AS SUMMER TRAVEL BEGINS, HEALTH DEPARTMENT REMINDS NEW YORKERS ABOUT THE RISK OF TRAVELING TO AREAS WITH ZIKA VIRUS

To date, over 400 pregnant women in New York City have tested positive for Zika; 32 of their infants have birth defects consistent with Zika or tested positive for the infection

All cases are travel associated; no local transmission of Zika has occurred in New York City

Health Department launches new citywide Zika awareness campaign

  As summer travel season begins, the Health Department urges women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, along with their sexual partners to avoid travel to areas with Zika virus. There is still ongoing transmission of Zika in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. While Zika is not currently circulating in Miami-Dade County (FL) and Brownsville (TX), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel warning to these areas because transmission has occurred before. New Yorkers returning from Zika-affected areas should use condoms for all sexual activity to prevent transmission. Men should use a condom for at least six months. Women should avoid becoming pregnant for two months. In addition, pregnant women or women planning pregnancy should not have unprotected sex with a partner who has traveled to a Zika-affected country in the preceding six months.

                      

As of this week, 1,067 New Yorkers tested positive for Zika virus disease, including 402 pregnant women, and all of the cases were associated with travel. Of these travel-associated cases, 11 were transmitted sexually by a partner who traveled. To date, 32 infants have been born with birth defects consistent with Zika virus and/or tested positive for the virus. To renew awareness about the dangers of Zika, the Health Department is launching a citywide campaign, which will be on television, social media and in newspapers. The campaign cautions New Yorkers to avoid travel to areas where the virus is circulating while pregnant or if planning to become pregnant. The television ad can be seen here. If travel to areas with Zika virus activity cannot be avoided, women should take precautions to prevent pregnancy and minimize potential Zika virus exposure by using condoms and avoiding mosquito exposure.

"As the summer season begins, this administration is committed to ensuring that all New Yorkers traveling to Zika-affected areas are taking preventive measures," said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Herminia Palacio. "While we did not see any locally acquired cases of Zika last summer, we did see several hundred cases transmitted through travel in locations where the virus is still very prevalent. It is critical that New Yorkers who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, along with their sexual partners, do not travel to Zika-affected areas.”

“Last year, the City took unprecedented action to raise awareness and reach out to communities about the risks of traveling to areas with Zika transmission,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett. “This season, our campaign and awareness efforts are shaped by what we learned over the past year. Although local transmission of the Zika virus remains unlikely, the virus continues to circulate in Latin America and the Caribbean islands. We urge women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, along with their sexual partners, to avoid traveling to these areas.”  

Last year, no mosquitoes tested positive for the Zika virus in New York City throughout the mosquito season, and all human cases of Zika infection were associated with travel to affected areas. Based on last year’s extensive mosquito surveillance, the Health Department does not expect local Zika transmission. Nevertheless, the agency will continue to monitor mosquito populations across the five boroughs, especially the populations which commonly carry mosquito-borne illnesses such as the West Nile virus. Mosquito control measures include larviciding (killing larvae) and adulticiding (killing flying adults).

Last year, the Health Department developed and implemented a comprehensive emergency response plan to protect New Yorkers from the Zika virus. The Zika Action Plan allowed the City to quickly test New Yorkers returning from Zika-affected areas, increase mosquito control efforts to assess and reduce the likelihood of local transmission, and educate New Yorkers about the risk associated with the virus. This year, the Department remains committed to continuing these efforts. With the risk of local transmission being exceedingly low, mosquito control around Zika will focus primarily on surveillance, and will be augmented based on need. The Department will continue its aggressive West Nile mosquito control operation.

New Yorkers should check the CDC website to learn if they are visiting an area with active Zika virus transmission. Any pregnant woman who traveled to an area with Zika virus transmission while pregnant or trying to become pregnant should see her doctor and be tested for the virus.  

To find free NYC Condoms, call 311 or visit nyc.gov/condoms. To learn more about condom use and sexual health or to download the free NYC Condom Finder app, please visit facebook.com/NYCcondom.

To learn more about the City’s Zika travel warning and steps to prevent Zika infection, go to nyc.gov/health/zika.

