Nursing Home Deaths - What You Should Know

What You Should Know

By Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz

District 18, Bronx County

 

 

Nursing Home Deaths

 

 

You should know that according to news reports, 46 to 100 elderly people have died, due to the Coronavirus, in a residence center for the elderly in Upper Manhattan, where the majority of the residents are Dominicans.

 

The Isabella Geriatric Center, located at 515 Audubon Avenue in Upper Manhattan, has been on the list of Nursing Homes accused of neglect and concealing information related to patients who died of the Coronavirus.

 

“God didn’t do that, fate didn’t do that, destiny didn’t do that”, but your actions did do that Governor Cuomo:   The Staggering Number of New York’s Nursing Home COVID-19 Deaths happened because of your policies and under your watch.

 

You should know that responsibility for the staggering number of COVID-19 deaths in New York’s nursing homes can only lay at the feet of Governor Andrew Cuomo. While earlier this month Governor Cuomo refused to credit God for the reduction in statewide COVID-19 numbers, let’s hope that he won’t try now to blame God for his nursing home mismanagement and the dreadful consequences brought upon them.

 

You should know that an editorial titled “The fix is obviously in on Cuomo’s ‘investigation’ of nursing-home horrors” in the April 25, 2020 print edition of the New York Post states the following:

 

“News that Team Cuomo ignored warnings about the nursing-home disaster only confirms that the gov.’s call for an investigation is pure deflection. He’s trying to make care facility owners the fall guys for the state’s choices.

 

…. The real investigation should be into why Zucker insisted on sending coronavirus-positive patients to nursing homes, when it’s been clear from the start that the elderly are most at risk from the virus.

 

The same New York Post page contains scathing Letters to the Editor’s section under the title: Cuomo’s Callous Response to Nursing Home Deaths. THE ISSUE: Gov. Cuomo’s comment that it wasn’t the state’s job to provide PPE to nursing homes. Heartbreaking letters include the following:

 

“Nursing homes didn’t solicit coronavirus patients. Cuomo ordered these facilities to take them. Overwhelmed and ill-equipped to protect a highly vulnerable population, coronavirus nursing-home deaths soared.

 

“I was shocked to see how seemingly callous and dismissive an elected official could be, especially since some 3,500 nursing-home residents have lost their lives. The governor’s job should be to protect the elderly and those compromised because of underlying health issues.”

 

“It’s a disgrace what New York did by forcing nursing homes to take COVID-19 patients that have been treated and released from hospitals. We’re told that people who are elderly with underlying conditions are susceptible to the virus. That’s someone’s mother or father in these facilities. The state is sacrificing them.”

 

My dear reader, the blame for these alarming deaths should not be placed on the shoulders of the frontline workers in our nursing homes. Most people who work in nursing homes do so out of a real sense of purpose and mercy to help our vulnerable elderly in need of care and attention. Nursing home workers are exhausted. In too many cases they remain unprotected and without the proper PPE equipment. They deserve our heartfelt support and prayers.

 

It is important for you to know that in the most recent State Budget, Governor Cuomo included within it a section packaged within the Emergency or Disaster Treatment Protection Act to shield health care facilities or professionals from liability, civil or criminal, for harm and damages as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.  

 

It is outrageous to know that after statutorily shielding nursing homes from liability, which Governor Cuomo must have had in mind, he then mandated hospitals to send COVID-19 patients to unprepared and understaffed nursing homes. While these nursing homes in the past would have declined to accept infected patients in their facilities, now with immunity these same nursing homes could accept infected patients without liability concerns.   

 

Ladies and gentlemen, as we continue to grieve the loss of so many of our loved ones in nursing homes, as part of our democracy we must continue to hold our elected officials accountable.

 

Aside from taking curtain calls, Governor Cuomo in his own words must take responsibility and admit that “God didn’t do that, fate didn’t do that, destiny didn’t do that”, but his own actions, and schemes did do that. 

 

I am Councilman Reverend Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.

PRIMARY CONTEST LIST Primary Election 2020 - 06/23/2020 Bronx - Democratic Party

Below are the candidates as they will appear in order on the June 23rd Bronx Democratic Primary ballot.

