NYPD and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Announce FINEST CARE, New Collaboration to Offer Free, Confidential Counseling to Officers

New Program Gives Officers Access to Highest-Quality, Comprehensive Mental Health Services

 The New York Police Department and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital today announced a new collaboration to connect uniformed members of service with free, confidential counseling and other mental health services, as part of NYPD’s health and wellness programming. Starting Monday, October 28th, FINEST CARE will enable officers to call a confidential NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital referral line to get connected to the Hospital’s affiliated psychologists and psychiatrists.

"The dedicated public servants who have driven crime to record-lows in New York City deserve the best-quality mental health care to help them deal with the emotional challenges of their difficult work," said Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill. "Think about the stresses they endure every day, the cumulative trauma they experience: They go to shootings and murder scenes, they interview sexual assault victims - there didn’t always seem to be an outlet to talk about that. And the biggest issue is the stigma about seeking and accepting help for ourselves. Now, those who devote their lives to helping others overcome crisis situations have access to free, confidential counseling with some of the top psychologists and psychiatrists in our nation. I want to remind everyone in our NYPD family that caring for yourselves, and helping others connect with the help they need, is never a sign of weakness - in fact, it's a sign of incredible strength. We're looking to help all of our members get back on the road to doing the jobs they love."

"When I was 18 years old, my Dad took his own life. He was a World II hero and was so used to helping others that he found it difficult to accept it for himself," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "Too many members of the NYPD family have had to watch their colleagues and loved ones succumb to mental health struggles. We are launching a new partnership with NewYork-Presbyterian to eradicate stigma and get our officers the help they need."

"NewYork-Presbyterian is honored to provide NYPD officers with the highest-quality mental health services to meet their unique needs," said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian. "Historically, members of law enforcement have been reluctant to seek help, seeing themselves as providers, not receivers, of help. FINEST CARE can break that cycle and provide the best care available to our city's officers, to whom we owe a great debt."

FINEST CARE will provide all uniformed members of service with access to clinicians that can provide counseling through difficult life events. At no cost to the officer, the program will offer a wide range of comprehensive and confidential behavioral health services specifically developed for NYPD uniformed officers and tailored to meet an individual’s needs. Examples of available resources include: a one-time appointment to discuss an acute issue, regular outpatient therapy sessions with licensed psychiatrists and psychologists, prescribed medication when clinically appropriate, and more.

A team of clinicians from NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Division will be made available for this effort. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is collaborating with its affiliated medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s psychiatry specialty is ranked among the top five in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report.

To access resources, uniformed members of service can call NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's dedicated referral line and speak to a coordinator who will identify a convenient provider for a timely appointment. Coordinators will be trained to speak with NYPD officers and to identify whether a caller is in immediate need of help or is looking to speak to a mental health professional about an issue before it turns into a crisis. FINEST CARE is available for all kinds of emotional challenges, and all uniformed members of service who are experiencing challenges are encouraged to call.

The program costs will vary according to use, up to $1.2 million of the NYPD budget. The Police Foundation provided an initial $150K in support of the program.

NewYork-Presbyterian NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation's most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems, encompassing 10 hospital campuses across the Greater New York area, more than 200 primary and specialty care clinics and medical groups, and an array of telemedicine services.

A leader in medical education, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is the only academic medical center in the nation affiliated with two world-class medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. This collaboration means patients have access to the country's leading physicians, the full range of medical specialties, latest innovations in care, and research that is developing cures and saving lives.

NYPD's Health and Wellness Programming The Department has recently established a "Health & Wellness Task Force" to develop a holistic and comprehensive strategy on health and wellness, which includes physical, mental, and emotional health. The Task Force is chaired by the First Deputy Commissioner, in collaboration with various units within the Department. Recent initiatives include:

• Executive and Command-level Training
• Increasing access to Shield of Resilience Training Course, used by law enforcement officers nationwide
• Training members from each command in Mental Health First Aid
• Launching Peer Support Program
• Launching Health and Wellness App
• Updating shield policy
• Increasing staffing in the Medical Division

Attorney General James Fights In Supreme Court To Protect States' Ability To Hold Polluters Accountable

Coalition of fifteen states fight to ensure states can hold polluters accountable and force them to clean up hazardous waste sites  

  Attorney General James, as a part of a coalition of 15 attorneys general from across the country, today defended the ability of New York and other states to hold polluters accountable for the damage they cause. In the case of Atlantic Richfield Company v. Gregory A. Christian, et al., a case out of Montana, a heavy manufacturing company is trying to avoid paying for the cleanup of its former site by saying that federal law blocks the ability of states to address, respond to, and clean up hazardous waste sites. The attorneys general argue that federal law clearly allows states to protect their land, air, and water from damage, and to hold polluters accountable for the damage they cause. 

“New York stands firm with our fellow states in holding polluters accountable for violating laws and regulations that cause harm to Americans,” said Attorney General James. “My office is prepared to use every tool possible to ensure our ability to protect the land we use, the air we breathe, and the water we drink from contamination.”  