LGBT Older Adults Face Unique Challenges to Successful Aging

New report highlights the barriers to access and makes recommendations for supporting this community

  the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) and SAGE released a report, Understanding Issues Facing LGBT Older Adults, which aims to increase awareness of the diverse needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) elders across the country. The report offers a comprehensive look into the experiences of LGBT elders, highlighting the challenges they face across a wide range of topics from health care to financial security and community support, and their resilience in the face of these challenges.

As America’s population rapidly ages (the number of people over 65 will double by 2050) so too do LGBT adults. Currently, there are more than 2.7 million LGBT adults aged 50 or older – nearly one third of all LGBT adults. Yet, in March 2017, the Trump administration aimed to exclude LGBT elders when his administration released a troubling new draft of the National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants (NSOAAP), a survey used to determine what services will be provided to older Americans in need. Previously the survey included critical questions about sexual orientation and gender identity. However, the new draft of the survey removed all questions related to LGBT elders. According to the new report, data and research are more crucial than ever to identify and address the impact of discrimination and stigma in areas ranging from health care to housing to employment. 

“As the baby boomer generation reaches retirement age, it is clear that we are woefully unprepared to provide for the needs of older LGBT adults,” said Ineke Mushovic, executive director of MAP. “With substantial barriers to accessing care, compounded by lifelong discrimination and stigma, LGBT people face discrimination that make it harder to age with support and dignity. We must understand–and address–the challenges facing LGBT elders, rather than shutting them out of aging services by offering care that doesn’t meet their needs.”

Today’s report, Understanding Issues Facing LGBT Older Adults, provides a snapshot of the demographics of LGBT elders, an aging community which is diverse in terms of race and ethnicity, gender, and age. The report outlines how challenges, including a lifetime of discrimination in employment, accessing comprehensive health care, and housing-as well as lack of legal and social relationship recognition-can lead to poverty, social isolation, and poorer mental and physical health.

The report offers high-level recommendations for addressing key disparities facing LGBT older adults including:

• Passing comprehensive employment and housing nondiscrimination protections prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
• Ensuring that all senior housing, assisted living, and nursing homes have explicit nondiscrimination policies and train staff on competently serving LGBT elders.
• Revising federal and state programs to recognize the relationships of same-sex couples where one partner died before the freedom to marry was the law of the land nationwide in 2015.
• Designating LGBT elders as an underserved population within the Older Americans Act and within the Department of Health and Human Services, allowing government agencies to more easily target services
• Passing the Restoration of Honor Act to make veterans discharged because of their sexual orientation or gender identity eligible for a number of programs, services, and benefits available at the state level.

“Aging in America isn’t easy,” said Michael Adams, CEO of SAGE. “With uncertainty about the future of our health care system, Social Security, and other programs older adults rely on, it’s especially hard to plan for the future. It is even harder for LGBT elders who face discrimination within the very systems designed to support them as they age. That’s why it’s crucial that LGBT elders receive legal and social recognition, culturally competent care, welcoming and affordable housing, and supportive programs. From providing adequate long-term care that is culturally competent to ensuring that LGBT elders aren’t erased from federal services to protecting our elders from religious-based discrimination, we have an obligation to do better.”

Click here to read the report.

Click here for a video highlighting the disparities LGBT elders face.

STATEMENT FROM MAYOR DE BLASIO ON CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE SCORE OF ACA REPEAL BILL

  “The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office just confirmed it … again: Trumpcare will leave millions more Americans without the health care they need, all to line the pockets of the wealthy. But the United States Senate can stop the assault on working people. I urge everyone to call, write, protest, organize and remind the Senate they work for us – not those who want to see our nation go back to the days when a doctor's visit could lead to bankruptcy. If we continue to build a powerful coalition to protect America's working families, I believe we can defeat the AHCA.”

Congressman Eliot L. Enge - Nonpartisan Budget Analysis Shows Dangers of Trumpcare

Congressman Eliot L. Engel, a top member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement on the Congressional Budget Office’s latest Trumpcare score:

“The latest readout from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirms what we already knew: Trumpcare will devastate American families.

“According to this new analysis, 23 million Americans will go uninsured because of Trumpcare. The bill ransacks Medicaid, radically restructuring it in a way that will force states to ration care. Out-of-pocket costs will skyrocket. In short – Americans will pay more, and get less.

