VCJC News & Notes 6/21/24

 

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center

News and Notes

Here's this week's edition of the VCJC News and Notes email. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

Reminders

Shabbos

Shabbos information is, as always, available on our website, both in the information sidebar and the events calendar.

Here are the times you need:  

Shabbos Candles Friday 6/21/24 @ 8:12 pm

Shabbos morning services at 8:40 am.  Please join the services if you can do so safely. 

Shabbos Ends Saturday 6/22/24 @ 9:15 pm

If you require an aliyah or would like to lead services, read from the torah or haftorah please speak to one of the gabbaim.

Merrill Penn is sponsoring a Kiddush this Shabbos

Our mailing address is:

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center

3880 Sedgwick Ave

Bronx, NY 10463

KRVC - Join us next Wednesday to Celebrate Tracy Shelton

 

We want to take the moment to acknowledge our outgoing Executive Director and all the incredible work she has done for our community.



MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF HEALTH DEPARTMENT REPORT ON IMPACTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

 

First-in-Nation Report Explores Relationship Between Social Media Use and Mental Health Among Families 

 

Children, Teens, and Parents Who Use a Form of Social Media Report Higher Rates of Anxiety 

 

Amidst Rising Concern of the Effects of Social Media on Young People’s Mental Health, U.S. Surgeon General Recently Proposed Putting Warning Labels on Platforms 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan today announced the release of “Special Report on Social Media and Mental Health,” a data report exploring the many factors around social media use and its impact on users’ mental health. The report — a first in-the-nation from a public health agency — includes the results of two new surveys aimed at exploring the social media habits and mental health status of caregivers and their children. The survey was completed by 22,484 parents, guardians, or other caregivers of a child or teen between the ages of 5 and 17 residing in New York City. The report follows numerous measures Mayor Adams and his administration have taken in the last year to tackle the youth mental health crisis, including taking multiple actions to hold social media companies accountable for their role in helping to fuel this crisis.  

 

Today’s report also comes amidst a groundswell of concern about the effects of unregulated social media on young people’s mental health, including a proposal by the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy to put warning labels on social media platforms. 

 

“The results of this survey provide yet another confirmation of what we have long known: Social media platforms help to create a toxic environment that has detrimental effects on our young people,” said Mayor Adams. “Our administration is committed to supporting our youth and bettering their mental health by launching programs like TeenSpace and by increasing access to mental health clinics in our public schools, as well as by taking on social media companies that are using their platforms to harm our children. As this week’s actions by the U.S. surgeon general demonstrate, we must all act to quickly combat this detrimental issue, or our children will be the ones who continue to suffer.” 

 

“Social media is a useful tool to learn new things, connect with people, and so much more,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “However, it is important we continue to understand its implications for our young people and this report helps us do just that. Approximately 93 percent of New York City teens use some form of social media and those who use these platforms report higher rates of anxiety than their counterparts not using the platforms. Thus, this report, the first-of-its-kind by a city health department, helps us chart a path forward as we continue supporting young people and families with the report’s recommendations and advocating for greater state and federal action in building stronger guardrails for young people online.”  

 

“A stronger and locally-based understanding of the connections between social media and mental health is critical to our continued efforts to protect the wellbeing of New York’s children and teens,” said DOHMH Commissioner Dr. Vasan. “Everyone — from educators to parents to policymakers — are wrestling with the everyday impacts that social media is having on all of us, and how to implement effective and protective approaches to mitigate harm, particularly on our young people. These findings will inform and advance our policies and programs designed to address the mental health challenges our young people face, and the role that social media is playing.” 

 

Findings of today’s report include:  

• A majority of children, teens, and adults report using social media and while more than 40 percent of parents surveyed feel that their children use “too much” social media, 78 percent believe the government should put restrictions on the type of access social media companies give to teens.  
• Parents of New York City teens who use social media are more likely to report that their teen has an anxiety diagnosis (27 percent) or depression diagnosis (14 percent) than parents of teens who do not use social media. Parents who use social media are also more likely to have indicators of depression or anxiety, compared with those who do not. 
• Frequency of mental health diagnoses and symptoms increase with rates of use. Among teens who report using social media daily, 90 percent report worrying in general and 56 percent report at least some depressive symptoms. 
• Most teens surveyed report turning to social media to be entertained, to learn new things, or out of boredom. Those who report boredom as their top reason are more likely to report worrying about the future compared with those who do not report boredom as their top reason.  
• Rates of use and impacts vary by neighborhood poverty and type of school attended. Teens who live in areas of very high poverty report using social media more than their counterparts who live in wealthier neighborhoods, representing a nearly 10 percent difference between the two groups.  
• Children who attend public or charter schools are more likely to use social media than their counterparts in private school. 

