MAYOR DE BLASIO SURGES SUPPLIES AND RESOURCES TO HOSPITALS CITYWIDE

  Mayor de Blasio today announced a surge of critical supplies and resources to NYC Health+ Hospitals Elmhurst and other hospitals citywide. This past week, NYC Health + Hospitals added 500 contract nurses to support existing staff system wide. Health + Hospitals will add an additional 500 nurses this week, as well.

“Elmhurst and our NYC Health+ Hospital system are at the center of this epidemic,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We’re in a state of war, but we cannot go to battle without ammunition. To those who are on the frontlines: your City is behind you, and more help is on the way.”

Citywide, as of 6:00 PM on March 29^th, there are 33,474 positive cases of COVID-19 and 776 fatalities. There are 6,250 confirmed cases in the Bronx, 8,887 in Brooklyn, 5,582 in Manhattan, 10,737 in Queens, and 1,984 in Staten Island.

As of 6:00 PM on March 29^th, there were at least 6,635 people hospitalized. Of those individuals, at least 1,520 were in the ICU. 

Hospital Capacity and Staffing Update

NYC Health + Hospitals/ Roosevelt Island Medical Center on NYC Health+ Hospital/Coler Campus began accepting patients last week. The facility can hold a total of 350 non-COVID patients.

Mount Sinai Health System and the non-for-profit organization Samaritans Purse, with support from the City, will construct a 68-bed field hospital in Central Park’s East Meadow. The site will begin accepting patients on Tuesday, March 31^st. This will not be a standalone walk-in facility – Mt. Sinai will manage admissions and transfers.   

This past week, NYC Health + Hospitals added 500 contract nurses to support existing staff system wide. Health + Hospitals will add additional 500 nurses this week as well.

NYC Health+ Hospitals Elmhurst

The City has continued to surge resources to NYC Health+ Hospitals Elmhurst to accommodate the influx of patients with COVID-19 related illness. As of today, NYC Health + Hospitals has added 169 clinicians—a combination of registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician Assistants and physicians—to assist Elmhurst staff.  100 nurses were dispatched this weekend alone. Additionally, 45 clinicians have been re-assigned from outpatient to inpatient for additional reinforcement.

This week, the Hospital received 8,000 N95 masks, 18,000 head covers, and 2,000 booties. Last week, the Hospital received 13,000 N95s masks, 221,000 surgical gloves, 33,000 face masks, 17,500 gowns, and 1,665 face shields. The City has also re-supplied the Hospital’s number of ventilators 4 times in the last 10 days, and distributed an additional 55 ventilators. .

Critical Supply Update

The City has now received all 2,500 ventilators promised by the federal government and are distributing them to hospitals as needed.

The City is also distributing 250,000 masks donated by the UN to help protect health care workers.

Last Friday, 20 trucks distributed critical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), delivering 200,000 N95 masks, 1 million surgical masks, 50,000 face shields, 10,000 boxes gloves, and 40,000 isolation gowns to hospitals citywide. Tomorrow, the City will deliver 800,000 N95 respirators, and 2 million surgical face masks.

To date, the City has distributed a total of 8,918,000 face masks, 179, 328 face shields, 476, 565 N95 masks 159, 204 gowns, 1,570,300 surgical gloves, and 835 ventilators to hospitals across the City.

Preventing Subway Crowding

Beginning tomorrow, Monday March 30^th, the NYPD will conduct spot checks on subway cars to ensure individuals are following social distancing guidance. New Yorkers should call 311 to report overcrowded lines and cars.

Updated Staten Island Ferry Service

Effective 12:00 AM on Monday, March 30, the Staten Island Ferry will further reduce service levels and transition to hourly service.

Enforcement Park Space

The Parks Department and NYPD will continue to enforce social distancing guidelines at Parks and issue fines as necessary. The City has already taken down 80 basketball hoops across the City and will expand this approach to ensure proper protocols are followed. With team sports now banned, the City will down nets from any tennis court of soccer field that are seeing significant enforcement issues.

Stay Informed

Nearly 800,000 New Yorkers have signed up for the City’s COVID text notification system to get regular updates on the latest developments with coronavirus in New York City text COVID to 692-692.  New Yorkers can text COVIDESP to 692-692 for updates in Spanish. You will receive regular SMS texts with the latest news and developments. If you have any questions on finding medical care call 311.