In their brief, the attorneys general write that “States have a strong interest in ensuring that their citizens (and the State itself) are compensated for injuries caused by releases of hazardous materials and in preserving their authority to address, respond to, and remediate harm from environmental contamination.” 

The states further explain that the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) actually “aimed to preserve the States’ traditional role in addressing environmental contamination,” and recognized “that States play an important role in addressing, responding to, and remediating environmental disasters.” 

In addition to Attorney General James, the brief was joined by the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.  

AG James, States Reach Settlement With Reckitt Over Allegations Of Improper Marketing Of Suboxone

  Attorney General Letitia James announced that New York and other states have reached an agreement with the pharmaceutical distributor Reckitt Benckiser Group (“Reckitt”) to settle allegations that the company improperly marketed and promoted the drug Suboxone, resulting in improper expenditure of state Medicaid funds. Reckitt will pay $700 million to the settle the allegations, including those it settled with the U.S. earlier this year. As part of the agreement, New York’s Medicaid program will receive more than $71.9 million in recoveries, with more than $39.9 million being returned to New York State. 

“Pharmaceutical companies have a basic duty to ensure that they are properly disclosing and marketing powerful drugs,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “Reckitt misled the public about the real impacts of Suboxone and encouraged physicians to wrongly prescribe it, while cheating New York out of tens of millions of dollars in the process. No company is above the law and we will continue to take on anyone who takes advantage of the opioid crisis to increase their bottom line.” 

Suboxone is a drug product approved for use to treat opioid addiction to avoid or reduce withdrawal symptoms while undergoing treatment. Suboxone and its active ingredient, buprenorphine, are powerful and addictive opioids. Reckitt has paid a total of $700 million to resolve various civil fraud allegations impacting Medicaid and other government healthcare programs, of which over $400 million will go to the Medicaid programs. New York’s Medicaid Program will receive $71,953,065.74 in recoveries from Reckitt with $39,941,582.30 being returned to the State. To resolve its potential criminal liability stemming from conduct alleged in the indictment of Indivior, Inc., Reckitt has entered into a separate non-prosecution agreement.  

The civil settlement resolves allegations that, from 2010 through 2014, Reckitt, directly or through its subsidiaries, knowingly: 

• Promoted the sale and use of Suboxone to physicians who were writing prescriptions to patients without any counseling or psychosocial support, such that the prescriptions were not for a medically accepted indication and for uses that were unsafe, ineffective, and medically unnecessary and that were often diverted for uses that lacked a legitimate medical purpose; 
• Promoted the sale or use of Suboxone Sublingual Film based on false and misleading claims that Suboxone Sublingual Film was less subject to diversion and abuse than other buprenorphine products and that Suboxone Sublingual Film was less susceptible to accidental pediatric exposure than Suboxone Sublingual Tablets; 
• Submitted a petition to the Food and Drug Administration on September 25, 2012, fraudulently claiming that it had discontinued manufacturing and selling Suboxone Sublingual Tablet “due to safety concerns” about the tablet formulation of the drug; 
• Took other steps to fraudulently delay the entry of generic competition for various forms of Suboxone in order to improperly control pricing of Suboxone, including pricing to federal healthcare programs. 

The civil settlement resolves the claims against Reckitt brought in six qui tam lawsuits pending in federal courts in the Western District of Virginia and the District of New Jersey.  

A National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units (NAMFCU) team participated in the investigation and in settlement negotiations. The team included representatives from the New York Attorney General’s Office, in addition to representatives from the attorneys general of California, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, and Washington. 

“ANOTHER CHANCE” EVENT WILL BE HELD FOR THIRD TIME IN BRONX; SPONSORED BY BRONX DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, OFFICE OF COURT ADMINISTRATION AND THE LEGAL AID SOCIETY

New Yorkers Can Resolve Outstanding Summons Warrants for Quality of Life Offenses; Learn About Sealing Old Convictions and Expunging Marijuana Possession Convictions 

 District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced today that her office will host “Another Chance,” a summons warrant forgiveness program in the Bronx on October 26, 2019, inviting residents from all five boroughs and giving them the opportunity to clear their records and continue with their lives, and experience first-hand criminal justice reform. 

 The “Another Chance” event will be held in partnership with the Office of Court Administration and The Legal Aid Society on Saturday, October 26, 2019 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Thessalonia Worship Center, located at 941 Rev. James A. Polite Avenue in the Longwood section of the Bronx. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “I am thrilled to host the ‘Another Chance’ event in the Bronx again, which brings the court to the community. This time, we will have defense attorneys to help participants learn how to seal old convictions, as well as get information on expunging marijuana possession convictions faster, bringing criminal justice reform to life for New Yorkers. If you committed low-level offenses, like drinking alcohol in public, littering or riding a bike on the sidewalk and did not resolve that summons, you could face arrest for that past mistake, and it could affect employment and housing. I strongly urge residents with summons warrants to attend the event so they can remove the burden.”

 Bronx County Criminal Court Supervising Judge George Grasso said, “I commend Bronx County District Attorney Darcel Clark for her continuing efforts to bring justice to the community that we so proudly serve. This is exactly the type of collaboration that is encouraged throughout the Criminal Justice System by our Chief Judge Janet DiFiore. The New York City Criminal Court is proud to stand with our partners to effect justice and fairness in Bronx County.

