Public Health
By spreading proven public health measures, we can save millions of lives every year.
Some of the world’s most common causes of death are preventable. Tobacco use, road crashes, drowning, and obesity claim millions of lives each year. On these and other major public health challenges, we increasingly know what measures work to save lives and prevent illnesses – and the right resources go a long way in helping those measures spread. By helping local and national governments identify and apply effective strategies, we are making major progress.
Building on his experience managing public health crises as mayor of New York City, since the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic Mike worked to bring together and support a wide range of partners in response to COVID-19.
Timeline
2024
March 2024
The Invisible Shield, a new four-part documentary series from RadicalMedia made possible by Bloomberg Philanthropies began airing and streaming on PBS, revealing how the field of public health has saved countless lives in the U.S., protecting people from the constant threat of disease and increasing lifespans.
March 2024
Taking place in Cape Town, South Africa March 5th to 8th, the second annual Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit convened public health leaders from more than 50 cities across the globe to discuss how to individually and collectively strengthen the response to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries.
2023
September 2023
The World Health Organization (WHO) released its first-ever report on the devastating global impact of high blood pressure, along with recommendations on the ways to win the race against this silent killer. Mike serves as WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries.
March 2023
Global Mayors and Delegates Gather in London for First-of-its-Kind Summit on Creating Healthier Cities Worldwide
February 2023
Bloomberg Philanthropies Commits Additional $420 Million to Reduce Tobacco Use Globally
2022
December 2022
Bloomberg American Health Summit Highlights Practical Solutions to Public Health Issues Threatening U.S. Life Expectancy
July 2022
Bloomberg Philanthropies Invests Additional $115 Million in Resolve to Save Lives To Continue Preventing Deaths from Heart Disease
2021
November 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has made the overdose epidemic significantly worse. Bloomberg Philanthropies is expanding the Overdose Prevention Initiative in 5 new states - Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina and Wisconsin - and will continue its support in Michigan and Pennsylvania.
May 2021
As mayors around the world grapple with implementing equitable COVID-19 vaccination programs for their citizens, Bloomberg Philanthropies provides grants to 18 cities in low- and middle-income countries to support their planning for vaccine distribution rollouts with an emphasis on reaching high-risk populations.
April 2021
Bloomberg Philanthropies Commits Over $6 Million to Increase Mobile Unit COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts by America’s Four Historically Black Medical Schools in Black Communities.
February 2021
Mike Bloomberg and WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus call for global focus on noncommunicable diseases to save lives from COVID-19.
2020
March 2020
As the coronavirus pandemic grows, Mike steps forward to help low- and middle-income countries. With Resolve to Save Lives and the World Health Organization, the $40 million Bloomberg Philanthropies Coronavirus Global Response Initiative focuses on preventing or slowing the spread of the virus, especially in African nations.
February 2020
Building on the success of 12 years of investment in global road safety, Bloomberg Philanthropies is doubling its support and committing another $240 million for the next five years to save 600,000 more lives and prevent up to 22 million injuries in low- and middle-income countries around the world.
2019
December 2019
Tokyo becomes the newest city to join the Bloomberg Philanthropies Partnership for Healthy Cities as part of an expansion from 54 participating cities to 70. The initiative is a global network of cities, each committed to achieving one of 14 health interventions proven to save lives from reducing sugary drink consumption to increasing helmet use.
October 2019
Bloomberg Philanthropies announced an additional $120 million in funding over four years to expand its Data for Health initiative, which will support developing nations efforts to strengthen the quality of their birth and death registrations and use of that data by decision makers.
September 2019
Bloomberg Philanthropies launches an initiative Protect Kids: Fight Flavored E-Cigarettes in partnership with Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids to end flavored e-cigarette sales & combat the youth e-cig epidemic.
March 2019
In 2018 Bloomberg Philanthropies unveiled a $50 million plan to provide resources and expertise to help the states hit hardest by opioid overdose deaths develop and implement comprehensive public health strategies. Pennsylvania was selected as the first, and today Michigan will be the second.
