REP. ADRIANO ESPAILLAT ANNOUNCES GUEST FOR STATE OF THE UNION & CONTINUES HIS CALLS FOR PUERTO RICO RELIEF

Vanessa Caldari, Founder of Mujeres Ayudando Madres Inc. (CENTRO MAM), Will Attend Tonight’s State of the Union Address to Highlight Urgent Need for Maternal and Infant Care Throughout Puerto Rico

  Congressman Adriano Espaillat has been among the most vocal congressional leaders in his calls for emergency federal relief and resources to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria’s landfall in September. From his legislative efforts to provide emergency financial assistance and call for congressional hearings, and his trips to assess devastated communities, Rep. Espaillat continues to amplify the critical needs and ongoing challenges that residents continue to face nearly four months later, including limited access to medical assistance and resources which continues to have a significant impact on pregnant women, newborns and infants.

Vanessa Caldari, a certified professional midwife who has attended births in Puerto Rico for over 20 years and founder of Mujeres Ayudando Madres Inc., CENTRO MAM, a catalyst for change and empowerment around birth, women’s issues, and societal norms in Puerto Rico, will attend tonight’s State of the Union Address as Rep. Espaillat’s guest to continue to raise awareness of maternal and infant health needs on the island as it continues to lack infrastructure, power and basic supplies and necessities.

“President Trump has failed the American public on a number of issues,” said Rep. Espaillat.“Including but certainly not limited to his tax scam that raises taxes on the middle class and gambles the future of America’s children, workers and seniors. His giveaway of massive tax breaks to corporations and the wealthiest one percent. His attempts to strip away health care from tens of millions of families and destroy protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions. His continued efforts to sow hate, division and chaos throughout communities around the nation – by advancing a mass deportation and anti-immigrant agenda, attacking voting rights, rolling back civil rights efforts across the government and attempts to use DREAMers as bargaining chips for an extreme anti-immigrant agenda, including an effort to cut legal immigration by 50 percent.

“Among one of Trump’s most significant failures has been to the American citizens of Puerto Rico. Four months following devastation to the island, thousands of U.S. citizens remain without adequate resources or assistance, only half of the population has reliable electricity and water, medical supplies are scarce and violence has sparked while the death toll continues to rise. These conditions are uninhabitable and have greater significant impact to pregnant women, infants, individuals with medical conditions, seniors and the poor,” he concluded.

“Puerto Rico continues to face a major crisis mired in devastation, as pregnant women and infants remain among the most vulnerable,” said Vanessa Caldari, CPM, BSN and founder of Mujeres Ayudando Madres Inc. and CENTRO MAM. “Many are unaware of the devastation that continues throughout communities in Puerto Rico and the daily hardships families continue to face. Obstetricians and doctors have stopped attending clinics and office hours as expectant mothers are sent to hospitals filled with the dead and dying due to lack of infrastructure and power. Medical problems or prenatal issues are exacerbated by unsanitary conditions such as infected waters, lack of plumbing and electricity, excessive heat, mosquitos and flies, and lack of nutritious food. It’s a matter of life and death if we cannot meet the primary needs of Puerto Rican mothers and children.

“As MAM continues to coordinate on the ground to distribute supplies and provide outreach to the community, I am attending the State of the Union address to call for more immediate attention to the needs of mothers and children in Puerto Rico and ensure their voices are heard and they receive the prenatal and postpartum care that they deserve,” she concluded.

