Council hearing spotlights bill to require epinephrine in schools and child-care centers after child’s death

Council Member Julie Menon and advocates urged the New York City Council Committee on Health to advance Intro. 895, a bill that would require every public, private and charter school and licensed child‑care program in the city to keep two weight‑based epinephrine auto‑injectors on‑site.

The measure was discussed at a committee hearing where Menon recounted a personal emergency that led to a statewide change and Dina Hawthorne, Elijah Alavi’s mother and cofounder of the Elijah Alavi Foundation, testified that her 3‑year‑old son died after a licensed child‑care center failed to recognize anaphylaxis or administer epinephrine.

Intro. 895 would make stock epinephrine mandatory at schools and child‑care programs; backers said standardizing equipment and training would reduce delays in treatment for anaphylaxis and prevent avoidable deaths.

"When we finally got to the emergency room, the doctor said if we would not have had that original EpiPen with me, my son would have died," Menon said during her remarks describing an out‑of‑state incident that spurred her advocacy. Dina Hawthorne testified: "I buried my child over something that was and is preventable," and urged the committee to pass the bill.

Deputy Commissioner Corinne Schiff of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said the department supports efforts to keep children safe but noted that the New York City health code already requires licensed child‑care programs to maintain epinephrine auto‑injectors and train staff. Schiff told the committee the Health Department provides auto‑injectors to city‑regulated sites at no cost and replenishes unexpired supplies.

The department also supplied compliance figures during the hearing: in 2024 inspectors found 55 of about 2,200 licensed child‑care centers (about 2.5%) without two epinephrine auto‑injectors on‑site or with improper storage; 25 centers (about 1.1%) lacked required training documentation.

Advocates and national allergy organizations told the committee that immediate access to epinephrine is the only effective treatment for anaphylaxis and that children sometimes have their first severe allergic reaction in a child‑care or school setting. Supporters urged the city to move from voluntary to mandatory stock epinephrine so all care sites are prepared.

The committee did not take a final vote at the hearing. Members and advocates said they would continue to work with the Health Department and the Elijah Alavi Foundation on implementation details, including training and logistical support.