May 02, 2020
Dear Community,
Happy National Nurses Day! It goes
without saying that nurses are our guiding light in the darkness of this
pandemic. Thank you for everything you
do to protect New Yorkers, and the sacrifices you make each day. Today, we
honor your contributions. Tomorrow, we must continue the fight for your rights,
safe-staffing, and fair wages.
As New York continues to look to
recovery and the future, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a new
Blue Ribbon Commission tasked with reimagining the role of technology in our
healthcare system and economy. This
commission will focus on improving telehealth, expanding broadband access, and
better integrating technology across the state. Governor Cuomo appointed Eric
Schmidt, the former CEO and Executive Chair of Google, to lead the effort.
Michael Dowling, the President and CEO of Northwell Health, will also be
leading an effort to improve New York’s public health system to better prepare
for future health crises.
New York State has begun collecting
more detailed data about individuals hospitalized for COVID to improve our
understanding of where new cases are coming from and allow the state to
finetune strategies to stem future infections. Today, Governor Cuomo announced the results of new
hospitalization data collected over the past three days. Overwhelmingly,
individuals recently admitted to the hospital for COVID were not traveling or
leaving their homes, and were not working as essential employees. The majority
of individuals were people of color and over the age of 50.
Today, Mayor de Blasio announced additional details
about New York City’s sector advisory councils. These councils will bring together different stakeholders
and perspectives from diverse neighborhoods and backgrounds to advise the
Mayor’s office on reopening and the needs of each sector. These councils will
cover the following sectors: Labor and Workforce, Large Business, Small
Business, Arts, Culture, and Entertainment, Faith, Construction and Real
Estate, Nonprofits and Social Services, Public Health and Healthcare, Education
and Vocational Training, and Surface Transportation. Mayor de Blasio announced the members of the
first set of the councils today, members will be announced shortly for the
remaining councils.
Effective yesterday, the New York
City subway will close every night between 1:00am-5:00am to facilitate the
disinfection of the entire fleet of subway cars. As part of this
effort, the New York City Department of Social Services (DSS) and NYPD will
conduct outreach each night to individuals experiencing homelessness who are on
the subway when it closes. Last night, DSS was able to work with 139
individuals who accepted services to move them to shelters or other
housing.
Election Update: Last month the State Board of Elections (BOE) voted to
cancel the Democratic Presidential Primary. Yesterday, a federal judge reversed that decision, and
ruled that New York State must hold its Democratic Presidential Primary and
reinstate all qualifying candidates on the ballot. The BOE has indicated
that it will appeal the decision. Please note, it is likely this situation will
continue to evolve. I will update you as there are new developments.
Update on Open Streets Program: Mayor de Blasio announced 40 new miles of streets that
will be open to pedestrians and cyclists beginning tomorrow, May 7th. These
include new partnerships with Business Improvement Districts who will help
facilitate certain open streets. In the Bronx, the city is partnering with the
3rd Avenue BID to open Willis Avenue between 147th and 148th streets, and 148th
street between Willis and Bergen Avenue. You can find the full list and hours
of open streets here.
Updates for the American Heart
Association: AHA has put together a resource page on COVID-19, with specific
information for individuals with heart conditions. As a reminder, you should
still call 911 if you have a medical emergency.
Face Covering Distribution Sites: New York City is continuing to give out free face
coverings across the five boroughs. I have been advocating for expanded
locations in the East Bronx, including two of these locations below. Note,
face coverings are given out on a first come first serve basis.
- Haffen Park at Gunter Avenue between Hammersley Avenue and Burke Avenue: 5/7 from 10am-noon
- Van Cortlandt Park at the 242nd Street Entrance: 5/7 from 2pm-4pm
- Bronx Park East and Boston Road: 5/9 from 10am-noon
- Pelham Bay Park at Stadium Avenue and Middletown Road: 5/10 from 2pm-4pm
NYC Food Delivery Update: New York City is continuing to expand its food
delivery program for seniors with the goal of delivering 1 million meals a day.