BRONX DA, NYS COURTS ANNOUNCE NEW YORK CITY’S FIRST COURT OFFERING PRE-PLEA TREATMENT TO OFFENDERS AT RISK OF OPIOID OVERDOSE

“Overdose Avoidance And Recovery” Diversion Program Aims To End Cycle Of Substance Abuse And Arrest; Court Opened Eight Weeks Ago, 52 Defendants in Treatment

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark and Bronx County Criminal Court Supervising Judge George A. Grasso today announced the first court-based program of its kind in New York City to offer treatment in lieu of incarceration for offenders with substance abuse, in an effort to combat the opioid crisis in the Bronx. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “The Overdose Avoidance and Recovery (OAR) program is an innovative tool for confronting a scourge that has ravaged the Bronx far too long and ruined hundreds of lives. Last year, our borough had the second highest rate of opioid overdose deaths in the state. My Office has a duty to stem this health crisis by addressing defendants who cycle through the criminal justice system because of crimes fueled by drug abuse. 

  “I’m proud to introduce the City’s first such drug diversion program which will operate in newly established Bronx court parts. I want to thank Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks, Judge Grasso, Bronx Community Solutions and the defense bar for their support and assistance in fighting this public health crisis by establishing this pioneering court. OAR will save and reshape lives.” 

 Judge Grasso said, “The OAR track is an important Criminal Court innovation that will save lives. OAR is not about ‘crime and punishment,’ but about ‘compassion and recovery.’ Individuals placed on the OAR track are provided with the network of support and services they need to overcome the deadly disease of addiction and avoid becoming another tragic statistic. This focused, collaborative effort by the Criminal Court in partnership with the District Attorney, defense bar and Bronx Community Solutions provides an immediate response to an at-risk individual that was previously lacking in the criminal justice system. I am proud to be part of it.”

 District Attorney Clark said her Alternatives to Incarceration Bureau and other trained Assistant District Attorneys will offer defendants charged with seventh-degree Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (NY Penal Law 220.03) the opportunity to take part in OAR. In addition to linking defendants with intensive treatment, Bronx Community Solutions will offer job training, housing and other needed services.

 Those who are assessed as high-risk of overdose and accept the program will have their cases adjourned to one of two specialized drug court parts presided over by Judge Grasso and Criminal Court Judge Linda Poust-Lopez, with prosecution of the case withdrawn pending the OAR outcome.

 Participants who meaningfully engage in and fulfill treatment will, upon consent of the Court, have their cases dismissed and sealed, eliminating the burden of a criminal record. There are no penalties for defendants who forego the use of OAR and their cases will move ahead in the criminal court process.

 District Attorney Clark said her Office began planning OAR in May, 2017 with the goal of reducing the number of individuals with opioid addiction from entering the criminal justice system and stemming overdoses in the Bronx.

 According to data, from January 2013 to July 2017, 879 people died of opioid use in the Bronx, and 551 of those people had prior involvement with the criminal justice system in the Bronx, for an average of 8.9 arrests each. The most frequent top charge was NYPL 220.03.

 The OAR program began on December 4, 2017, and has screened 250 cases, out of which 176 were eligible for OAR, and 52 defendants entered the program. The Bronx District Attorney’s Alternatives to Incarceration Bureau is overseeing the initiative, with the assistance of the Trial Division and the Complaint Room/Arraignments Bureau.

Statement by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer Calling for Primary Day to be Rescheduled

 With the fall primary election scheduled to conflict with Rosh Hashanah, Comptroller Scott M. Stringer released the following statement:

“New Yorkers should never have to choose between voting and observing their faith. But that’s exactly what could happen this year – our primary election conflicts with Rosh Hashanah. As it stands, many Jewish voters could be unable to vote. It’s wrong, and it needs to change. At a time when voter engagement is exceptionally low, New York needs to do better by rescheduling the primary, so no New Yorker has to sacrifice fulfilling one’s civic duty because of adherence to one’s faith. I urge the legislature to pass the bill proposed by Assemblyman Carroll and Senator Kaminsky, which will allow all New Yorkers to participate in the primary election.”

Changing the date of a primary election, which is held on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in September before every general election, requires an act of the legislature.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. - You're invited to Borough President Diaz's 2018 State of the Borough Address!

You're invited to attend Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.'s 2018 State of the Borough Address on Thursday, February 22, 2018, at The Bronx High School of Science. Doors open at 10:30 AM, program begins promptly at 11:30 AM.