OcasioCortez.com - 3 NY charities - UPDATE on Jewish Community Council of Pelham Parkway

 Republican senators are failing to provide real relief to our communities, so it’s up to us to show up for each other. And we need to do it fast.

Right now, millions of people are losing their jobs, their health care and child care. Many are struggling to cover rent next month and food for their families. People stuck in detention centers are at huge risk of contracting coronavirus, without adequate medical care.

That’s why today we’re launching a major push to raise critical funds for three New York organizations that are helping people affected by COVID-19. They need our help.

Here are the three organizations we’re asking you to support:

• Hungry Monk Services supports unhoused New Yorkers, operates a mobile food pantry, and delivers food to people all over Queens.
  
  
• Jewish Community Council of Pelham Parkway is a Bronx food pantry that serves everyone, regardless of identity or documentation status. They also provide rent assistance.
  
  
• Amazonians United NYC supports Amazon workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 in the warehouse and are organizing and quarantining to prevent the spread of the virus.

These three organizations are helping some of our most vulnerable neighbors, but they’re facing skyrocketing demand for their services. That’s why they need our help:

In the coming weeks, we’ll be introducing more organizations and opportunities to give. If you can’t afford to give at this time, please don’t worry. If you can, let’s show up for the most vulnerable people among us.

We need each other. Really. That’s what a movement is.

Thank you,

Team AOC

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Many people were unaware of any connection between Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and the Jewish Community Council of Pelham Parkway. 

We received the statement below from Mr. David Edelstein the Executive Director of the JCCPP.

Sun, Mar 29, 2020 

Subject: Re: Are you connected with AOC

Yes, and we have received $16,000+ as of today.

David Edelstein, Executive Director

Jewish Community Council of Pelham Parkway

Phone: 718 792-4744

We wonder what took the Congresswoman so 

long to do this, and we hope it will not end 

after the Primary on June 23rd.

Oswald Felix Holds up Full Page of Signatures but the Candidates People Signed for is Hidden, and Where are the Dates?

We hope you remembered to put the right date in Oswald Felix?

Still no dates Mr. Fe;ix.

EXECUTIVE ORDER No. 202.12: Continuing Temporary Suspension and Modification of Laws Relating to the Disaster Emergency

No. 202.12

E X E C U T I V E  O R D E R

Continuing Temporary Suspension and Modification of Laws Relating to the Disaster Emergency

WHEREAS, on March 7, 2020, I issued Executive Order Number 202, declaring a State disaster emergency for the entire State of New York; and

WHEREAS, both travel-related cases and community contact transmission of COVID-19 have been documented in New York State and are expected to be continue;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Section 29-a of Article 2-B of the Executive Law to temporarily suspend or modify any statute, local law, ordinance, order, rule, or regulation, or parts thereof, of any agency during a State disaster emergency, if compliance with such statute, local law, ordinance, order, rule, or regulation would prevent, hinder, or delay action necessary to cope with the disaster emergency or if necessary to assist or aid in coping with such disaster, I hereby temporarily suspend or modify, for the period from the date of this Executive Order through April 27, 2020 the following:

• Subdivision (1) of Section 4-117 of the Election law to the extent necessary so that the time to mail the annual check of registrants and notice by mail shall be as directed by the New York State Board of Elections.

• Paragraph 28 of section 171 of the Tax Law, to the extent it limits the allowable period that the Tax Commissioner can disregard when a disaster emergency has been declared, in order to authorize the Tax Commissioner to disregard a period or more than 90 days, but not more than 100 days.

IN ADDITION, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Section 29-a of Article 2-B of the Executive Law to issue any directive during a disaster emergency necessary to cope with the disaster, I hereby issue the following directives for the period from the date of this Executive Order through April 27, 2020:

• Any presidential primary to be held on April 28, 2020, shall be postponed and rescheduled for June 23, 2020.  

• Any special election to be held on April 28, 2020, including for the Twenty-Seventh Congressional District, the Twelfth Assembly District, the Thirty-First Assembly District, the One Hundred and Thirty-Sixth Assembly District, and the Fiftieth Senate District shall be postponed and rescheduled for June 23, 2020, and the ballots shall remain the same. 

