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Asthma-related emergency department visits among children ages 5-17 (per 10,000 children) (CY) (preliminary)
Prevent chronic disease by promoting access to health resources and a healthy environment. — Improve preventive health care.
This metric hit a record low during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020), when children's asthma-related ER visits fell because people stayed indoors, reducing exposure to outdoor asthma triggers, and health care utilization patterns shifted generally. As pandemic conditions eased, visits rose for three straight years, though the Health Department notes the rate remains below its pre-pandemic (2019) level and represents a decline over the past 15 years overall.
Researched July 15, 2026 — DOHMH, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 79 | 133.1 |
| FY23 | 134.8 | 133.1 |
| FY24 | 143.7 | 133.1 |
| FY25 | Not available | 133.1 |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available | 133.1 |
Why this is tracked
Under Mayor Bloomberg, NYC's Health Department became a national trendsetter in chronic disease prevention: the 2003 Smoke-Free Air Act banned smoking in bars and restaurants and helped cut the city's smoking rate by more than a quarter within a decade; a 2005 rule made New York the first city to force restaurants to phase out artificial trans fats, a policy the FDA later adopted nationwide; and in 2008 NYC became the first city to require calorie counts on chain restaurant menus. A later attempt to cap sugary-drink sizes was struck down in court, showing the limits of this approach, but the broader strategy of shaping the food and public environment to reduce chronic disease has persisted as a model other cities followed.
CNN - Three Bloomberg policies all of America now lives with, NPR - New York City's Bloomberg Leaves Mixed Results On Health
Source: New York State Department of Health, Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) — via NYC Open Data: Mayor's Management Report, Agency Performance Indicators
Coverage shown: FY22–FY26, reported annually.
Definition: The number of asthma-related emergency department visits among children ages 5-17 (per 10,000 children). Data is preliminary and by calendar year. The MMR reports data from the previous calendar year (i.e. FY24 = CY23). Because of this, MMR data through June FY24 accounts for CY23 data through December.