If you haven't done so already, RSVP at bit.ly/sotbx18.

Click to  RSVP

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

851 Grand Concourse, Ste. 301, Bronx, NY 10451

The Bronx Chamber of Commerce and The Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York invite you to attend a Free Seminar: "New York's Liability Crisis"

DE BLASIO ADMINISTRATION JOINS CITI COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND THE NATIONAL DISABILITY INSTITUTE

TO LAUNCH INITIATIVE AIMED AT STRENGTHENING THE FINANCIAL HEALTH OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

New York City is the first to be part of Empowered Cities, a multi-year national initiative to develop training, tools, curricula, technology, and research to advance the financial empowerment of people with disabilities

  The de Blasio Administration joined Citi Community Development and the National Disability Institute today to announce the launch of  Empowered Cities, a national initiative that encourages municipalities to expand financial empowerment and economic inclusion to people living with disabilities and their families. The announcement includes the launch of EmpoweredNYC, the first local investment under the initiative, which will focus on strengthening the financial health of New Yorkers with disabilities across the five boroughs. Empowered Cities was launched with $2 million in support from Citi Community Development, $1 million of which is being used to fund EmpoweredNYC.

"Cities neglect the most vulnerable in society when they take a one-size-fits-all approach to the allocation of services and resources,” said Mayor de Blasio. “I am proud that EmpoweredNYC will act as a nationwide model for how cities can better serve people with disabilities by offering tailored information that will level the financial playing field for them and their families." 

“When all New Yorkers can fully benefit from all of our City’s educational, cultural and economic opportunities, we all benefit.” said First Lady Chirlane McCray, Chair of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC. “With access to training, counseling and expanded resources New Yorkers with disabilities and their families will have more of the tools they need to lead successful, independent lives.”

“People with disabilities and their families often have to make critical and complex financial decisions almost daily, navigating insurance, health services, benefits, education and employment decisions, which makes financial planning and security challenging,” said Bob Annibale, Global Director, Citi Community Development and Inclusive Finance. “The national Empowered Cities initiative, together with the local EmpoweredNYC partnership, represents an important and collaborative first step toward supporting municipalities, financial counselors and nonprofit service providers with specialized training and resources to ensure that they are better positioned to serve the needs of all residents in our communities.”

More than 50 million people live with a disability in the U.S., and 25 percent of households include a child or an adult with a disability. Nearly one million people in New York City live with a disability, a group comprising 12 percent of the city’s population. New Yorkers with disabilities are also twice as likely to be living in poverty as those without disabilities.

Co-developed and supported by Citi Community Development, EmpoweredNYC is a collaboration between the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, the Department of Consumer Affairs Office of Financial Empowerment, the National Disability Institute, The Poses Family Foundation, and the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City. The program will test, adopt, and promote new strategies to financially empower people with disabilities throughout New York City.  The Department of Consumer Affairs will oversee the management of EmpoweredNYC, as well as the design and implementation of new trainings for financial counselors in order to reach more individuals with disabilities and their families.

“National Disability Institute is enthusiastic about today’s commitment by Citi Community Development and is honored to be a key partner to advance a better economic future for people with disabilities nationwide,” said Michael Morris, Executive Director, National Disability Institute. “With Citi’s and  NYC’s leadership , we will begin by testing new strategies in New York City that can improve financial capability for people with disabilities and enable and empower their future financial decision making. The New York City efforts will help inform a national initiative that enlists municipal and state government, community nonprofit organizations, financial institutions and other key stakeholders that can design programs, products and services that are scalable and sustainable.”

EmpoweredNYC will employ a three-tier approach to advance financial capability and counseling for people with disabilities and their families:

·         Tier 1: Broad engagement and education. Nonprofit service providers, caseworkers, and others will gather information and develop training to better understand and address individual financial situations, deliver a consistent message about financial capability and benefits (including the paths to and rewards of work), make appropriate referrals to one-on-one financial counseling, and strengthen service providers' competence in serving people with disabilities.

