreased in the past 15 to 20 years, but remain concerningly high in parts of the Bronx,” he said. “This critical funding will continue and accelerate that improvement in children’s respiratory health through environmental justice initiatives like these.”

Globally, asthma affects over 260 million people and is responsible for roughly 450,000 deaths annually. In the U.S., Black children are disproportionately more likely to be diagnosed with the condition than white children — particularly if they live in densely populated, low-income urban neighborhoods like Mott Haven.

High Childhood Asthma Rates

Across New York City, the number of children visiting emergency rooms for asthma-related conditions fell between 2009 and 2024. In that 15-year period, there was a 38% decrease citywide, but only a 25% decrease in the Bronx. This means children ages 5 to 17 who live there still have more ER visits than their peers in the city’s other boroughs. 

The problem is particularly acute in Mott Haven, a neighborhood bordered by Interstates 87 and 278 and home to an industrial warehouse park where trucks come and go. The community, which is predominantly Black and Latino, has 17 public housing developments, a 35% poverty rate, and a median household income of around $36,000. 

The rate of asthma-related emergency room visits for children ages 5 to 17 in Mott Haven is almost double the national average, which means it has some of the highest rates of asthma-related emergency room visits in the U.S.

System Upgrades

Under the plan, families in the Bronx will get some assistance from the city to help fight childhood asthma. 

A total of $8.9 million will go to the Bronx Asthma Program for community-based asthma support programming. Another $11.1 million will be used to expand the city’s Asthma Case Management Program, which will provide intensive support, including in-school medication administration and classes to teach students with asthma and their families how to manage the respiratory condition. 

The funding will also be used to replace paper forms with an electronic process that families and health providers currently use to request asthma medication administration forms. These forms allow children to receive or carry asthma medication, such as a rescue inhaler. This is expected to be in place before the 2026-27 school year. 

Congestion Pricing Payoff

Mamdani’s announcement also underscores the benefit of congestion pricing, a controversial plan to reduce gridlock, increase pedestrian safety, and improve air quality. After months of heated debate — and attempts by President Donald Trump, a former New Yorker, to shut down the plan — New York City launched its congestion pricing in January 2025, which charges most passenger vehicles a $9 toll to enter lower Manhattan.  

To date, $100 million generated from congestion pricing has been directed to support projects in neighborhoods with high rates of environmental pollution, climate change-related damage, and pollution-related health concerns.

“Congestion pricing has been a win-win: fewer cars, safer streets, and better quality of life,” said Dr. Martin.

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