 A mobile courtroom will be created in the Thessalonia Worship Center with Honorable Bahaati Pitt, Criminal Court Judge, presiding, as well as attorneys and staff from the Bronx District Attorney’s Office and The Legal Aid Society. The event will also include a resource fair, where residents can obtain information on health care and social services from a vast array of organizations. 

 District Attorney Clark said over 300 people attended the last Another Chance event, held in 2017, and approximately 226 warrants were cleared at that event.

Team AOC - Mark Zuckerberg

Yesterday, AOC posed a simple question to Mark Zuckerberg: “Will Facebook take down lies?” His answer was basically ‘no.’ So if we wanted to run ads saying Republicans in competitive primaries voted for the Green New Deal (an obvious lie), we’d “probably” not get in trouble, according to Mark.

Video of AOC confronting Zuckerberg went viral — it’s been viewed and shared millions of times. And it’s all thanks to grassroots supporters like you..

That means AOC doesn’t have to spend her time dialing for dollars like typical politicians. Thanks to your support, she can focus on doing her job in the House, holding powerful people like Zuckerberg to account.

Zuckerberg’s answer means the Trump campaign can lie with impunity, and Facebook will have no problem taking their cash. And given Trump’s awful relationship with reality and truth, you can be sure those ads filled with lies are being prepared as we speak.

• Ads that say Medicare for All will cancel Medicare for seniors? Fair game.
• Ads that say the Green New Deal will ban meat? All good for Facebook.
• Ads that say climate change isn’t real? Totally. Fine.

You see where we’re going here. Trump can lie all he wants! That’s incredibly dangerous for our democracy.

Pa'lante,

Team AOC 

This came in from Team AOC, and was edited to delete any requests for donations.

Team Ritchie - We're already losing ground...

This come in from the Ritchie Torres for Congress Campaign. It has been edited to delete requests for donations.

There’s been a lot of positive buzz surrounding our campaign, especially the recent news that we outraised the entire crowded field of candidates last quarter. We're extremely proud of that! 

 

But the news isn't all good. Now that the other candidates have caught wind of the power of our grassroots movement, they’re ramping up their operations to do everything they can to close the gap and move ahead of us -- and we can't afford to let that happen.

Team, Ritchie is up against nine other candidates, and the competition is going to be tougher than ever -- we’re in serious danger of falling short. 

Paid for by Ritchie Torres for Congress

EDITOR'S NOTE:

It has been said by some political pundits that there are fifteen candidates currently in this congressional race, I have the amount at thirteen.  

Police-involved Shooting in the 32 Precinct, Manhattan

October 23, 2019

Remarks as prepared for Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill

 Police officers from the 32nd Precinct responded to a call of a dispute between neighbors. This is the type of call NYPD cops respond to thousands of times a year. But today, we were reminded - again - that no call is ever routine. Early this morning we saw a vivid example of the dangers our police officers face each and every day fighting crime and keeping people safe.

I'm joined here by Mayor de Blasio, NYPD Supervising Chief Surgeon Dr. Eli Kleiman, PBA President Pat Lynch, First Deputy Commissioner Ben Tucker, Chief of Department Terry Monahan, Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison, Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea, and Manhattan North Borough Commander, Assistant Chief Kathleen O'Reilly.

First, I want to thank the skilled staff here at St. Luke's Medical Center for the high-level of professional care they always provide.

The information I'm about to share with you is preliminary, and subject to change as the investigation unfolds.

At approximately 1:51 am, eight uniformed police officers from the 32 Precinct responded to a 911 call by a resident of 2785 Fredrick Douglass Boulevard stating a male neighbor is harassing her, banging on doors and breaking glass.

The officers went to the second floor of the building to investigate the complaint and to locate the man.

As the officers fanned out to search the second-floor hallway, one officer suddenly encountered the suspect, standing naked, pointing a 9mm semi-automatic handgun at the officer. A violent struggle immediately began, and shots were fired.

The officer yelled for help as the struggle continued, and the other officers discharged their firearms, striking the suspect several times. Our officer had been shot one time in the chest. The round did not penetrate his bullet-resistant vest. Our officer had also been punched numerous times, resulting in injuries to his face.

The officer is here at St. Luke's in stable condition. The mayor and I just met with his wife. The injured officer is 34 years old. He joined the NYPD in July 2012, and is assigned to Patrol in the 32 Precinct.

The 29-year-old suspect, who has had previous interactions with the police, was pronounced deceased at Harlem Hospital. The suspect's firearm was recovered at the scene.

Van Cortlandt Park Alliance - Howl-o-ween in VCP

Van Cortlandt Park Alliance 80 Van Cortlandt Park South, Ste. E1 Bronx, NY 10463 www.vancortlandt.org *The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park and the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy have spent the last two years working to create the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance, a superior stewardship organization to guide the future of Van Cortlandt Park and the implementation of the 2034 Master Plan. For years, the Friends and the Conservancy have worked independently to restore, beautify, and support free programming in Van Cortlandt Park, the crown jewel of the Bronx. Our shared interests have now led us to combine our efforts.