“The report also confirms how dangerous Trumpcare will be for Americans living with pre-existing conditions – a fact the GOP has tried to conceal. CBO finds that, in states that opt out of the Affordable Care Act’s protections, ‘people who are less healthy (including those with preexisting or newly acquired medical conditions) would ultimately be unable to purchase comprehensive nongroup health insurance at premiums comparable to those under current law, if they could purchase it at all.’

“The gravity of this report underscores just how irresponsible my Republican colleagues were to vote on Trumpcare without knowing the extent of its effects. These are not minor issues that can be tweaked. I implore my Senate colleagues to end their senseless crusade against the Affordable Care Act, and to save hardworking Americans from the damage Trumpcare will cause.”

DE BLASIO ADMINISTRATION REACHES 5,000 CITY-CERTIFIED M/WBEs

5,000 City-certified minority and women-owned businesses puts the Administration ahead of schedule to certifying 9,000 M/WBEs by 2019

  Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives and Citywide M/WBE Director Richard Buery today announced that the City has reached 5,000 City-certified Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs), meaning the Administration is ahead of schedule of reaching 9,000 City-certified M/WBEs by 2019.

The 5,000th City-certified M/WBE is a Bronx-based transportation firm owned by Miguel Cabrera who was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the U.S. in 2009. After receiving his legal residency, Cabrera worked as a taxi driver and was later inspired to open his own transportation company in 2015. His company, MC Transportation, specializes in delivery services, commercial and residential moving services and construction waste and debris removal. Deputy Mayor Buery and key Administration officials focused on the M/WBE effort presented Miguel with his M/WBE certificate a letter from Mayor Bill de Blasio at a NYC Business Solutions Center in the Bronx. In the letter, the Mayor thanked Cabrera for making contributions to the local economy and highlighted the importance of having all New Yorkers participate in New York City’s economy.

“This City works best when all people - regardless of race, religion or ethnicity - have the resources they need to reach their full potential,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “My Administration is committed to providing those resources to business owners like Miguel, beginning with City-certification, as a way to help grow and sustain their business. I thank Miguel for establishing a Bronx-based firm, hiring locally and reinvesting in the community and congratulate him on being the 5000th City-certified M/WBE firm.”

"We know that with certification comes opportunity. By getting certified by the City as an M/WBE, businesses can access mentoring programs, workshops, networking opportunities and other programs that can help their businesses grow and win contracts with City agencies," saidRichard Buery, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives and Citywide M/WBE Director. "Today marks a critical milestone toward our goal of certifying 9,000 M/WBEs in the next three years. I would like to congratulate Miguel Cabrera, owner of Bronx-based MC Transportation, for being number 5,000!"

“I started my own business to become more independent and give back to my local community by hiring people from my neighborhood,” said Miguel Cabrera. “Working with the City and obtaining City certification can help grow and expand my business so that I can continue hiring locally. I look forward to using City business as a resource and visiting the Department of Small Business Services to learn how I can continue to manage a successful business. I also thank the de Blasio Administration for prioritizing minority and women-owned businesses.”

The de Blasio Administration encourages all M/WBEs interested in doing business with the City to apply for City-certification. City-certified M/WBEs have access to the latest contracting opportunities, are granted City resources that help them bid and successfully perform on City contracts, and are added to the M/WBE Online Directory where contractors and City agencies can proactively seek M/WBEs to do business with. M/WBEs interested in becoming City certified can visit nyc.gov/getcertified.

The Department of Small Business Services recently streamlined the applications for M/WBE certification and recertification to provide a more efficient path to getting certified while maintaining the integrity of the process. The new, user-friendly applications have 30 percent less paperwork and are simplified and sequenced to expedite the completion process. The City also created a separate simpler application for small businesses that are sole proprietors to make the application process more accessible and user-friendly. This will directly benefit women business owners across New York City since 90 percent of women-owned businesses across the United States are sole proprietors.

In September of 2016, when Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his certification goal, the Mayor also announced the goal of awarding 30 percent of the value of all City contracts to M/WBEs by 2021.

“City-certification is a resource that minority and women-owned businesses can utilize to help grow and sustain their business,” said Jonnel Doris, Senior Advisor and Director of the Mayor’s Office of M/WBEs. “I’m happy to see people like Miguel get certified and access all of the resources that come along with MWBE certification, and I congratulate him on being the 5,000th City-certified M/WBE. He embodies everything that makes this City great – the entrepreneurial spirit that this City welcomes from all walks of life to establish businesses and reinvest in local communities.”

