Good morning and welcome to Monday's New York Health Care newsletter, where we keep you posted on what's coming up this week in health care news, and offer a look back at the important news from last week.

— The Adams administration on Sunday offered to lift mask requirements in public schools and proof of vaccination requirements in indoor settings, pending an evaluation of the data this week.

— “If we see no unforeseen spikes and our numbers continue to show a low level of risk, New York City will remove the indoor mask mandate for public school children, effective next Monday, March 7,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement Sunday afternoon.

— The decision to evaluate existing de Blasio-era policies comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul lifted statewide mask regulations in schools.

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MASK MANDATES — POLITICO’s Shannon Young and Michelle Bocanegra: Students and adults in school buildings will soon no longer be required to wear face coverings in New York state, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Sunday. The mandate for schools and child care facilities will end effective March 2, shortly after many New York students are set to return from midwinter break.

… Beginning today, New York City will end its outdoor mask mandate for public schools, POLITICO’s Madina Touré reports. Individuals will no longer be required to wear masks or face coverings outside on school grounds, Department of Education Chancellor David Banks announced Friday morning.

A NEW ERA — POLITICO’s Amanda Eisenberg: City officials from the health department and the Mayor's Office of Community Mental Health, formerly known as ThriveNYC, gave updates Friday on how the mental health initiative is progressing under the Adams administration.

A MATTER OF TASTE — POLITICO’s Deanna Garcia and Madina Touré report: Vegan Fridays in city schools haven't been a hit so far since there’s been no improvement in the overall food quality in lunchrooms, according to teachers, pupils and elected officials. Critics say they are concerned about whether students will continue to get the nutrients they need during the day given that a number of students are not eating the food. They also questioned whether the DOE is putting enough resources behind the unfunded endeavor to make it appealing to kids’ palates.

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU: This roundup is for you! Send news tips, health tips, ideas, criticisms and corrections to [email protected] and [email protected].

NOW WE KNOW — Women with migraines may be at a higher risk for pregnancy complications, according to the American Academy of Neurology.

TODAY’S TIP — The key to better sleep is making a bedtime schedule and sticking to it, according to CNN.

MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW Amanda @aeis17 and Shannon @ShannonYoung413 on Twitter. And for all New Jersey health news, check out Daniel Han, @danieljhan_.

STUDY THIS — Those who recovered from Covid-19 are more likely to have anxiety or depression, according to Salon.

CONTACT TRACERS REDUCED — POLITICO’s Shannon Young: The state Department of Health has cut its number of contact tracers by more than half — going from more than 5,500 individuals to just under 2,400 as of Friday — amid a continued decline in New York’s Covid-19 cases.

… DOH spokesperson Erin Silk told POLITICO that the reduced number “better matches the current burden of cases in the State” and that “[f]urther evaluation of staff required to maintain this public health effort will happen in conjunction with evaluating statewide case data.”

“With the daily number of new cases reported to NYS averaging approximately 2,800 cases per day over the past 7 days and continuing to decrease, along with changes in contract tracing guidance, the effort is being reduced to match the reduced burden of case investigation and contact tracing,” Silk said in an email, noting that it excludes New York City data. (The cut did not affect New York City’s team of contact tracers.)

‘FAITH FOR FAIR PAY’ — Shannon reports: Congressman Jamaal Bowman joined Bronx elected officials, more than a dozen faith leaders, home care workers and others Friday in urging Albany lawmakers to include “Fair Pay for Home Care” legislation — which would pay home health workers at least $22.50 an hour — in the state budget due next month.

“Gov. Hochul we strongly, strongly urge and strongly, strongly encourage you to do the right thing for the most vulnerable New Yorkers — to do the right thing for an industry that has been neglected for so long,” Bowman said at the afternoon Bronx rally. “Please, let us put our money where it belongs. We cannot have a thriving healthy society if we do not take care of our home care workers.”

The event kicked off the “Faith for Fair Pay” weekend, in which faith leaders will call for fair pay at their places of worship across New York, organizers said. It came just days after 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East launched a statewide campaign to “guarantee fair pay for home care workers” and the NAACP NYS Conference and the Black, Hispanic, Puerto Rican & Asian Legislative Caucus announced support for including “Fair Pay for Home Care” in the budget.

ALBANY AGENDA — Health officials will begin March with a series of public meetings:

The Public Health and Health Planning Council will convene a joint meeting of its Public Health Committee and the Health Planning Committee on Tuesday, followed by its Establishment and Project Review Committee and the full council on Wednesday.

The Early Intervention Coordinating Council and the Department of Health Bureau of Immunization, meanwhile, will both meet on Thursday.

The Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities Prevention Council will wrap up the week with a Friday meeting.

AMID DISPUTE — POLITICO’s Leah Nylen: The Federal Trade Commission’s top economist abruptly quit last week amid internal disagreements over a proposed study into pharmacy benefit managers, three people familiar with the situation said.

PAY UP — The Associated Press reports: “Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and three major distributors finalized nationwide settlements over their role in the opioid addiction crisis Friday, an announcement that clears the way for $26 billion to flow to nearly every state and local government in the U.S.”

CASES DOWN, MASKS OFF — POLITICO’s Erin Banco and Sarah Owermohle: The majority of Americans can now choose to take off their masks in indoor public settings, including in schools, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said data supports state and local officials, schools and businesses in 70 percent of the country updating their guidelines to allow people the option to wear a mask. The move marks a milestone in America’s two-year fight against Covid-19 — one that relied heavily on masks to control the spread of the virus.

OOF — The New York Times reports: “A group founded by the former N.F.L. quarterback Colin Kaepernick started this week to offer free secondary autopsies for families of people who died under 'police-related” circumstances.'

MISINFO — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., among the nation’s most prominent anti-vax voices, causes turbulence inside the storied political family, the New York Times reports.

A FLAWED SYSTEM — The Associated Press reports: “The U.S. transplant system needs an overhaul to stop wasting organs and give more patients a fair chance at the life-saving surgery, says an influential scientific advisory panel that set a five-year deadline to turn things around.”

BAD NEWS — Ukrainian hospitals are running out of oxygen, according to The New York Times.