• Any article twenty-eight facility licensed by the state, shall, as a condition of licensure permit the attendance of one support person who does not have a fever at the time of labor/delivery to be present as a support person for a patient who is giving birth.

G I V E N   under my hand and the Privy Seal of the State in the City of Albany this twenty-eighth day of March in the year two thousand twenty.

BY THE GOVERNOR         

Secretary to the Governor

Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, Governor Cuomo Issues Executive Order Moving New York Presidential Primary Election to June 23rd

Issues Executive Order to Enable Moving Tax Filing Deadline for Personal and Corporate Taxes to July 15th

New York State's Wadsworth Lab Has Started Evaluating New Antibody Test 

Governor Announces Three New Sites to Add 695 Hospital Beds to the State's Capacity; State Will Begin Using Some Facilities Only for Patients with COVID-19

Following Governor's Request, Federal Government Has Approved Four Additional Sites for Temporary Hospitals

First 1,000-Bed Temporary Hospital at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center Expected to Open Monday

70 Non-Profit Organizations Statewide Will Receive $7.5 Million in Operating Support Funds to Provide Technical Assistance to Small Business Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Confirms 7,681 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to 52,318; New Cases in 44 Counties

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Files Civil Fraud Suit Against Anthem, Inc., For Falsely Certifying The Accuracy Of Its Diagnosis Data

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that the United States filed a civil fraud lawsuit today against ANTHEM, INC. (“ANTHEM”), alleging that ANTHEM falsely certified the accuracy of the diagnosis data it submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) for risk-adjustment purposes under Medicare Part C and knowingly failed to delete inaccurate diagnosis codes.  As a result of these acts, ANTHEM caused CMS to calculate the risk-adjustment payments to ANTHEM based on inaccurate, and inflated, diagnosis information, which enabled ANTHEM to obtain millions of dollars in Medicare funds to which it was not entitled.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said:  “The integrity of Medicare’s payment system is critical to our healthcare.  This Office is dedicated to vigorously using all of the legal tools available, including the False Claims Act, to ensure the integrity of Medicare payments.  The case against Anthem today is an illustration of that commitment.” 

As set forth in the Complaint, Medicare Part C, also known as Medicare Advantage, provides health insurance coverage for tens of millions of Americans who opt out of traditional Medicare.  Under Medicare Part C, Medicare Advantage Organizations (“MAOs”), typically private insurers like ANTHEM, provide coverage for Medicare beneficiaries.  In return, MAOs receive capitated payments from CMS based on the patients’ medical conditions and demographic factors.  More specifically, MAOs like ANTHEM submit diagnosis data, typically passed along from beneficiaries’ healthcare providers, to CMS.  CMS then uses that diagnosis data, in conjunction with demographic factors, to calculate a “risk score” for each beneficiary and, in turn, the amount of the capitated payment that the MAO will receive for covering that beneficiary.

The Complaint alleges that ANTHEM, as one of the nation’s largest MAOs, operated dozens of Medicare Part C plans, including the Empire MediBlue plan in New York.  To supplement its collection of diagnosis codes besides what it received from healthcare providers, ANTHEM implemented a “retrospective chart review” program using a vendor called Medi-Connect.  Specifically, ANTHEM paid Medi-Connect to collect medical records from healthcare providers corresponding to services they rendered to ANTHEM’s Part C beneficiaries and then review those records to identify all diagnosis codes supported by the medical records.  ANTHEM then submitted to CMS any diagnosis codes identified by Medi-Connect that ANTHEM had not already submitted to CMS based on what providers initially reported. 

The Complaint further alleges that when ANTHEM asked healthcare providers to provide records to Medi-Connect, ANTHEM characterized its chart review program as an “oversight activity” that would “help ensure that the [diagnosis] codes have been reported accurately.”  In fact, however, ANTHEM did not use the information it received from Medi-Connect to check the accuracy of diagnosis codes it had submitted to CMS.  Specifically, when Medi-Connect’s review did not validate diagnosis codes that ANTHEM previously submitted to CMS, ANTHEM did not make any effort to verify or delete those codes. 