“Minority and women-owned businesses play a vital role in our local economy, and I am proud to support Mayor de Blasio’s vision for investing in their success,” said Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services. “Today, we are excited to celebrate the 5,000th M/WBE that is certified with the City – and to do it here in the Bronx during City Hall In Your Borough. City contractors should reflect the rich talents and diversity of all of our people, and I’m glad that our agency is leading the way by getting more firms certified and connecting them with contracting opportunities.”

PROGRESS:

• In 2015, the Mayor de Blasio established his OneNYC goal of awarding $16 billion to M/WBEs by 2025. The Administration has thus far awarded $3.54 billion dollars to M/WBEs putting the Administration on track to meeting the goal.

• Since the beginning of the Administration, the City has seen a steady increase in the value of City contracts being awarded to M/WBEs. In FY 15, the utilization rate was 8 percent. That number later increased to over 14 percent in FY 16 and – in the first two quarters of FY17 – over $571 million was awarded to M/WBEs, representing an 18 percent utilization rate.

"Increasing M/WBE participation in the City’s procurement process has been a priority of my Administration from day one. I congratulate Mayor de Blasio and his Administration on reaching this important milestone. As we move forward, I will continue to work with stakeholders at all levels of government as well as the private sector to increase MWBE participation and strengthen this critical piece of our city's economy," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

CITY HALL IN YOUR BOROUGH: MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES NEW PLAN TO CRACK DOWN ON PARKING PLACARD FRAUD AND ABUSE

Tough enforcement, including a new NYPD unit, will include fines, strict work-related penalties, and towing

Chief Thomas Chan is in charge of this new placard unit.

Alongside NYPD, DOT and DOE officials at Concourse Village Elementary School in the Bronx, Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced a new Citywide enforcement plan to crack down on the improper use of City parking placards.

“In our increasingly crowded city, parking placard abuse is contributing to traffic congestion,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “However, more important, when drivers with placards block crosswalks, fire hydrants or bike lanes, they endanger public safety as well. Few things irk New Yorkers more than their fellow citizens taking advantage of a system that was designed to aid in public service delivery. Instead, placard abuse is starting to erode faith in the integrity of government, so we are taking action today to make things right.”  

Speakers today noted that the problems created by placard abuse include reduced wheelchair accessibility to the curb, reduced parking spaces for authorized users, and reduced revenue from parking meters. The City is committed to reducing the improper and fraudulent use of parking placards across the five boroughs, particularly in civic centers where public employee workplaces are clustered and around schools, where school employees with new parking placards will be competing for a limited set of authorized parking spaces. 

Effective immediately, New York City will: 

Implement Strict Controls for New DOE Parking Placards.

Chancellor Farina address the new issuance of 50,000 DOE parking placards

This month, to resolve an outstanding dispute, the DOE issued 50,000 new parking placards for school employees working at schools with designated street space. The DOE will be implementing strict new controls for parking placards to minimize illegal or improper parking behavior.

·         New DOE Placard Unit: DOE will create a new office responsible for issuing placards annually and auditing schools for proper accounting of the placards. This unit will also receive complaints and take disciplinary action against staff for placard abuse. 

·         Tight restrictions on DOE staff placard use: All placards will only be authorized for clearly designated DOE parking spots at specific schools during school hours. The license plate of the vehicle, name of the permit holder and authorized signature will all be clearly displayed and visible for inspection. Placards will be non-transferrable under any circumstance. 

·         Tough penalties: Any placard found to be misused, fraudulent, copied or altered will result in the placard holder being subject to discipline in addition to placard revocation and permanent ineligibility for placards. Cars using placards improperly will be subject to towing and additional towing capacity will be available to tow vehicles using placards illegally. These rules will be shared with and signed-for by all DOE employees receiving the new placards.

Pursue Tough New Enforcement Actions to Crack Down on Placard Fraud and Abuse Across All City Agencies.

DOT and NYPD will pursue new enforcement actions to crack down on placard forgery/counterfeiting and abuse across all City agencies, including creating a new anti-placard-fraud unit at NYPD. As DOT proceeds with its annual re-issuance of placards, the agency will continue to identify ways to incorporate enhanced anti-forgery protections.