Judge of the Civil Court - District - 2nd Municipal Court District

Linda Poust Lopez, Wanda Y. Negron

Representative in Congress - 13th Congressional District
Ramon Rodriguez, James Felton Keith II,  
Adriano Espaillat  

Representative in Congress - 14th Congressional District

Samuel H. Sloan, Badrun N. Khan, 

Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Representative in Congress - 15th Congressional District 

Tomas Ramos. Samelys Lopez, Frangell Basora, 

Melissa Mark-Viverito, Michael A. Blake, Ruben Diaz, 

Mark Escoffery-Bey, Ritchie Torres, Chivona R. Newsome, 

Ydanis Rodriguez, Julio Pabon, Marlene J. Tapper

Representative in Congress - 16th Congressional District

Christopher Fink, Andom Ghebreghiorgis, 

Jamaal Bowman, Eliot L. Engel, Sammy Ravelo 

State Senator - 32nd Senatorial District

Pamela Stewart-Martinez, John Perez, 

Luis R. Sepulveda

State Senator - 34th Senatorial District

James B. Gisondi, Alessandra Biaggi

Member of the Assembly - 78th Assembly District

Jose Rivera, Francisco Spies 

Member of the Assembly - 79th Assembly District

Eric Stevenson, Elvis Santana, Cynthia L. Cox, 

Dion Powell, George A. Alvarez, Chantel Jackson  

Member of the Assembly - 81st Assembly District

George Diaz, Jeffrey Dinowitz

Member of the Assembly - 82nd Assembly District

Egidio Sementilli, Michael R. Benedetto 

Member of the Assembly - 84th Assembly District

Amanda N. Septimo, Carmen E. Arroyo

Member of the Assembly - 85th Assembly District 

Kenneth Burgos, William Russell Moore 

Member of the Assembly - 87th Assembly District

Garfield Holland, Karines Reyes

Female State Committee - 78th Assembly District

Nilda Velazquez, Carolyn Smith

Female State Committee - 79th Assembly District

Ana L. Melendez, Carolina De La Cruz

Female State Committee - 81st Assembly District

Helen K. Morik, Zulma I. Gonzalez

Female State Committee - 82nd Assembly District

Anna Rodgers, Marilyn Soto 

Female State Committee - 85th Assembly District 

Sabrina V. Smalls-Ladson, Emerita Torres  

Male State Committee - 78th Assembly District

Oswald Feliz , Emmanuel Martinez

Male State Committee - 79th Assembly District

Bruce Rivera, Bernard Smith , Dion Powell 

Male State Committee - 82nd Assembly District

Victor R. Ortiz, Thomas P. Messina

Male State Committee - 86th Assembly District

Reinaldo Gonzalez, Jose K. Mota

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadersh District 78

Jasmin A. Clavasquin-Cruz, Maria Gonzalez, Liza Moreta

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 79

Beverly Bond, Gwendolyn E. Primus, Lanita Jones

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 80 

Irene Estrada, Jean B. Hill

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 81

Randi Martos, Carolyn Smith

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 82 Part B

Deborah Martinez, Marjorie Velazquez

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 84 

Yolanda Garcia, Adela Maria Lopez

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 85

Norma Saunders , Lattina D. Brown

Female District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 87 

Julia Rodriguez, Pamela Stewart-Martinez 

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 78

Jose L. Flete, Angel L. Santana Jr.

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 79

Emmanuel Findlay, Gene A. Edwards Jr, John Tucker

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 80

John D. Zaccaro Jr, Marcos Sierra

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 81

Eric Dinowitz, Leonel Baez

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 82 Part B

Louis Rocco, John Collazzi

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 85

Amadeus A. Alonzo, Matthew D. Shuffler. Elliot Quinones 

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 86

Socrates A. Caba, Victor M. Pichardo

Male District Leader - Democratic Leadership District 87

Justin A. Westbrook Lowery, Garfield Holland 

Delegate to Judicial Convention - 78th Assembly District, Vote for 8

Group - Angel L. Santana Jr., Nilda Velazquez, Kenny G. Agosto, 

Frank Forlini, Ivan Figueroa, Nereida Medina , Robert Velazquez 

Group - Ricardo Martinez, Leonel Baez, Carolyn Smith, 

Maritza Martinez. Jasmin A. Clavasquin-Cruz

Delegate to Judicial Convention - 79th Assembly District, Vote for 11

Group - Charles Greene, Stefano Williams, Daniel Barber, 

Soyini Bethelmy

Group - Dion Powell

Group - Cynthia L. Cox, Wilbert T. Lawton, Inez Harvey, 

Ana L. Melendez, Dorothy E. Desuzia, Harold J. Dumas, 

Elizabeth C. Johnson, Marie B McCullough, Barbara B. Castro, 

Almeta Denae Trammel, Gene A. Edwards Jr.