 

Recommendations from the report include expanding access to educational resources to raise awareness of healthy habits; implementing social media safety and digital literacy programs to help teenagers use social media responsibly; expanding community resources to offer social alternatives to time online; establishing and enforcing regulations requiring social media companies to implement robust content moderation policies, digital well-being features, and data privacy protections to better protect teens; and continuing to study the impact of social media on mental health for young people. 

 

Along with this report, DOHMH is releasing resources to support parents, caregivers and youth-serving organizations. 

 

The Adams administration has long been vigilant in its pursuit to support New Yorkers, particularly young people, needing mental health care as a result of the toxic environment caused by social media platforms. Last November, Mayor Adams announced "TeenSpace" — the city's tele-mental health service available to all New York City teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 years old at no cost. In its first six months alone, the service — created in partnership with online therapy platform Talkspace — has allowed more than 6,800 New York City teenagers to connect with a licensed therapist through phone, video, and text. 

 

In his State of the City address earlier this year, Mayor Adams announced that DOHMH issued a Health Commissioner's Advisory, identifying unfettered access to and use of social media as a public health hazard, just as past U.S. surgeons general have done with tobacco and firearms, and recommending parents delay initiation of social media for their child until at least age 14. This was soon after followed by the Adams administration filing a lawsuit to hold the owners of five social media platforms — TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube — accountable for their role in helping to fuel the nationwide youth mental health crisis and force tech giants to change their behavior, as well as the release of a social media action plan  to hold different platforms accountable, provide education and support to young people and families, and study the long-term impacts of social media on youth. 

 

Additionally, in April, in partnership with the New York City Department of Education and NYC Health + Hospitals, the administration announced it will open 16 mental health clinics in New York City public schools over the next six months to serve over 6,000 students across the Bronx and Central Brooklyn.  

 

And last month, DOHMH released the “State of Mental Health of New Yorkers,” which presented data from across age groups, spanning children and youth to adults, including formal diagnoses, measures of well-being, and environmental factors that may affect mental health outcomes, and established a clear post-pandemic baseline for mental health in the city. 

 

All of these actions followed the release of “Care, Community, Action: A Mental Health Plan for New York City,” Mayor Adams’ sweeping mental health agenda — with over $20 million in new commitments — that invested in, among other initiatives, child and family mental health. With the release of that plan, DOHMH Commissioner Dr. Vasan issued a separate commissioner’s advisory highlighting the risks of social media and tools to help build healthier habits around use. Additionally, the plan laid the groundwork for a 2023 summit on social media the Adams administration hosted with more than 150 advocates, researchers, technologists, and caregivers, in partnership with New York City youth, to lay out potential pathways for action to protect the mental health of children and youth.  

 

Alongside the Adams administration’s focus on mental health, Mayor Adams also launched “HealthyNYC”last November, an ambitious plan to extend the average lifespan of all New Yorkers, including reducing the impact of mental health related deaths like overdoses, suicide, and homicides by 2030, and by expanding, among other initiatives, access to culturally responsive mental health care and social support services, including early intervention for communities of color and LGBTQIA+ youth, and addressing the impact of social media on youth mental health and suicidal ideation to reduce suicide deaths. 

 

Air Quality Advisory Issued for New York City Metro, Long Island, and Lower Hudson Valley Regions

 

In Effect for Friday, June 21, 2024

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar and State Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner Dr. James McDonald issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for Friday, June 21, 2024, for ozone to include the New York City Metro, Long Island, and Lower Hudson Valley regions.

The pollutant of concern is: Ozone

 

The advisory will be in effect 11 a.m. through 11 p.m. 

 

The Friday, June 21, Air Quality Health Advisory regions consists of: New York City Metro, which includes New York City and Rockland and Westchester counties; Long Island, which includes Suffolk and Nassau counties; and Lower Hudson Valley, which includes Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan, and Ulster counties.

 

DEC and DOH issue Air Quality Health Advisories when DEC meteorologists predict levels of pollution, either ozone or fine particulate matter (PM2.5), are expected to exceed an Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 100. The AQI was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale, with a higher AQI value indicating a greater health concern. 

 

OZONE

 

Summer heat can lead to the formation of ground-level ozone, a major component of photochemical smog. Automobile exhaust and out-of-state emission sources are the primary sources of ground-level ozone and the most serious air pollution problems in the northeast. This surface pollutant should not be confused with the protective layer of ozone in the upper atmosphere.