·         New, empowered unit focused on public integrity in parking privileges: The NYPD will create a dedicated unit that reports to the Chief of Department that will consist of 16 dedicated enforcement personnel in the Transportation Bureau Citywide Task Force to identify counterfeit placards and misuse at hotspots in every borough. 

·         Additional 100 Traffic Enforcement Agents for placard enforcement citywide: The NYPD will hire an additional hundred traffic agents for deployment citywide. 

·         Create new anti-placard enforcement imperative among Borough Investigation Units: The City will task Borough Investigation Units (approximately 100 officers across all five boroughs) to identify placard abuse and unauthorized use in local boroughs around precincts, courthouses and government buildings.

·         New Towing Capacity: The City will add additional towing capacity to tow vehicles that are using placards fraudulently or illegally. 

·         New sanctions and penalties for placard fraud or abuse: Any placard found to be misused, fraudulent, copied or altered will result in the placard holder being subject to permanent ineligibility for placards. City employees found abusing placards will be turned over to DOI for investigation. As noted, all placards will be re-issued annually.

·         New penalties for fraudulent usage: The City will create a new parking fine for the misuse of placards, punishable by a fine of up to $100, which is in addition to the parking violation. Employees are currently subject to disciplinary action for placard fraud or abuse. Disciplinary action may include placard revocation, permanent ineligibility for parking privileges, discipline, suspension, or termination. 

Lay The Groundwork for Long-Term Technological Solutions.

DOT will explore development of a unified system for management, enforcement and tracking of both placards and metered parking payments tied to license plate numbers. Best practices in cities across the world include license plate reader technology that can scan all vehicles on a block for paid parking sessions or legal parking permits and automatically generate appropriate violations if necessary. Such a system would provide an added measure of fraud prevention and allow for greater efficiency in enforcement by allowing agents to cover more ground.

In order to help spread the word on the heightened rules and regulations concerning placard usage, the City will launch a public awareness campaign to help educate City employees. The campaign will reinforce the City’s zero tolerance for placard and fraud abuse and the associated penalties for engaging in such behavior, including towing, new fines and permanent revocation of parking privileges. It will also encourage members of the public who observe parking placard violations to call 311 to report them.

Mayor de Blasio answers my question about the progress of the Kingsbridge Armory and the KNIC proposal. He said that the project is ready to go forward, but the State EDC needs to authorize the funding for the proposal.

City Hall in Your Borough

  Today City agencies were made available to the public, as well as the mayor himself in the Rotunda of the Bronx County Building located at 851 Grand Concourse. There were not only Bronc commissioners, but also Citywide commissioners available to talk to and listen to the average citizen. The event lasted from 9 AM to 2 PM when Mayor Bill de Blasio went to various locations in the Bronx. At 12:30 PM the mayor toured Arthur Avenue to visit with Small Businesses. At 5 PM the mayor visited seniors along with Councilman Jimmy Vacca at Villa Barone Manor. Below are some photos of City Hall in your borough.

Above - Not only was Bronx Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez on hand, but her boss NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver was on hand also to hear about Bronx parks.

Below - Some of the behind the scene DOT people you don't always see. 

Above - Effie of the NYCEPA (formally DEP) listens to one Bronx resident who had a problem.

Below - A map of the current active CPC sites which are currently under study (in blue) at the City Planning table.  

Above and Below - You can see how each city agency or department had a table with experts in their field to help Bronx residents with any questions.

Above - The Department of Sanitation is well represented by its top supervisor Mr. Terranova.

Below - Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson stands with a few  Bronx police officers on hand including Chief Nikunen.

Above and Below - The mayor and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. get a few words in. Could it have been about their favorite baseball teams?

Above - The mayor is ready to take on questions from Bronx residents.

Below - The mayor listens to this Bronxite's comments.

Above - This bronx resident shows the mayor what her problem is, as one of the mayor's aids looks on.

Below - Dr. Cary Goodman (of the 161st Street BID) gives Mayor de Blasio a Derek Jeter Mother's Day retirement shirt the 161st Street BID had masw for the Yankee great's retirement celebration on Mother's Day.

Bronx Chamber of Commerce 2017 Golf Outing at Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point has been rescheduled to Thursday, June 8th

Due to yesterday's rain

The Bronx Chamber of Commerce 2017 Golf 

Outing at Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point

has been rescheduled to Thursday, June 8th