2018
November 2018
The initiative, with partners Vital Strategies, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the CDC Foundation, will help combat the U.S. opioid epidemic in up to 10 states over the next 3 years, starting with Pennsylvania.
November 2018
Mike Bloomberg joined 350 leaders from the public health sector to deliver keynote address at the Inaugural Bloomberg American Health Initiative in Washington D.C.
November 2018
Mike Bloomberg joined Jackson, MS Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba to announce the city a Bloomberg Philanthropies 2018 Public Art Challenge winner. Jackson will receive up to $1 million for “Fertile Ground,” which will use art to explore food access.
August 2018
Bloomberg Philanthropies announced The University of Bath, The Global Centre for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC), and International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) have been selected to collectively direct a new global tobacco industry watchdog group: STOP.
June 2018
San Francisco voters pass Prop E, upholding a ban on sales of flavored tobacco. Mike Bloomberg contributed $1.8 million to the effort to ensure that local public health voices are heard.
May 2018
Mike Bloomberg announces that for the first time in history, noncommunicable diseases are killing more people than communicable diseases are worldwide. As World Health Organization Global Ambassador for NCDs, Mike Bloomberg announces his support for the 71st World Health Assembly.
May 2018
The World Health Organization and Resolve to Save Lives announce a six-step action package called REPLACE, which aims to eliminate industrially-produced trans-fat from the food supply by 2030.
May 2018
Since Bloomberg Philanthropies started the Data for Health Initiative, participating countries have collected better data on more than one million deaths.
April 2018
Mike Bloomberg attends the International Monetary Fund’s Spring Meetings and meets with Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, about how the government and the finance industry can work together and save lives.
March 2018
Mike Bloomberg announces a $20 million investment to form, STOP, a new global watchdog group that complements existing efforts in identifying deception created by the tobacco industry.
February 2018
Led by the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, a FORECAST study discusses low-tech, low-cost test strips that show promise for reducing fentanyl overdoses – which were responsible for approximately 20,000 overdose deaths last year.
2017
September 2017
Resolve, a groundbreaking new global health initiative funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiativ
e, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched today under the leadership of Dr. Tom Frieden.
September 2017
Resolve, a groundbreaking new global health initiative and the first to be funded by three leading philanthropies – Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – launched under the leadership of Dr. Tom Frieden.
January 2017
In collaboration with the Tanzanian government, Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Data for Health partners commissioned a policy paper on how fees deter birth and death registration. As a direct result, Tanzania waived birth registration fees for those under the age of 18.
2016
December 2016
Accurate cause of death data is critical to informing public health policies and priorities. Of the 18 Data for Health countries, 9 are already using the international standard death certificate and now Malawi, the Solomon Islands, Bangladesh, Ghana, and Morocco can be added to that list.
December 2016
Bloomberg Philanthropies commits an additional $360 million to global anti-tobacco efforts, bringing Mike Bloomberg’s total giving on tobacco control to nearly $1 billion and builds on ten years of work. The grant supports evidence-based policies in low and middle-income countries.
December 2016
Ukraine increases tobacco taxation by 40%, through support from our partners, with an anticipated consumption decrease of 10% in tobacco because of the tax increase.
December 2016
With the power of paint, planters and over 100 people working together, the LeGare Intersection in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was significantly transformed to ensure road safety at one of the city’s most dangerous intersections.
November 2016
The Shanghai People’s Congress Standing Committee adopted Amended Regulations on Smoking Control in Public Places, banning smoking in indoor public places, work places, public transport and outdoor areas of public places, like middle schools and children hospitals.
November 2016
San Francisco, Oakland, and Albany, California; Boulder, CO and Cook County, IL pass new tax on sugary beverages with overwhelming majority support.
October 2016
Mike Bloomberg donates $25 million through Bloomberg Philanthropies to end polio globally. The donation, Bloomberg’s second contribution to polio eradication, will support the work of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
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Bloomberg Philanthropies to donate additional $25 million to end polio, bringing the total polio investment to $125 million since 2013.
2016
September 2016
Bloomberg Philanthropies announced $300 million gift to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to create the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, supporting training and research in public health and focusing on drug addiction, obesity, gun violence, adult health and the environment.
August 2016
Margaret Chan, the WHO Director, names Mike Bloomberg as Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injury Prevention. Through this work, Bloomberg and WHO will support the attainment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
August 2016
As part of the Data for Health initiative, Peru has launch digital birth and death records.
July 2016
Bloomberg Philanthropies contributes to this movement through the Rapid Response Mechanism.
June 2016
Bloomberg Philanthropies announces the first 18 partner countries to receive critical technical assistance and funding for new tools and systems to help nations gather accurate data about the health of their citizens.
May 2016
The US FDA announces a ban on the sale of e-cigarettes to minors and declares its intention to ban flavored cigarettes, which both disproportionately harm young people.
April 2016
Bloomberg grantee SaveLife Foundation successfully advocated for the Good Samaritan Law, which protects bystanders from legal hassles if they provide care to road traffic victims.
March 2016
Alongside Vice President Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg commits to creating the new Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. The Institute will work toward advancing our understanding of the biology of cells, hoping to harness the body’s immune system against cancer.
March 2016
Prior to this milestone, just 7% of all births were registered and 4% of deaths in Zambia. Through the Data for Health initiative, the first cadre of death coders have been trained so that births and deaths are systematically coded for the first time in Zambian history.
January 2016
Global partners in the fight against obesity meet formally in New York for the first time to focus on expanded implementation and share best practices from their work in Mexico.
2015
September 2015
In partnership with the Australian government, Bloomberg Philanthropies launches Data for Health, a $100 million initiative that will enable 20 low and middle income countries to improve public health data collection, used to prioritize health challenges and measure success.
March 2015
Mike Bloomberg and Bill Gates announce the launch of the Anti-Tobacco Trade Litigation Fund, a new joint effort to combat the tobacco industry’s use of international trade agreements to threaten and prevent countries from passing strong tobacco-control laws.
March 2015
Bloomberg Philanthropies hosts the third Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control during the World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH) in Abu Dhabi. The event recognizes six middle- and low-income countries for momentous strides in combatting the tobacco epidemic.
2014
December 2014
Family Planning 2020 releases its first four grants through the Rapid Response Mechanism, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies. These grants fund catalytic opportunities in Uganda, Burkina Faso, Pakistan, and Honduras.
December 2014
A comprehensive Obesity Prevention Bill, including strong marketing, school food, and labeling regulations supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ partners is presented in the Mexican Senate for consideration.
December 2014
As part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Global Road Safety program, partners and local governments assess over 12,400 miles of high-risk roads in India, China, Brazil, Egypt and Russia.
November 2014
With support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and its partners, Beijing, China enacts a smoke-free law, covering 11.5 million people from second-hand smoke. Bloomberg Philanthropies has supported work in China since 2007.
November 2014
Independence USA invests in an advertising campaign to tax sugar-sweetened beverages in Berkeley, California leading up to the midterm elections. The measure was supported by 75% of voters and was a big victory for public health.
November 2014
The World Health Organization releases a Bloomberg Philanthropies-funded Global Report on Drowning, calling for a substantial scaling-up of efforts and resources to prevent drowning and outlines actions to be taken by both national policy-makers and local communities.
September 2014
Bloomberg Philanthropies joins the Government of Tanzania, Kigoma region, and EngenderHealth to open a new satellite blood facility – the first in the Kigoma region, where the Bloomberg Philanthropies Maternal Health Project operates.
September 2014
A preliminary evaluation conducted by the University of North Carolina and Mexico’s National Institute of Public Health shows the tax on sugary drinks in Mexico has resulted in a decline in purchases of sugary drinks and an increase in purchases of water.
July 2014
The UN Foundation, host of Family Planning 2020 (FP 2020), launches a Bloomberg Philanthropies-supported Rapid Response Mechanism to provide grants for urgent needs and catalytic opportunities in any of the 69 FP 2020 focus countries.
June 2014
Mike Bloomberg travels to Turkey to meet with Turkey President Tayyip Erdoğan. The two discuss Turkey’s progress and strategies in reducing road traffic fatalities and tobacco use.
May 2014
In a ceremony in Jerusalem, Mike Bloomberg dedicates a new torah scroll in memory of his parents, William and Charlotte Bloomberg. The scroll resides at MDA’s William H. Bloomberg Emergency Medical Station in Jerusalem.
March 2014
Mike Bloomberg receives the Global Citizen Award from Planned Parenthood for his support in strengthening reproductive rights and improving women’s health around the world.
March 2014
Bloomberg Philanthropies launches a three-pronged investment strategy to Family Planning 2020, including advocacy grants in Nicaragua, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Uganda, a rapid-response grant program, and comprehensive reproductive health services in Tanzania.
March 2014
Organizations in Uganda and Vietnam receive Bloomberg Philanthropies grants for programs targeting water safety and use of life jackets around Lake Victoria in Uganda and providing swimming lessons to 1,000 school-aged children in Vietnam.
February 2014
Bloomberg Philanthropies announces support to test two drowning prevention interventions among 80,000 children ages 1-4 in Bangladesh. The strategy includes locally manufactured playpens and community daycare centers that provide child supervision.
January 2014
Bloomberg Philanthropies funds the Road Safety Grants Program to strengthen the capacity of non-governmental organizations to advocate for improvements in road safety policy and actions to reduce deaths and injuries from road crashes. The program provides grants to 26 organizations in 8 countries.
January 2014
In preparation for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, Bloomberg Philanthropies funds road safety audits of Rio de Janeiro’s TransOeste and TransCarioca bus rapid transit corridors. Recommendations from the audits saved lives by reducing crashes and increasing pedestrian physical activity.
2013
December 2013
Mayor Bloomberg signs into law a bill that expands the NYC Smoke-Free Air Act to include electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes. This new measure discourages the use of the unregulated nicotine delivery devices and supports the enforcement of smoke-free laws.
December 2013
Mayor Bloomberg and
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly announce that 2013 saw the fewest homicides and shootings in recorded City history. Homicides have fallen nearly 50%, shootings are down by 32%, and overall crime is down 32% since 2001.
November 2013
Mayor Bloomberg signs bills to curb cigarette tax evasion and raise the legal age to sell tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to 21, which will prevent young people from experimenting with tobacco when they are most likely to become addicted.
October 2013
The Mexican government passes a groundbreaking tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. Previously, President Enrique Peña Nieto publically acknowledged the link between soda consumption and obesity and proposed a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in his first fiscal reform package.
July 2013
The results of a Bloomberg Philanthropies-funded global tobacco control report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that 2.3 billion people are covered by at least one effective tobacco control measure, an increase from the 1 billion covered in 2008.
June 2013
Mayor Bloomberg and Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan introduce the WalkNYC wayfinding program, the first ever citywide system of pedestrian signs, providing a much-needed navigational tool for New Yorkers and visitors across the boroughs.
May 2013
New York City firefighters begin using the Risk Based Inspection System application – the first of its kind in the nation – to improve the Department’s building inspection program by focusing on structures that pose the greatest fire risk.
May 2013
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ partners launch the “12 spoonfuls of sugar” campaign in Mexico, to bring attention to the large amounts of sugar in soda. The campaign won a national award for its impact.
May 2013
Citi Bike launches as the nation’s largest bike share system. The program has seen more than 855,000 bikers take more than 15 million trips and travel more than 26 million miles as of January 2015. More than 470 lane miles of bike lanes were added during the Bloomberg administration.
March 2013
Mayor Bloomberg announces the “Tobacco Product Display Restriction” bill – the first in the nation to keep tobacco products out of sight in retail stores with the goal of further reducing the youth smoking rate.
March 2013
The World Health Organization releases the second Global Status Report on Road Safety, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. This report reaffirms road traffic injuries and fatalities as a global health issue.
