AG James and Mayor Adams Cancel Press Conference at Jacobi Hospital to Announce Opioid Money for the Bronx

 

As she has been doing statewide New York State Attorney General Letitia James has been going to each of the sixty-two counties in the state dropping off checks from the Billion Dollar Opioid settlement with Big Pharma. A press conference was called for Friday morning at Jacobi Hospital where AG James was to present the hospital with a check for fifty million dollars as the Bronx Share of the Opioid settlement. 

Since Mayor Adams was coming to Jacobi Hospital, Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato called for a protest against the proposed Just Home project at the hospital to house fifty current incarcerated people from the Rikers Island Infirmary at Building #2 on the Jacobi Campus free to go wherever they want with just a security guard at the front desk in the middle of a thriving residential area. The reason for the protest Councilwoman Marmorato said was that the Health and Hospitals Corporation has lied to people of her District by saying that incarcerated people with only Stage Four Cancer would be placed at the Jacobi building. She continued that the criteria has changed since the HHC first told the community, and that HHC has now said other people could wind up at Jacobi. Apparently wanting to avoid the protest the AG and Mayor canceled the press conference. 

Close to fifty people came to protest the Just Home project for Jacobi Hospital with less than a twenty- four hour notice.

Hospital and 49th Precinct police were on hand to control the crowd, and a Parks Enforcement officer on horseback doing patrol on Pelham Parkway stopped by. 

Former Community Board 11 Chair and President of th eVan Nest Neighborhood Alliance Bernedette Ferrara speaks against the Just Home Project, which Community Board 11 voted against. 

Former District Leader Irene Estrada voices her opposition to the Just Home Project, and why it is bad for the community. 

Veteran and former police officer Sammy Ravelo says there are better options that the community needs that are better for Building #2 than the Just Home project.