According to the Complaint, ANTHEM did not do so because deleting invalid diagnosis codes would have substantially reduced the additional revenue the chart review program generated for ANTHEM, which frequently exceeded $100 million per year.  Instead, ANTHEM treated its chart review program solely as a tool for revenue enhancement and viewed it as ANTHEM’s “cash cow.”    

As alleged in the Complaint, ANTHEM not only knowingly failed to delete diagnosis codes shown by its chart review program to be unsupported by the medical records, but also repeatedly made false statements to CMS.  Specifically, ANTHEM made false annual attestations to CMS certifying that its risk-adjustment data submissions were “accurate” according to its “best knowledge, information and belief.”  ANTHEM also falsely told CMS that it would “research and correct” risk adjustment data discrepancies.  As result of its false statements and its failure to delete inaccurate diagnosis codes, ANTHEM improperly obtained or retained millions of dollars in payments from CMS to which it was not entitled, in violation of the False Claims Act.

Mr. Berman thanked the Office of Counsel to the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services and the Commercial Litigation Branch at the Civil Division of the Department of Justice for their extensive assistance.

AG James Warns New Yorkers about Scams Related to Federal Relief for COVID-19

  New York Attorney General Letitia James today issued an alert to New Yorkers to warn them about potential scams related to the federal stimulus package passed by Congress to provide economic relief during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has received reports of scammers attempting to steal personal and financial information by using the news that the federal government will send payments to people across the country as part of the economic relief efforts. 

“Scammers have been using a variety of tools to take advantage of this crisis and steal from New Yorkers,” said Attorney General James. “The latest example involves scammers pretending to be from the federal government and preying on individuals who desperately need financial support right now. I remind all New Yorkers to be vigilant and take precautions to ensure they do not fall victim to these harmful and heartless scams.”

Attorney General James released the following tips for New Yorkers to protect themselves from these scams:

• Never give your personal information or financial information out to someone unless you are absolutely sure who they are.
  
  
• Be alert: scammers may use emails, texts, or webpages that look like they are from the federal government. If someone claims to be from the government with a check for you, it may be a phishing scam that is illegally trying to obtain your bank account or other personal information.
  
  
• If you are eligible for a payment, you will receive a payment directly from the IRS. Do not pay anyone who promises that they can expedite or obtain a payment or a loan for you. If you are eligible for relief, you will not need to make any up-front payment or pay any fee to receive a stimulus payment. You will not be charged any "processing fees."
  
  
• Never open attachments or links sent from anyone who claims to be from the government. Do not reply and delete the message right away.  

If you believe you have been a victim of a scam, please contact the Office of the Attorney General and file a complaint.

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES MASK DONATION FROM THE UNITED NATIONS TO HELP FIGHT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19

Donation of 250,000 surgical masks will help protect health care workers and contribute to the City’s urgent need for more personal protective equipment

  Mayor Bill de Blasio, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres and United States Ambassador Kelly Craft today announced the donation of 250,000 surgical masks to help New York City in its fight against COVID-19.

The donation comes in response to the Mayor de Blasio’s appeal for donations of supplies to help the City’s health care workers treat New Yorkers affected by COVID-19. New York City remains the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. with more than 29,000 confirmed cases and 517 deaths as of Saturday at 10AM.

“Our healthcare workers are heroes - plain and simple. We must do all we can to they protect them," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I thank the United Nations for their much needed donation. New Yorkers and the international community stand together in this fight.” 

“These masks, in surplus to United Nations requirements, will be given to the medical professionals in New York City who have been working courageously, selflessly, and tirelessly in response to the spread of COVID-19 across the boroughs in the hope that they play some small role in saving lives. We speak with one voice to express our resolute support for this great city and its proud people.  To us, New York is not just our home or the headquarters of the United Nations.  It is a vibrant international capital through which the world communicates, debates, trades, and prospers.  On behalf of the UN community and the diplomatic corps, we sincerely hope this modest donation makes a difference,” said United Nations Secretary General António Guterres. 

  

“This is a time when all New Yorkers should be working together to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our city and that includes our diplomatic community. I want to thank the United Nations for stepping up to help their fellow New Yorkers. These surgical masks will help protect the health care workers fighting on the front lines of this pandemic as they work to save lives. Furthermore, this generous donation goes to highlight the enduring bond between the United Nations and New York City,” said Penny Abeywardena, Commissioner for the NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs.