Nsikan Akpan appears in the following:
The Brooklyn barber whose home has become a haven for Venezuelan migrants
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
For years, a Bushwick barber has helped Venezuelan immigrants. With the recent influx of asylum-seekers, his assistance is more crucial than ever.
The legacy of 'Sandy cough' and why mold is still a major problem after storms
Thursday, October 20, 2022
NYC faces more frequent intense storms, are we better prepared to fight off mold? Experts say yes, sort of, pointing to recent changes to the law and better awareness among homeowners.
NYC has almost eliminated monkeypox. An NYU biology prof on what the city needs to reach zero
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
As New York City gains control over the monkeypox outbreak, advocates are warning that vulnerable groups still remain at risk.
‘Hard to walk away:’ What Staten Island’s retreat from flood zones can teach NYC homeowners
Thursday, October 13, 2022
After Sandy, more than 500 Staten Islanders took state buyouts rather than stay and rebuild. Their stories carry lessons for city homeowners still threatened by rising sea levels.
A decade after Sandy, volunteer historians restore a Queens neighborhood's lost memories
Thursday, October 06, 2022
The Breezy Point Historical Society was created from the storm’s wreckage to preserve photos, newspapers, and even a long-lost film of Jackie Robinson.
NYC women more likely than men to develop Long COVID: City Council Hearing
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Health experts testified that women are more likely than men to face debilitating Long COVID symptoms that push them out of the workforce.
Army Corps proposes $52 billion storm surge barriers for New York-New Jersey waterways
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
The 14-year construction project would dramatically reshape New York City’s waterfront and be one of the largest infrastructure projects in the area's history.
Plants and satellites can predict flash droughts weeks in advance
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Droughts often take communities by surprise. Environmental engineers have stumbled upon a curious method to predict these disasters before they begin.
Why NYC's fallout shelters won't protect you from nuclear attack
Thursday, September 22, 2022
Fallout shelter signs are the last remnants of an ill-conceived program that was designed to quell the anxieties of Americans who had little faith in the shelters to begin with.
Explained: New York City declares poliovirus a public emergency disaster
Sunday, September 11, 2022
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to Nsikan Akpan, health and science editor at WNYC/Gothamist, about the poliovirus emergecy disaster declaration in New York state.
The inside story of how NYC schools spent $90 million on air purifiers that have stirred controversy
Monday, August 22, 2022
The company that sold 160,000 air purifiers to the Department of Education benefited from a lobbying campaign that reached high into the upper ranks of City Hall.
Polio: How to find your long-lost vaccination records and other FAQs
Monday, August 22, 2022
How do you find your old vaccine records? Is a child protected if they haven't had all their shots? Here’s a guide to facing a polio outbreak in 2022.
Is monkeypox an STI? Why the answer matters for slowing New York’s outbreak
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Labeling monkeypox as a "sexually transmitted infection" could ensure free access to some health care, but the virus doesn't fit the classic definition.
New NYC storm surge map shows how climate change threatens affordable housing, upscale waterfront
Thursday, July 28, 2022
East Harlem continues to repair damage from Hurricane Sandy, as the Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront builds large high-rises in a flood zone where permanent retreat could be necessary.
Rise in violent incidents and injuries force staff to quit at NYC psychiatric ward
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Psychiatric staff at one of New York City’s public hospitals are growing alarmed about high numbers of workplace injuries amid what they describe as an overall atmosphere of violence.
NY and NJ poured millions into new 988 mental health hotline — which could help out-of-staters, too
Friday, July 15, 2022
Starting Saturday, people in crisis will have a new way to reach out for help. But access to the 988 hotline’s services may be limited in some parts of the country.
New York City quietly closed half its COVID testing sites as omicron rebounded this spring
Tuesday, July 05, 2022
A Gothamist analysis of municipal data found that the number of NYC Health + Hospitals testing sites were cut in half citywide from mid-February to mid-April.
What the Supreme Court’s ruling on EPA authority means for air quality and local health
Friday, July 01, 2022
Dr. Cecilia Sorensen, director of Columbia University’s Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education, explains what the ruling could mean for conditions like asthma.
NYS environmental commish on what Supreme Court ruling means for reducing local carbon emissions
Thursday, June 30, 2022
"It puts more of a burden on New York — puts more of a burden on 49 other states."
As NYC enters coronavirus plateau, health officials push for extension of long COVID services
Thursday, June 30, 2022
City doctors say that long COVID can be confusing and sometimes scary — but also that people don’t need to suffer in silence.