January 2013
With support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and its partners, Vietnam passes tobacco control legislation, including strong smoke-free and advertising ban regulations.
2012
October 2012
Mike Bloomberg joins Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and Helen Agerup of Fondation H&B Agerup at the United Nations to bring attention to maternal mortality in Tanzania and to announce a renewed commitment to Bloomberg Philanthropies’ program.
September 2012
New York City Board of Health approves a measure – championed by Mayor Bloomberg – to ban the sale of large sugary drinks in restaurants and other venues. The measure was a catalyst for other national and international efforts to curb soda consumption.
July 2012
Mike Bloomberg announces a $50 million commitment to Family Planning 2020 (FP2020), a global collaboration to ensure that women in the developing countries have access to family planning information, contraceptives, and services by 2020.
June 2012
Bloomberg Philanthropies launches an obesity prevention program in Mexico to support local stakeholders to promote policies, including restrictions on marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children and taxes on sugary beverages.
April 2012
A preliminary evaluation conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that Bloomberg Philanthropies’ investment contributed to a 32% reduction in maternal mortality in one district of Tanzania.
April 2012
Mike Bloomberg unveils the Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children’s Center, a state-of-the-art treatment facility at the Johns Hopkins Hospital building named in honor of his late mother. The high-tech facility’s design enhances the level of care, comfort and privacy of its patients.
February 2012
Mike Bloomberg announces an urgent $250,000 matching grant to Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) after a major funder discontinued most of its grants to PPFA for breast cancer screening.
January 2012
Mayor Bloomberg announces for the first time in city history, 911 emergency call takers and dispatchers from the NYPD, FDNY and Emergency Medical Dispatch services are located on the same floor and operating on the same technology, improving inter-agency communications and emergency response.
2011
December 2011
Mayor Bloomberg announces that 2011 is the safest year on New York City streets in a century. With the pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly redesign of 137 corridors and 113 intersection citywide, the seven years from 2007-2013 ranked as the seven safest in city history.
November 2011
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention releases 14-country Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) papers funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
November 2011
Bloomberg Philanthropies
releases a five-year progress report on the global effort to reduce tobacco led by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. Partners of the initiative also release the first searchable database of tobacco control laws.
October 2011
In honor of his late father, Mayor Bloomberg dedicates the William H. Bloomberg MDA Jerusalem Station, a new emergency medical service station. The Mayor’s father played a formative role in his philanthropy, teaching him the values of giving back and fighting injustice.
June 2011
Bloomberg Philanthropies convenes a group of 20 national and international obesity prevention experts to help formulate a response to the global obesity epidemic.
May 2011
With support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and its partners, Harbin City, China passes a pioneering smoke-free legislation. 3.5 million people are now protected from second-hand smoke in Harbin City.
May 2011
China stiffens drinking and driving penalties, with the passage of a zero tolerance law. China is one of ten countries supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ $125 million program to reduce road traffic fatalities and injuries.
February 2011
Mayor Bloomberg signs into law a ban on smoking in New York City’s 1,700 parks and 14 miles of public beaches. Smoking also becomes prohibited in pedestrian plazas like Times Square.
January 2011
Bloomberg Philanthropies upgrades and equips 10 remote health centers in Tanzania and provides training in emergency obstetric care for over 100 non-physician clinicians.
2010
September 2010
Through technical support and guidance, Bloomberg Philanthropies helps support a new law that passes in Guadalajara, Mexico to reduce legal blood alcohol content from .15% to .05%.
July 2010
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene begins requiring restaurants to post letter grades summarizing their sanitary inspection scores.
April 2010
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ partners organize a media campaign to galvanize youth against tobacco sponsorship, which results in singer and songwriter Kelly Clarkson dropping tobacco sponsorship for her Jakarta, Indonesia concert.
January 2010
Bloomberg Philanthropies launches a five-year program to reduce road traffic fatalities and injuries in 10 countries that make up half of the annual 1.24 million road traffic fatalities starting in Cambodia, Mexico, and Vietnam, and later expanding to Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Kenya, Russia, and Turkey.
