Governor Hochul Announces 20 New #VaxtoSchool Pop-Up Sites

 

120 Sites to Be Established Statewide Over 12 Weeks to Increase Vaccination Rates Among School-Aged New Yorkers

New Sites to Be Announced Weekly Over The 12-Week Period; Full List of Sites Will Be Updated Weekly Here

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced 20 new #VaxtoSchool pop-up vaccination sites to increase vaccination rates among school-aged New Yorkers. On September 21, Governor Hochul announced a total of 120 sites will be established over a 12-week period statewide. The Department of Health is working with localities, community-based organizations, and healthcare centers on-the-ground to establish these sites in all regions of the state. Partners, host sites, and outreach efforts are tailored to the communities they are built to serve. New locations are established on a rolling basis, and more sites will be announced each week over the 12-week period.

"Parents and guardians—don't wait to get your child vaccinated," Governor Hochul said. "The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, and the best way to keep eligible school-aged New Yorkers and our school communities protected from the virus. As part of our broader #VaxtoSchool effort, these new pop-up sites will bring the vaccine to communities across the state to make sure it's accessible to all New York families."

This announcement builds on New York State's commitment to making the health and well-being of students, teachers and families a top priority. As of September 29, 60.4 percent of 12 to 15-year-olds and 70.1 percent of 16 to 25-year-olds have received at least one vaccine dose.

Operational days for each of the #VaxtoSchool pop-up vaccination sites for school-aged New Yorkers are below. The full list of #VaxtoSchool sites is available here and will be updated weekly over the 12-week period to include new sites when they are announced. New locations are established on a rolling-basis, and more sites will be announced each week over the 12-week period.

BRONX SITES -

Mosholu Montefiore Community Center

3450 Dekalb Avenue
Bronx, NY 10467

Open: Friday, October 1; 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Vaccine Type: Pfizer-BioNTech; Second shot POD

St. James Park

2550 Jerome Ave

Bronx, NY 10468

Open: Saturday, October 2; 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Vaccine Type: Pfizer-BioNTech

Tracey Towers - 40 W. Moshulu Parkway Building #20

Bronx, NY 10468

Open: Saturday, October 9; 8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Vaccine Type: Pfizer-BioNTech

Children aged 12 to 17 can take the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which is available under Emergency Use Authorization for children ages 12 to 15 and is fully approved for those age 16 and older. The other COVID-19 vaccines are not yet authorized or approved for this age group. If you are a parent or guardian of a school-aged New Yorker, you can also visit vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find a vaccine location closest to you. Make sure that the provider offers the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine and school-aged children, New Yorkers can visit our dedicated website ny.gov/vaxtoschool or follow @VaccinateNY on Instagram.

Parents are encouraged to make sure their child is up to date on all recommended and required vaccinations. Please visit the Department of Health website for more information on recommended childhood and adolescent immunizations.

93 Days and Counting

 Dr. Chokshi, didn't you give me the Johnson and Johnson vaccine so I would only receive one shot. Why am I getting another shot? Are you injecting me with the Pfizer vaccine this time. I don't want to have a reaction like that reporter in the Bronx had. 

Speaking of the Bronx I was there last night for the Bronx Democratic Party Dinner. They had me stand in the same area as Attorney General Letitia James, and Public Advocate Jumanne Williams. What was Bronx Democratic Party Leader State Senator Jamaal Bailey looking for a candidates forum between the three unannounced candidates for governor. I hope Senator Bailey is mad at Kathy Hochul for not picking him as her Lieutenant Governor.

Bronx Democratic Party Dinner 2021

The 2021 Bronx Democratic Party Dinner Wednesday night had several firsts. It was the first Bronx Democratic Party Dinner under New Bronx Democratic County Leader State Senator Jamaal Bailey, It was the first Dinner during the 2020 Pandemic era, It was the first dinner with new governor Kathy Hochul, and it was the first dinner of the 2022 political season in the Bronx. 

There were some lasts however also, It was the last Bronx Democratic Party Dinner under Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., and it was also the last Bronx Democratic Party dinner under Mayor Bill de Blasio, both Diaz Jr. and de Blasio have three months left in office. 

The honorees for the night were, Daniel J. Kane Jr. President Teamsters Local 202, David Caraballoso Vice President NYC District Council of Carpenters, Camille Joseph-Goldman Group Vice President, Charter Communications, Judy Secon Director of Programs and Operations NY Common Pantry, and Erica Vargas Assistant Director District Council 37.

