Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz’s May 15th Rally to Protect Marriage

New York State Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx) released the following statement about his May 15th Bronx Rally to protect New York State’s traditional marriage laws:

"It's wonderful to know that thousands of New Yorkers plan to attend the May 15th Rally in The Bronx to oppose legislation to redefine marriage in New York State.

Everyone should realize that we're not hiring Ricky Martin or Elton John or Rosie Perez to attract people to our event. There won't be any paid superstars or celebrities to draw crowds. Whoever joins us will do so because they support traditional marriage.

It's important to know that whoever comes to this rally will be there because they support the growing movement in New York to protect marriage and to oppose proposals to redefine the definition of marriage to include homosexual marriage.

I'd also like to clarify some loathsome accusations about our May 15th Rally coinciding with the New York AIDS Walk. Our Rally for Traditional Marriage will include thousands of New Yorkers who support AIDS programs and AIDS victims.  No one has the right to accuse people who attend our rally of opposing AIDS victims or programs that help AIDS victims and their families.

It is also essential to correct disgraceful lies that are being made about me and my ongoing support for AIDS programs. Each year that I have served as New York State Senator, I have allocated $100,000 from my member item funds to Bronx AIDS services in the South Bronx.  I will continue to support the war against AIDS, and I will vote to increase funds against AIDS.

As the President of the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization, my fellow ministers and I have been and will remain committed to caring for AIDS victims and for their families.  Any statements to the contrary are lies.

Also, I will continue to encourage people to participate in the March Against AIDS.  AIDS is a terrible plague and those who commit themselves to join the war against AIDS are certainly part of this noble cause. However, it has to be made clear that everyone who participates in the March Against AIDS is not necessarily in support of gay marriage. There is a huge difference between the March Against AIDS and our Rally. One has nothing to do with the other."

 

Senator Rivera, Community Members Celebrate 33rd SenateDistrict Office Opening

   Senator Gustavo Rivera (D, WF-Bronx) will be joined by community members to celebrate the official opening of the 33rd Senate District Office tomorrow, Wednesday, May 4, 2011. This office was selected due to its location in a central and accessible area of Senate District 33, on Grand Concourse in the Fordham Road area. 

   Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at 6:00PM

   2432 Grand Concourse, Bronx NY – Suite 506

   The phone number for the office will be 718-933-2034.  

Independent Democratic Conference 

IDC Proposes Hospital Ban on Infection Causing Neck Wear; Other Bacteria Carrying Clothing

The Independent Democratic Conference today urged a prohibition on doctors and other healthcare professionals wearing neck ties, jewelry and other items that studies indicate are carriers for potentially deadly hospital-borne infections.

This effort will help save lives, cut down on the number of lawsuits filed against doctors and hospitals, lower insurance costs for care, and – ultimately – lower medical malpractice insurance costs.

“What your doctor wears around his or her neck can literally make you sick,” said Senator Jeffrey D. Klein, (D-Bronx/ Westchester). “By making commonsense changes to the way that our health professionals dress in a clinical setting, we can prevent suffering, lower costs, and most importantly save lives.”

Healthcare facilities across the country are grappling with serious infections, such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which are spread through hospital stays and are resistant to sterilization techniques. Nationally, the number of reported MRSA infections skyrocketed from 2,000 in 1993 to 368,000 in 2005, (the most recent available numbers), according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The number of MRSA-related deaths in 2005 surpasses the number of suspected deaths from HIV/AIDS that year.

Further research has shown that neck ties worn by doctors and other medical personal are likely carriers of infection-causing bacteria. Specifically, a 2004 study at Queens Hospital found that 47 percent of the ties worn by medical staff at the hospital harbored illness causing bacteria. The study also noted that ties worn by doctors and other clinical staff were eight times more infectious than security guards ties.

The IDC has introduced legislation that will help establish a hygienic dress code for medical professionals. Under the legislation, a 25-member advisory council made up of experts appointed by the Commissioner of Health will be charged with developing the codes. Areas of examination would include:

• Barring the wearing of neck ties for doctors and hospital workers in a clinical setting;
• Adopting a “bare below the elbow” policy: wearing short-sleeve shirts, cleaning identification badges, avoiding wearing wrist watches and jewelry, and abandoning long white coats;
• Providing education to patients and practitioners about how the new hygienic policy helps reduce cross-infection;
• Requiring hospitals to provide an adequate supply of scrubs to medical staff to ensure frequent change;
• Ban the wearing of uniforms outside of the hospital, or other health care setting.

“This legislation will bring experts to the table to address a serious but preventable problem,” said Senator David J. Valesky, (D-Oneida). “By considering ways to decrease

infection and educating health practitioners, we can save lives and ultimately decrease health care costs.

Similar dress codes were implemented in other parts of the country with much success. For instance, a health center in St. Louis saw a 50 percent drop in reduction in infections when a hygienic dress code was provided. Also, a hospital in Indiana - which adopted a hygienic dress code upon opening two years ago - has no reported instances of hospital-acquired infections.

“This is the ounce of prevention that is needed to stop these dangerous infections and their potentially deadly consequences,” said Senator David Carlucci, (D-Rockland/ Orange).

This proposal comes at a time when cost-saving measures, particularly those that help to ensure the health of the people of New York, should be welcomed. The costs to all parties involved are minimal, especially compared to the cost of treatment of those patients infected by MRSA and other Multi-Drug Resistant Organisms.