June 2010
The first Global Status Report on Road Safety, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies examines 128 countries for their road traffic fatalities and injuries, and reveals that 80% of fatalities occur in low- and middle-income countries.
2009
March 2009
Mayor Bloomberg hosts the first-ever Bloomberg Awards for Global Tobacco Control at the World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Mumbai.
2008
July 2008
Bloomberg Philanthropies joins forces with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with a commitment of $125 million to advance the MPOWER interventions in China, India, Southeast Asia and Africa.
April 2008
New York City’s Department of Health launches its annual smoking cessation program which distributes free nicotine patches to those trying to quit and new hard-hitting ads to encourage New Yorkers to quit smoking.
February 2008
The World Health Organization releases the Bloomberg Philanthropies-funded Global Tobacco Control Report, which is a first-ever report systematically measuring tobacco control policy implementation worldwide and announces MPOWER framework.
January 2008
First commissioned report funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies on country-specific tobacco economics released. In total, 15 tobacco economics reports have been released.
January 2008
In Turkey, the first smoke-free law passes (2008-2009). Bloomberg Philanthropies’ partners provided support to Turkey in planning for the smoke-free law and have since provided support to help ensure that the law is enforced.
2007
December 2007
With support from Bloomberg Philanthropies Road Safety program, Vietnam passes a mandatory helmet law, requiring all motorcycle drivers and passenger to wear a helmet. Helmet wearing rates increase from 40% before the law, to more than 90%.
September 2007
The first Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health leadership program begins. As of 2013, this program is now in its 7th year and nearly 600 people from dozens of countries have attended the two-week training.
September 2007
New York City’s Department of Transportation builds the nation’s first protected bike lane on Ninth Avenue in Manhattan, the first of 30 miles of protected lanes and nearly 400 total miles of on-street bike lanes installed in just seven years.
January 2007
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ subgrants to in-country organizations and governments begin as part of the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use Grants Program, supporting non-profits and governments in more than 60 low-and middle-income countries in improving tobacco control efforts.
January 2007
With support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the World Lung Foundation releases a set of the best anti-tobacco mass media campaigns for worldwide use. To date, 30 countries have aired 144 campaigns and many more have accessed the best-practice anti-tobacco mass media materials.
2006
December 2006
New York City becomes the first city to require restaurants and food vendors to eliminate the use of artificial trans fats, which have been linked to heart disease and obesity, and for fast food restaurants to post calorie counts of all food items on menus.
November 2006
Bloomberg Philanthropies announces $125 million Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use grant to five key partner organizations will implement the initiative, coordinate activities and providing grants to other organizations to promote freedom from smoking.
July 2006
Mayor Bloomberg passes and advocates for tougher city and state gun laws, including legislation to create a gun offender registry, require city gun dealers to conduct inventory checks, and ban coloration kits that make guns look like toys.
April 2006
Mayor Bloomberg, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, and 13 other mayors co-found Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan coalition dedicated to common-sense measures that will keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.
January 2006
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in a program to prevent maternal deaths in Tanzania focused on increasing access to emergency obstetric care by training non-physicians to deliver care and upgrading health centers.
2005
July 2005
Mayor Bloomberg opens New York City’s first Family Justice Center located in downtown Brooklyn. At the Center, community partners and government agencies provide an array of necessary services to domestic violence victims.
2003
March 2003
The Smoke-Free Air Act (SFAA) of 2002 goes into effect, protecting the health of New Yorkers against the harmful effects of secondhand smoke by making virtually all workplaces smoke-free.
2002
December 2002
Mayor Bloomberg signs the Smoke Free Air Act (SFAA) of 2002, which protects the health of New York City workers against the harmful effects of secondhand smoke by making virtually all workplaces, including bars and restaurants, smoke free.
July 2002
In an effort to reduce smoking in New York City, Mayor Bloomberg signs legislation to raise taxes on cigarettes. Cigarettes in New York City now have the highest price in the nation.
2000
January 2000
The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) launches and calls for a 75% reduction in maternal mortality by 2015.