Almost every Bronx Elected official was in the house, with some exceptions from the state senate, and congressional areas. All three statewide elected officials attended Governor Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letticia James, and Comptroller Tom Dinapoli. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and presumed Mayor Eric Adams were joined by City Comptroller Brad Laner. Presumed Bronx Borough President current Councilwoman Vanesa Gibson was joined by the new presumed City Council members. 

Governor Kathy  Hochul waits with her speech in hand to be called up to speak.

Governor Hochul thanks Bronx Democratic Party Leader State Senator Jamaal Bailey whom she passed over in her search for a Lieutenant Governor. In her speech she said "As the Bronx goes, so does the state".

Presumed Bronx Borough president Vanessa Gibson is with Governor Hochul.

Mayor Bill de Blasio with Presumed 14th City Councilwoman Pierina Sanchez,

Current Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. with Presumed new Bronx Borough President and current Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson with guests.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James spoke, but did not say anything about running for governor. 

Bronx Democratic Party Leader Jamaal Bailey with Honoree Erica Vargas of DC 37.

NYC Public Advocate Jumanne Williams was in attendance.

Attorney General James Announces 84 Guns Turned in at Community Gun Buyback in Central New York

 

AG James Has Taken More Than 2,300 Firearms Out of Communities Since 2019

 New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that 84 firearms were turned in to law enforcement at a gun buyback event in the city of Rome hosted by her office and the Rome Police Department yesterday. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) accepts — with no questions asked — working and non-working, unloaded firearms in exchange for compensation on site. To date, Attorney General James has taken more than 2,300 firearms out of communities through gun buyback events and other efforts since taking office in 2019.

“Gun buyback programs are essential to protecting New Yorkers and preventing dangerous guns from ending up in the wrong hands,” said Attorney General James. “The threat of gun violence has loomed over our communities for far too long, and it is imperative that we take every step possible to eradicate this violence. My office will continue to use every tool at our disposal to keep our neighborhoods safe, and we thank the Rome Police Department for their invaluable support and partnership in this effort.”

“The Rome Police Department appreciates the partnership and support of the Attorney General’s Office and the community to make this gun buyback successful,” said the Rome Police Department’s Community Impact Unit. “We are grateful for the opportunity to get guns off the street, preventing them from falling into the wrong hands, and keeping the community safe. We are very supportive of any proactive approach to put an end to and prevent gun violence.”

The community gun buyback resulted in the collection of 84 guns, including 30 handguns, 34 shotguns and rifles, and 20 non-working guns. Since 2013, OAG has hosted gun buyback events throughout New York state and has successfully collected more than 4,300 firearms.

In exchange for the firearms, OAG offered monetary compensation, in the form of prepaid gift cards, when an unloaded gun was received and secured by an officer on site.

Gun violence is a public health crisis that is plaguing communities throughout New York, and this event is the latest action that Attorney General James has taken to combat this crisis and protect New Yorkers from harm. This year alone, Attorney General James has held 14 gun buybacks across the state, and has also secured dozens of dangerous firearms through takedowns of violent groups terrorizing New York. Earlier this year, Attorney General James announced the takedown of two major drug trafficking rings in Central New York, in which 15 guns, including nine ghost guns, were seized. To date, Attorney General James has taken a total of more than 2,300 guns out of communities since 2019.

Former CEO Of Melrose Credit Union Sentenced To Nearly 4 Years In Prison For Violating Bank Bribery Statute

 

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that ALAN KAUFMAN, who at the time of the offense was the chief executive officer of Melrose Credit Union (“Melrose CU”), was sentenced today to 46 months in prison.  KAUFMAN was previously convicted, following a three-week jury trial, of participating in a scheme in which he accepted from Tony Georgiton free housing and hundreds of thousands of dollars in financing for the purchase of his personal residence, after approving millions of dollars in loans to Georgiton’s companies at favorable terms.  KAUFMAN was also convicted for accepting lavish vacations, including to Paris and Hawaii, from CBS Radio after increasing Melrose CU’s advertising purchases at CBS Radio.  KAUFMAN’s sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan. 

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Alan Kaufman accepted lavish gifts from Tony Georgiton as a reward for favorable loan rates for Georgiton’s companies.  In addition, Kaufman accepted luxury travel and hotel accommodations in return for approval of advertising spending by Melrose Credit Union at CBS Radio and elsewhere.  Kaufman shirked his duty to act in the best interests of the credit union and its account holders, exploiting his position for personal gain.  Now, thanks to the work of the FBI, Kaufman will spend time in federal prison for his crimes.”

