COVID-19, Five Years Later: What We’re Learning About NYC’s Societal Response to Emergencies
Five years ago, the first case of COVID-19 was identified in New York City (NYC). Shortly after, the city was in the midst of an unparalleled crisis, one that would upend daily life, devastate communities, and test our collective resilience. At this inauspicious...
Resilient Futures – Communications: Messaging the Moment
Effective communication is key to mobilizing action on climate change. This session will focus on empowering participants to effectively communicate the urgency of climate change and public health challenges to diverse audiences. Panelists and attendees will:...
16 Students to Lead Arts-Based Public Health Projects with PRI
The New York City Preparedness & Recovery Institute (PRI) is excited to announce that 16 students have been selected to participate in our 2025 summer program exploring creative approaches to public health preparedness and response messaging. This opportunity,...
Prepare. Recover. Invest.
The New York City Pandemic Response Institute (PRI) is a landmark initiative designed to proactively prepare NYC for future public health threats – from infectious disease to climate-related health emergencies. Its mission is to advance racial equity, build resilience, and promote public health preparedness throughout NYC and around the globe.
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A Resource to Secure the Public Health Future of NYC
Through its multisectoral approach, PRI garners involvement from a broad cross-section of New Yorkers and NYC institutions to:
- Strengthen the skills and capacity needed to support a surge in the emergency response workforce.
- Take account of the social determinants of health in addressing racial disparities, promote equity, and improve access to essential services.
- Develop, source and scale tailored health innovations and technologies.
- Enhance community-led data collection and sharing for decision-making.
- Increase system capacity to respond to known and unknown threats.
- Equip organizations and the public with resources to take swift action.
Collaboratively Addressing Public Health Emergencies
The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated longstanding inequities that if left unaddressed will continue to leave people behind during future public health emergencies. Through an award from the New York City Economic Development Corporation, Columbia University is launching PRI with key partner the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy (CUNY SPH) and a consortium of academic, community, government, and corporate partners. In coordination with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and NYC Emergency Management, PRI will work hand-in-hand with New Yorkers in communities across the five boroughs to enhance their capacity to develop locally tailored health solutions, information, and resources to prepare for, respond to, and recover from future health crises.
To Ensure All New Yorkers and Sectors Have:
Access to Health Solutions
Information for Decision-Making
Capacity to Prepare & Respond
A Robust Multisector Partnership
PRI includes diverse partnerships with dozens of nonprofit, community, faith-based, research and corporate entities that responded to COVID-19 across NYC and are committed to PRI’s whole-of-society approach.
Together, this diverse group of contributors brings the necessary resources, expertise, commitment, and vision to the critical task of equipping New York City to prepare and respond to future public health emergencies, and to invest in a more robust infrastructure, resulting in greater health equity among New Yorkers.
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Partnerships
These organizations and businesses provided initial letters of support to PRI.
Non-Profit and Advocacy
Emergency Medicine All Threats (EMAT) Leadership Forum
- Mount Sinai Health System Department of Emergency Medicine;
- NYC Health + Hospitals; Northwell Health; Maimonides Medical Center;
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine / Jacobi and Montefiore Medical Centers
- Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA); and the Covenant House
- Supported by IDEO, a human-centered design agency
EcoHealthAlliance
UnitedWay of NYC
NYC Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC)
Coalition for Behavioral Health
NationalHarmReductionCoalition (NHRC)
Public Policy Lab
Community Organizations
COVID Working Group NY
Founding partners:
- Callen-Lorde Community Health Center
- National Black Leadership Commission on Health (Black Health)
- Prep4All
- Latino Commission on AIDS
- Hispanic Health Network
- Housing Works
- Treatment Action Group (TAG)
Housing Works
HarlemCongregationsforCommunity Improvement (HCCI)
The Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc.
Staten Island Community Organizations Active in Disaster/Medical Ecosystem Coalition
The 400 Foundation
Trauma-Free NYC
Treatment Action Group (TAG)
Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY)
West Harlem Environmental Action (WE ACT)
Business
Amazon, Google, Cepheid, Microsoft, Accenture, KPMG, IDEO, & Applied Memetics (AM)