·         Tier 2: Revolutionized one-on-one financial counseling with new expertise, outreach, and tools. Stakeholders will pilot a new financial counseling model comprised of training, tools, and strategies customized to provide meaningful one-on-one guidance to people with disabilities.

·         Tier 3: Specialized support services for people transitioning to work. This tier will support people with disabilities seeking to transition to employment by providing specialized financial and benefits guidance.

EmpoweredNYC will create a learning community for newly trained counselors and service providers and launch a citywide marketing campaign to promote the new services. To guide this multi-faceted program, an advisory board will be assembled composed of senior leaders from City agencies, nonprofits, philanthropies, and the private sector.

Through the Empowered Cities program, NDI will hold national convenings with community stakeholders; conduct trainings for service providers and financial counselors, nonprofits, and municipal staff; produce a catalog of new publications and training curricula; and deliver national program management. The National Disability Institute will use the EmpoweredNYC model to inform, document, and build field knowledge about how to deploy citywide financial inclusion models to meet specific needs of residents with disabilities that can be implanted in cities across the country. 

"We know that financial inclusion is critically important to New Yorkers with disabilities, many of whom face significant financial insecurity. This public-private partnership will propel our work forward to develop new ways of achieving broader inclusion of all of our citizens by leveling the economic playing field," said Gabrielle Fialkoff, Senior Advisor to the Mayor and Director of the Office of Strategic Partnerships. "New York City has always been at the cutting edge of new models for equity. With this new initiative, undergirded by the generous support of our long-time collaborators at Citi Community Development, we are pleased to be at the forefront of such important work."  

About the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities

The Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), in operation since 1972, works to ensure that New Yorkers with disabilities can lead happy, healthy and productive lives and works hand-in-hand with other City offices and over 50 agencies to ensure that the voice of the disabled community is represented and that City programs and policies address the needs of the nearly one million New Yorkers with disabilities and the 6.8 million people with disabilities visiting New York City every year. In addition, the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities works with organizations on specific issues affecting people with disabilities, and aims to bring about dialogue that leads to meaningful outcomes for those living with disabilities. MOPD’s strives to make NYC the most accessible city in the world. For more information about MOPD, call 311, visit nyc.gov/mopd, or find it on social media, Twitter or Facebook. 

About the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs

The NYC Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) protects and enhances the daily economic lives of New Yorkers to create thriving communities. DCA licenses more than 81,000 businesses in more than 50 industries and enforces key consumer protection, licensing, and workplace laws that apply to countless more. By supporting businesses through equitable enforcement and access to resources and, by helping to resolve complaints, DCA protects the marketplace from predatory practices and strives to create a culture of compliance. Through its community outreach and the work of its offices of Financial Empowerment and Labor Policy & Standards, DCA empowers consumers and working families by providing the tools and resources they need to be educated consumers and to achieve financial health and work-life balance. DCA also conducts research and advocates for public policy that furthers its work to support New York City’s communities. For more information about DCA and its work, call 311 or visit DCA at nyc.gov/dca or on its social media sites, Twitter, Facebook,Instagram and YouTube.

Bronx Chamber of Commerce and HeartVein NYC invite you to HeartVein's Grand Opening Ribbon-Cutting

Jumaane For New York - Williams Launches State-Wide Listening Tour

Williams Launches State-Wide Listening Tour In Rochester, Buffalo & Syracuse

Meets with New Yorkers of All Backgrounds As He Continues Exploring Run For Lieutenant Governor

   

Two weeks ago, New York City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams announced his plans to form an exploratory committee for the purpose of running for the office of Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York.