According to the Indictment, documents previously filed in the case, and evidence presented at trial:

In 2010, Georgiton purchased a home in Jericho, New York (the “Jericho Residence”), and permitted KAUFMAN to live in that home rent-free for over two years.  While KAUFMAN was living rent-free at the Jericho Residence, KAUFMAN personally approved the refinancing of over $100 million worth of loans at Melrose CU held by a company owned by Georgiton with favorable terms.  The head of Melrose CU’s loan department did not sign off on the loans made to Georgiton because, among other things, he believed that the terms were too favorable and did not comply with Melrose CU’s loan policy.

In 2011, KAUFMAN sought approval from Melrose CU’s board of directors (the “Melrose Board”) for Melrose CU to purchase the naming rights to a ballroom under construction in Astoria, Queens (the “Melrose Ballroom”).  That ballroom was owned by a company that was in turn owned by Georgiton.  KAUFMAN did not disclose to the Melrose Board that he was living rent-free in a house owned by Georgiton at the time he sought Melrose Board approval for the naming rights acquisition.  Over the next five years, Melrose CU paid $2 million to Georgiton’s company for the naming rights to the Melrose Ballroom.  KAUFMAN also directed that payment for the naming rights be paid a year in advance of the Melrose Ballroom’s actual opening for operations.   

In 2013, KAUFMAN purchased the Jericho Residence from Georgiton, with financing that largely came from Georgiton.  To purchase the Jericho Residence, KAUFMAN took out a $200,000 loan from Melrose CU, co-signed by Georgiton and secured by Georgiton’s shares in Melrose CU.  Georgiton also gave KAUFMAN a $240,000 unsecured personal “loan.”  Georgiton has never made a demand for payment on that purported loan and KAUFMAN has never made a payment on that purported loan.  Rather than repay the loan, the following year, KAUFMAN purchased a used Maserati sports car valued at over $100,000 for his wife. 

In addition, from in or about 2010 through in or about 2015, KAUFMAN solicited and accepted lavish vacations and other gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars from CBS Radio and other media vendors, after KAUFMAN approved advertising spending by Melrose CU.  For example, in 2010, CBS Radio paid for KAUFMAN and his wife, who also worked at Melrose CU, to fly to Paris, France, and stay at the Four Seasons George V Paris.  In 2012, CBS Radio paid for KAUFMAN and his wife to fly to Maui, Hawaii, and stay at the Four Seasons in Wailea.  In 2013, CBS Radio paid for KAUFMAN and his wife to attend the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

KAUFMAN did not seek approval for these vendor-paid trips from the Melrose Board, nor did he disclose these vendor-paid trips to the Melrose Board, in violation of Melrose CU’s anti-bribery policy.

In addition to the prison term, KAUFMAN, 62, of Jericho, New York, was sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit specified property, pay restitution to the National Credit Union Administration in the amount of $2 million, and pay a fine of $30,000.

On January 11, 2021, Georgiton was sentenced to three years’ probation, a fine of $95,000, forfeiture of $286,663.65, and a special condition of nine months’ home confinement.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  She also thanked the National Credit Union Administration for their efforts and ongoing support and assistance with the case.

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY WILL OPERATE AND OVERSEE PANDEMIC RESPONSE INSTITUTE

 

PRI Allocated $20 Million in City Funding, Tasked with Preparing Communities Ahead of Next Pandemic 

 Today, Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) announced their selection of Columbia University to launch and operate the Pandemic Response Institute (PRI), with its key partner, the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH), and several community, research, and industry partners.

 

The PRI will be supported by up to $20 million in City capital funding for eligible costs and be dedicated to preparing New York City for future health emergencies and epidemics in a more effective and equitable manner, while positioning the city as a global leader to serve as a model for public health response. 

 

“The Pandemic Response Institute, operated by Columbia University with key partner CUNY SPH, will play a critical role in preparing for future pandemics, and promoting equity in public health,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Born out of New York’s quick action during the early days of the pandemic, this institute will put our hardest learned lessons to work so that when the next public health crisis emerges, New York City will not only be prepared, we will be ready to lead these global fights.”

 

“The Pandemic Response Institute will serve as our City’s anchor as we invest and ensure we have the tools we need to confront—and prevent—future public health emergencies,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been. “We are grateful to our partners at Columbia and CUNY SPH for putting forth an ambitious and comprehensive vision for such an urgent need for New York City.”