 

Ozone is not a direct emission, and is produced indirectly when sunlight chemically reacts with nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from automobile exhaust and industrial emissions. High ozone is not as visible as PM2.5 because it is a colorless gas, but will produce hazy skies and reduce visibility in high concentrations.

 

People, especially those with cardiovascular disease and those who have respiratory disease (such as asthma), young children, those who exercise outdoors, and those involved in vigorous outdoor work should consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity when ozone levels are the highest (generally afternoon to early evening). When outdoor levels of ozone are elevated, going indoors will usually reduce exposure. Individuals experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, or coughing should consider consulting their personal physician.

 

Ozone levels generally decrease at night and can be minimized during daylight hours by curtailment of automobile travel and the use of public transportation where available.

 

New Yorkers also are urged to take the following energy-saving and pollution-reducing steps:

• use mass transit or carpool instead of driving, as automobile emissions account for about 60 percent of pollution in our cities;
• conserve fuel and reduce exhaust emissions by combining necessary motor vehicle trips;
• turn off all lights and electrical appliances in unoccupied areas;
• use fans to circulate air. If air conditioning is necessary, set thermostats at 78 degrees;
• close the blinds and shades to limit heat build-up and to preserve cooled air;
• limit use of household appliances. If necessary, run the appliances at off-peak (after 7 p.m.) hours. These would include dishwashers, dryers, pool pumps and water heaters;
• set refrigerators and freezers at more efficient temperatures;
• purchase and install energy efficient lighting and appliances with the Energy Star label; and
• reduce or eliminate outdoor burning and attempt to minimize indoor sources of PM 2.5 such as smoking. 
  

Additional information on ozone and PM 2.5 is available on DEC's website and on DOH's website (PM 2.5) / DOH's website (ozone). A new DEC fact sheet about the Air Quality Index is also available on DEC’s website or by PDF download https://dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2024-05/aqiweb.pdf. 

 

To stay up-to-date with announcements from DEC, sign up to receive Air Quality Alerts through DEC Delivers: DEC's Premier Email Service. A toll-free Air Quality Hotline (1-800-535-1345) was also established by DEC to keep New Yorkers informed of the latest air quality situation.

NYC Council, Unions, Parents, Early Childhood Education Providers, and Advocates Call on Mayor to Prioritize Early Childhood Education Investments in City Budget

 

Administration’s failure to agree on investments would leave thousands of preschool-aged children and families without access to needed childcare and legally required services

Days ahead of the impending June 30 city budget deadline, New York City Council leaders, unions representing education workers, parents of preschool children, and early childhood education providers and advocates rallied at City Hall to call on the Mayor to agree to restorations of cuts and investments in early childhood education programs. A lack of investment into the early childhood education system would leave thousands of families and children without access, including legally mandated special education services.

For the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, families have been placed on waitlists for their chosen programs with over 2,000 children still waiting for a seat after more than a month.

The livestream of the rally can be found here. Photos can be found here.

“New Yorkers are relying on the City to deliver a budget that prioritizes and funds early childhood education,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “The Council is fighting for equitable opportunity for working families, investments in our children’s education, and dignity for our providers. The reality is that not every child has a seat, and we must confront that with investments that fund and fix the system. Now is the time to strengthen 3-K, Pre-K, preschool special education and Promise NYC to make good on our promise to New Yorkers. Our children and families need us to get this right.”

At the end of the 2022-2023 school year, more than 1,100 children were still waiting for a seat in a preschool special education class, despite Mayor Adams’ December 2022 promise that every child would have a seat in their legally mandated class. 12,300 children also never received their preschool special education class or at least one of their mandated preschool special education services. Without additional funding in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget, hundreds of preschool children with disabilities who are legally entitled to a seat in preschool special education class would go without one. The Mayor’s Executive Budget funded less than a third of the Department of Education’s request provide legally mandated special education services for preschool children.

To assess the Department of Education’s management and performance of paying early childhood education providers, the Council analyzed of the DOE’s payments to 20 early childhood education providers operating in zip codes with the highest economic need through Q3 of the City’s Fiscal Year. These zip codes which consist overwhelmingly of Black and Latino residents include 10303, 10033, 11102, 11239 and 10475. The analysis found that only 3 providers had been paid up to 75% or three-quarters of their contracted amount.

In Fiscal Year 2023, the Council and Administration created Promise NYC, a program to provide access to childcare for undocumented children and their families through community-based organizations. In the current Fiscal Year, the program is funded at $16 million to support hundreds of children and families but no funding was allocated in the Mayor’s Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2025. The Council has called for a restoration and enhancement to the program to maintain the current level of access and provide additional seats.