Patients who contract MRSA have average hospital stays that are nearly twice as long and cost almost twice as much, when compared to non-infected counterparts.

New York currently has the highest medical malpractice insurance costs in the nation. Between 1999 and 2004, the cumulative premium increase was 147 percent, a yearly average yearly increase of 27 percent. Those costs, which continue to rise, is the result of jury awards being paid out to preventable medical mistakes, a category that includes hospital-borne infections.

“This is a very simple equation,” said Senator Diane Savino, (D-Staten Island/ Brooklyn). “Adopting a hygienic dress code for medical professionals means less infections, less lawsuits, lower medical malpractice premiums and more lives saved.”

3^rd Annual Fair @ The Square 2011 Bigger Than Ever on May 14^th at 12PM

The Association of the Merchants & Business Professionals of Westchester Square, Inc., the Bronx Business Alliance and the Bronx Council on the Arts, encourage Bronxites to attend the 3^rd Annual “Fair @ The Square” on Saturday, May 14^th from 12 to 6 PM along the streets of Westchester Square between St. Raymond and Westchester Avenues.  

             

This multi-cultural event will feature an all day concert showcasing New York City’s best groups performing oldies through today’s great music.  The show will be hosted by Bronx News anchor, Ray Raimundi, of News 12 the Bronx, and Dennis “Dion” Nardone, of WVOX 1460 AM radio. From Doo-Wop to Hip-Hop, you will catch it on the main stage at St. Raymond Avenue. The artist line-up is still growing but, just to name a few performing at the main stage are Latin Sensation Yamilet Mia, Hip-Hop craze Salese & Friends, the legendary Streets of the Bronx Band, the ultimate dance band Just Nuts, the Bronx’s very own Elvis Tribute Artist Gene Di Napoli and a Bangladesh performance by Bahrati Kemraj.  

Kids will enjoy the day at Owen Dolen Park where a full children’s carnival will take place, adults will enjoy dozens of vendors and merchants displaying their wares, and services, and restaurants offering up great food.  Another highlight is the annual Art Walk showcasing local Bronx artists and their works in a variety of spaces and windows and at tables throughout the Square, with scheduled guided tours.  

“Westchester Square has made great strides, in the past few years, and we invite all the residents of New York City to come see what the buzz is about.  This annual fair allows us to showcase the diversity of our commerce, our culture, and our community, and the progress we have made in our neighborhood,” says Mr. Joe Regina, of AMBPWS, “We welcome this opportunity to have thousands of people, who we expect throughout the day, to come and join us as we celebrate the rebuilding of a great area for a great future.” 

This event  is sponsored by The Hutchinson Metro Center, The New York Daily News, Health First, Metro Optics, Rebekah Nursing Home, Verizon, Exit Realty, Bronx Knows, Con Edison, Westchester Medical  Center, BronxNet Television, and News 12 - The Bronx. 

 

 

Celebrity Apprentice Trumped by President Obama

   If you were watching the Celebrity Apprentice on NBC last night, minutes before Donald Trump was going announce who he was going to fire on this weeks show NBC News cut in with a special report. You were told that there would be an important announcement from President Obama of national importance. 

   As time went by you were told in a short time, then in ten minutes, then a few minutes while the announcers talked with their reporters on what the announcement was to be that the president was working on. The reporters speculated that it had something to do with Osama Bin Laden, but could not be specific in the early going. As time went on the speculation grew into positive talk that Bin Laden was dead, but the question of how was now being discussed. 

   Finally after a half hour of speculation and discussion President Obama appeared to tell the nation that  indeed that Osama Bin Laden was killed by United States forces after a ten year operation started by former president George Bush. Only minutes after he started, President Obama was finished with his important announcement to the nation. 

   One only has to wonder if the interruption of Donald Trump's highly rated show  was  a coincidence, or could it have waited a few minutes until the program was over, as it took  over a half  hour for President Obama  to begin his announcement.

May is Older Americans Month

Aging Service Advocates Available for Comment

President Jimmy Carter's 1980 designation, what was once called Senior Citizens Month, is now called "Older Americans Month," and has become a tradition in the United State of America. Older Americans Month is a time to recognize the contributions of past and current older citizens to our country, state, and city.

Experts are available for comment: Council of Senior Citizens Executive Director Igal  Jellinek, and Director of Public Policy Bobbie Sackman are available if media representatives are seeking to speak with an expert regarding the issue of aging services.  

The Council of Senior Centers and Services (CSCS) promotes the quality of life, independent living, productivity, and dignity of mature older adults principally in New York City.  CSCS champions elder rights. For more information visit the CSCS web site at cscs-ny.org.

 

The KHNIA Dinner Date Has Been Changed to Saturday June 11th

    Kingsbridge Heights Neighborhood Improvement Association Dinner Dance  Saturday June 11th
 

JOIN US FOR

A

TRIBUTE TO LEADERSHIP

DINNER DANCE

This Year Honoring

SR. Mary Cleary

Principal

Our Lady of Angels School

SATURDAY June 11, 2011

7 PM – 11 PM

Lehman College-  East Dining Room

Make your reservations early as seating is limited for this very special occasion.

TICKETS: $25.00      Info/718-618-7550

The Kingsbridge Heights Neighborhood Improvement Association, Inc.

2805 University Avenue, Suite B

Bronx, N.Y. 10468

Tel- 718-618-7550       Fax: 718-618-7549

Khnia@aol.com            www.khniainc.blogspot.com