  

“The experience of confronting COVID-19 and recent natural disasters has proven that we must work together to prepare and respond to public health emergencies with a focus on racial and social justice,” said First Deputy Health Commissioner and Chief Equity Officer Dr. Torian Easterling. “These investments will prepare us to fight future health crises and ensure a just recovery and the opportunity to establish New York City as the public health capital of the world.” 

 

“One of the lessons we’ve learned over the last 18 months during the COVID-19 pandemic is the importance of a robust public health emergency response system,” said Emergency Management Commissioner John Scrivani. “The partnership with Columbia University and the other institutions will make the Pandemic Response Institute a hub of innovation, information and planning to better prepare us for the next health crisis. A dedicated institute to analyze and plan for future crises, along with resources and collaboration with City agencies, will help minimize the impact of future disasters and strengthen our public health responses.”

 

“Our commitment to building a recovery for all of us includes ensuring a robust public health response to any future emergency,” said the City's Senior Advisor for Recovery Lorraine Grillo. “We look forward to working with Columbia and CUNY to bolster our city's infrastructure so we are better prepared to swiftly and equitably address any threat to the well-being of our communities.”

 

“Columbia University with key partner CUNY SPH demonstrated to us a high level of expertise that was unmatched,” said NYCEDC President and CEO Rachel Loeb. “NYCEDC has every confidence these esteemed institutions and their partners will put New York City and all New Yorkers first. Keeping people safe and our economy open means we need an unprecedented public health response that is forward-looking and dedicated to addressing health disparities. NYCEDC is proud to help establish a Pandemic Response Institute that will be innovative and critical to our public health infrastructure.”

 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has opened our eyes to the critical need for strong and vibrant multi-sector partnerships to effectively protect New Yorkers from emergent health threats,” said Wafaa El-Sadr, University Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, and Director of ICAP and Columbia World Projects, who is leading the PRI. “The Pandemic Response Institute will create an unprecedented nexus for engagement, expertise, and resources from across our city and beyond that will enable us to equitably prepare, predict, prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from major health emergencies.”

 

“We are enormously excited to partner with Columbia University in this vital effort,” said Ayman El-Mohandes, Dean of CUNY SPH. “Our school’s primary commitment to health equity and social justice, coupled with existing strengths in health communication, systems modeling, and community outreach will help to shape and support this initiative to advance a new vision for the health of all New Yorkers.”  

 

NYCEDC, DOHMH, and New York City Emergency Management reviewed and selected Columbia to launch this institute with a key partnership with CUNY SPH as well as other collaborators, following a Request for Proposals (RFP) in April. The university, through its Mailman School of Public Health, put forth an ambitious and compelling vision for the PRI, which was supported by an impressive and robust multi-sector group of partners, while looking to ensure all New Yorkers are prepared for future public health emergencies by having access to health solutions, information for decision-making, and the capacity to prepare and respond. 

 

The PRI will specifically focus on: 

 

·         Building or strengthening technologies and systems to support real-time data collection and sharing 

·         Driving cutting-edge research on public health innovation and creating capacity to rapidly scale technological solutions in future public health emergencies 

·         Piloting community-based partnership models and workforce training programs that improve emergency preparedness and advance health outcomes across all communities 

·         Centering racial equity in all activities of the Institute and addressing gaps in health infrastructure that have disproportionately caused harm to communities of color and others facing structural inequities. 

 

The PRI will bring together communities, nonprofit organizations, industry, and academic institutions, and coordinate with City agencies in activities related to and within the entire public health emergency cycle. These critical partnerships will help the institute to advance research, training, and innovation. 

The Institute will begin activities this year and plans to launch a community-based location in each borough.

 

State Senator Gustavo Rivera on Governor Hochul’s Appointment of Dr. Mary Bassett as the Next NYS Health Department Commissioner

 

"Governor Hochul's appointment of Dr. Mary Bassett as our State’s next Health Commissioner is a clear indication that she wants to quickly redirect the agency’s role back to its core mission— to protect and improve the health and well-being of all New Yorkers.   

Dr. Bassett, who will be the first African-American to lead the agency, has had an exemplary career focused on enacting forward-thinking, compassionate, and efficient public health initiatives and programs focused on reducing deeply rooted health disparities.

Her lifelong dedication to addressing the impacts of disparities is exactly the foundation our State must build on, particularly as we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been undeniably vicious in communities of color among the other health crises our State faces.

I am incredibly excited about this historic appointment and I would like to express my wholehearted support to Dr. Bassett as she embarks on this challenging new role. I also hope that this new direction at the Department of Health will encourage capable and public health-oriented professionals to join the agency after so many departed due to the previous administration’s lack of commitment to investing in public health.”  