The Mayor’s office is looking for nonprofits who can partner to help provide
meals to their community. They are specifically looking for providers in Morris
Park and Melrose in the Bronx. You can learn more here.
Virtual Happenings:
- Join the Mount Vernon Club Census: The City of Mount Vernon hosts Club Census live on their facebook page every Friday night to share and encourage folks to fill out their Census application. Find more information on Mount Vernon’s census efforts here.
- New York Public Library Virtual Book Club: New York Public Library is collaborating with WNYC on a virtual book club called “Get Lit with All Of It.” This month, the book club is reading My Dark Vanessa by debut author, Kate Elizabeth Russell. The virtual event will be held by The Greene Space on May 26th.
Job Opportunities:
- Become a Contact Tracer: New York State is hiring for the roles of contact tracer, team supervisor and community support specialist. New York City is also hiring contract tracers through the Fund for Public Health NYC, find those jobs here (preference to NYC residents).
- NYC Health + Hospitals is hiring for several positions including patient transportation, clerical, and cleaning staff. Learn more and apply here.
Ways to Lend a Helping Hand:
- Support Your Fellow Bronxites: The Bronx Community Relief Fund was created to support on-the-ground operations that focus on meeting the most essential needs of the Bronx community. To learn how to help, click here.
- Help Essential Workers in Mount Vernon: First United Methodist Church, Fleetwood Neighborhood Association, and other CBOs are raising money to buy meals for hospital workers at Mount Vernon Hospital. Donate at this link, or make a check out to First United Methodist CBO, 227 East Lincoln Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY 10552.
- Give Blood, Save Lives: The NY Blood Center needs your help if you tested positive and have recovered from COVID-19. Click here to schedule an appointment and donate today.
- Support Local Businesses: To learn more about how to support your local businesses click on the links below.
- Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce
- Pelham List and Pelham Cares
- Bronx Chamber of Commerce
- City Island Chamber of Commerce
- Get Involved: For how to get involved and help in your community, click here for New York State, here for New York City, and here for Westchester.
As of today, May 6th, 2020, nationwide there are 1,193,813
confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 70,802 reported deaths. Worldwide there are 3,686,800
confirmed cases with 260,632 reported deaths.
In New York State, as of May 6th,
there are 323,978 confirmed cases. To
date, New York has conducted 1,055,921 tests statewide.
As of May 6th we have lost 20,597
New Yorkers to the virus.
Of the confirmed cases:
- 178,351 are located in New York City
- 37,350 are located in Nassau County
- 35,543 are located in Suffolk County
- 30,426 are located in Westchester County
- 12,204 are located in Rockland County
You can find the geographic breakdown of coronavirus cases by County here.
As of May 5th, the Westchester
County breakdown is as follows:
- 170 are located in the Village of Pelham
- 117 are located in the Village of Pelham Manor
- 2,467 are located in Mount Vernon
As of May 6th, the New York City
borough breakdown is as follows:
- 39,587 in The Bronx
- 53,692 in Queens
- 46,139 in Brooklyn
- 21,470 in Manhattan
- 12,311 in Staten Island
You can find more information and data breakdowns here.
This is an evolving situation. For
updated information on COVID-19 (in multiple languages) from trusted sources
for your designated area, please visit: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, New York State Department of Health, Westchester County Department of Health, or
the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
You can also call the New York
State Novel Coronavirus Hotline at 1-888-364-3065 or the New York
City Hotline at 1-844-NYC-4NYC with any questions.
While you are at home, don’t
forget to fill out the Census! Let’s make our communities count! The
self-response deadline has been extended through October. For more information,
and to complete
the census, you can click here.
If you were forwarded this email,
you can subscribe to our newsletter here. You can access our previous email
updates here.
Stay strong.
With Gratitude,
State Senator Alessandra Biaggi