This past weekend, Williams visited three cities in Central and Western New York - Rocheseter, Buffalo and Syracuse - as part of a planned listening tour around . He has said that his visits to diverse areas of the state are part of his process in speaking with New Yorkers from all backgrounds, discussing the kind of issues that are impacting their lives, how helpful and responsive is our state government to their needs, while gauging the appetite for new progressive leadership in Albany:

Rochester.....8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 26

Williams kicked off the listening tour by meeting with dozens in the Rochester community at Mt. Hope Family Diner Friday morning for breakfast He discussed his record as a Council Member, and how he believes that Rochester and many other cities across the state face similar challenges such as affordable housing, gun violence and economic development. Listening  for over two  hours to the concerns of a diverse group of residents assembled from across Monroe County, Williams got the opportunity to hear first-hand their concerns regarding the future of our state. Williams was introduced at the event by Brighton, NY.

University of Rochester.....11 a.m.

Council Member Williams also visited the Frederick Douglass Institute at the University of Rochester (above), and discussed the diverse array of programs and offerings that the Institute presents to the campus community and surrounding area. He spoke briefly at an event hosted by the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Initiative (below) about the importance of recognizing Douglass as a radical activist of his time. Next month will mark the 200th anniversary of the noted African American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, author and statesman.

Mt. Hope Cemetery.....1:30 p.m.

Before leaving Rochester, Council Member Williams stopped by the Mt. Hope Cemetery where paid his respects at the gravesites of both Frederick Douglassand Susan B. Anthony, calling them "two icons for civil rights" who "took up their cause with energy, passion, and conviction, and are truly an inspiration to all those who continue their work." Additionally, Williams stopped by for a meeting with Rochester residents at the Irondequoit Public Library.

Buffalo.....5 p.m.

Council Member Williams continued on to the city of Buffalo for an event at the Allen Street Hardware Cafe, where he spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of over 50 Buffalo progressives on issues of housing, climate change, gun violence, and what it means to be a core progressive. Council Member Brian Nowak of Cheektowaga introduced Council Member Williams, who continued to speak with the crowd, hearing their concerns and answering questions for two and a half hours. At the conclusion, several attendees made donations to his exploratory camapign.

Syracuse.....8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 27

Saturday morning, Council Member Williams paid a visit to the Syracuse Regional Market to speak to artisans and farmers from the area before holding a meet and greet with Syracuse Common Council President Helen Hudson (above photo - bottom left), Council Member & President Pro-tem Khalid Bey,  Council Member Latoya Allen (District 4) and several community advocacy groups.

After an insightful dialogue with the spirited crowd, Council Member Williams met with former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner (above photos) to discuss the issues that still face the city and how best to take them on. Miner has long been considered a potential primary challenger to Governor Andrew Cuomo. Williams returned to Brooklyn on Saturday evening after his three-city swing. 

"It was incredible to feel the progressive energy across the state, at stop after stop," Williams said of his trip. "People are energized by the prospect of finding progressive solutions to the problems that we all face together, upstate and downstate alike. Everyone wants affordable, sustainable housing, better jobs, safer communities, and quality education. It was a privilege to discuss how we can all achieve these goals together."

In his eight years on the New York City Council, Council Member Williams has been a fierce advocate for affordable housing and  tenant protections. Referring to himself as an "activist elected official," he has passed an exceptionally large amount of legislation, including landmark legislation in police reform and worker safety, and helped to create anti-gun violence programs which have led New York City to its lowest crime rates in decades. Williams was recently re-elected to a third term representing the 45th District in the City Council, earning 96% percent of the vote.

He has long been a critic of Governor Cuomo and other officials who he says "put on a progressive cloak" when it is politically expedient and "test the political winds." In announcing his exploratory committee on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Williams argued that the Capitol needs people who will help to "create those political winds." He is expected to decide whether to officially enter the race for Lieutenant Governor in the coming weeks.

For more information about Jumaane's vision and the previous work he has done during three terms in the NYC Council, log on at www.jumaanewilliams.com

If you would like to invite Jumaane to your neighborhood to meet and discuss New York's future, send an email to jumaanefornewyork@gmail.com