Governor Hochul Appoints Dr. Mary T. Bassett as Commissioner of the Department of Health

 

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced Mary T. Bassett, MD, MPH, has been appointed Commissioner of the Department of Health. With more than 30 years of experience devoted to promoting health equity and social justice, both in the United States and abroad, Dr. Bassett's career has spanned academia, government, and not-for-profit work. Her appointment is effective December 1.

"Our recovery from this pandemic requires tested leadership and experience to improve health equity and access across the state, and Dr. Bassett is perfectly equipped to lead the New York State Department of Health during this critical moment," Governor Hochul said. "When I was sworn in as Governor, I pledged to build a talented team with the skills, knowledge, and expertise to stop the spread of COVID-19, return our lives to normalcy, and move our state forward. Dr. Bassett is both a highly regarded public health expert and an exemplary public servant, and I look forward to working with her to keep New Yorkers safe and healthy." 

"I am humbled and honored to return to my home state of New York to lead the Department of Health at this pivotal time," incoming Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett said. "The pandemic underscored the importance of public health, while also revealing inequities driven by structural racism. As we move to end the pandemic, we have a unique opportunity to create a state that is more equitable for all New Yorkers. I look forward to working toward this with Governor Hochul and the team at the Department of Health."

Dr. Bassett currently serves as director of the François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University and FXB Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights in the department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

From 2014 through summer 2018, she served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where she made racial justice a priority and worked to address the structural racism at the root of the city's persistent gaps in health between white New Yorkers and communities of color. Dr. Bassett also led the Department's response to Ebola, Legionnaires' disease and other disease outbreaks.

In 2002, Dr. Bassett was appointed deputy commissioner of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. In this role, she led the division responsible for New York City's pioneering tobacco control interventions and food policy, including the nation's first calorie posting requirements and trans fat restrictions. Her signature program was the launch of District Public Health Offices in several neighborhoods long harmed by racial/ethnic and economic health inequities. These offices now lead targeted, multi-sectoral, multi-agency strategies to reduce excess burden of disease. From 2009 to 2014, Dr. Bassett served as program director for the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's African Health Initiative and Child Well-Being Prevention Program.

Early in her career, she served on the medical faculty at the University of Zimbabwe for 17 years, during which time she developed a range of AIDS prevention interventions. Building on this experience, she went on to serve as associate director of health equity at the Rockefeller Foundation's Southern Africa Office, overseeing its Africa AIDS portfolio. After returning to the United States, she served on the faculty of Columbia University, including as associate professor of clinical epidemiology in its Mailman School of Public Health.

Dr. Bassett's many awards and honors include the prestigious Frank A. Calderone Prize in Public Health, a Kenneth A. Forde Lifetime Achievement Award from Columbia University, a Victoria J. Mastrobuono Award for Women's Health, and the National Organization for Women's Champion of Public Health Award. She has also been elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine. For many years she served as an associate editor of the American Journal of Public Health. Her recent publications include articles in The Lancet and in the New England Journal of Medicine addressing structural racism and health inequities in the United States.

Dr. Bassett grew up in New York City. She received a B.A. in History and Science from Harvard University, an M.D. from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons (serving her residency at Harlem Hospital), and an M.P.H. from the University of Washington.

"We are thrilled that Mary will be bringing her strong leadership, fierce commitment to equity, and deep understanding of public health policy to this new role as New York State health commissioner," said Michelle A. Williams, dean of the faculty at Harvard Chan School. "While we will greatly miss her presence here, we are proud that she will be in a position to advance evidence-based policies, firmly grounded in science, to protect and improve the health of every New York resident. We know she will be a champion for all people across the state."

"I congratulate Governor Hochul on her appointment of Dr. Mary Bassett as New York State's Health Commissioner. I cannot think of anyone more qualified or better suited to head public health in our state at this time," said Lilliam Barrios Paoli, Former New York City Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services. "Dr. Bassett is a superb crisis manager. Working with her during both the Ebola and the Legionnaires' disease crises was a lesson on how to manage effectively and gracefully under enormous pressure. I can state unequivocally that it was her leadership that enabled New York City to successfully navigate those difficult situations. Her commitment to end health disparities is unquestionable, as is her belief that good public health goes hand in hand with social, racial and gender equity. I firmly believe that with this appointment, Governor Hochul is putting public health in New York State in the best possible hands."