Delegate to Judicial Convention - 86th Assembly District, Vote for 9

Group - Jacie Depaulis, Sasha Mejia, Stacy Infante,Virgilio Zorrilla,

Maria Flores, Glendalys Salgado, Denis Liriano, Dougba Ba,

Helene J. Wilson

Group - Mike Soto, Tanya Caba , Jose Bautista 

Alternate Delegate to the Judicial Convention - 79th Assembly District, Vote for 11

Group - Leticia Dinkins, Abraham Jones, Cassandra Bowlin, 

Elizabeth Cortes, Cynthia Bailey

Group - Marc Isom, Marlene Middleton, Sandra Reyes, Wallace E. Mobley,

Patricia Lewis, Marcella R. Brown, Patricia A. McCollin, 

Rosetta Kirkland, Gerald Turner Jr, 

Frances E. Moultrie-Stanley, Bettye J. Brown 

County Committee - 028/81, Vote for 2

Group - Michael Villanova

Group - Martin Galvin, Nicholas S Diacou

County Committee - 085/87, Vote for 3

Group - Michael Beltzer, Tabaitha Rodriguez, Janice Ali 

Group - Lisa Diaz, Karines Reyes, Luis Sepulveda 

This is the official candidates list taken from the Board of Elections website on May 3, 2020. 
There may be some candidates who may be added or even subtracted due to matters before the courts.

Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, Governor Cuomo Announces Joint Multi-State Agreement to Develop Regional Supply Chain

  States Will Aggregate Demand for PPE, Medical Equipment and Testing on a Regional Basis

Regional Supply Chains Will Help Realize Better Pricing, Delivery and Reliability of PPE and Medical Equipment for States

Governor Cuomo: "The word neighbor has a different connotation. You don't normally think of surrounding states as neighbors. You think of the person next door as your neighbor but they are neighbors. They've acted as neighbors. I cannot tell you how supportive Governor Murphy in New Jersey and Governor Lamont in Connecticut and the other governors in our coalition have been. Literally where you can pick up a phone and I can say, I need help with masks. Do you have any extra masks? Do you have any extra gowns? That's how these states responded. It was a beautiful and generous way of operating that was an inspiration to me."

Governor Cuomo: "We're going to form a consortium with our seven Northeast partner states which buy about $5 billion worth of equipment and supplies. That will then increase our market power when we are buying and we will buy as a consortium, price as a consortium, for PPE equipment, ventilators, medical equipment, whatever we need to buy. When you put all those hospitals together, all that public health capacity together -- which will make us more competitive in the international marketplace -- I believe it will save taxpayers money. I also believe it will help us actually get the equipment because we have trouble still getting the equipment and just buying the equipment because these vendors on the other side they're are dealing with countries, they're dealing with the federal government - why should they do business with one state when they can do business with an entire country? So this consortium I think will help us to get the equipment and get it at a better price."

AG James Issues Guidance Reminding Consumers and Funeral Homes about Consumer Rights

Lauds Action to Ease Funeral Home Backlog

  Attorney General Letitia James today issued guidelines to protect New Yorkers using funeral homes and reminded funeral homes that the office will take action against any entity that violates consumer rights. Attorney General James also lauded action by the New York State Cemetery Board, for which the Attorney General advocated, that will address severe cremation delays in the downstate region and make it easier for funeral homes to transfer deceased to upstate crematories with more capacity.

“New Yorkers are grieving the loss of our families and neighbors,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “I’m appreciative that the New York State Cemetery Board adopted emergency regulations that we hope will ease the backlog at funeral homes. While the challenges the funeral home industry faces are unprecedented, deceased New Yorkers must be treated with respect and dignity, period.”

The emergency regulations adopted by the New York State Cemetery Board yesterday will sensibly streamline crematory regulations so that funeral homes can transfer deceased awaiting cremation to crematories with ready capacity. With this change, for which the Attorney General advocated and the Attorney General’s designee to the Cemetery Board voted, funeral directors, with the consent of the family of the deceased, can now manually correct cremation authorization forms rather than needing to create a new form and obtain another physical signature from the person arranging the funeral, causing significant delays.

With more than 12,500 individuals dying from COVID-19 in New York City alone, downstate crematories have been overwhelmed and are unequipped to handle the exponential increase in need. As a result, thousands of deceased await cremation or burial while stored at funeral homes, in trucks, and other temporary storage spaces. 

“The loss of so many New Yorkers so quickly from this pandemic has not only torn at the fabric of the Empire State, it has also completely overwhelmed the limited capacity of the New York City Metro area nonprofit crematories,” said David Fleming, New York State Association of Cemeteries (NYSAC). “While New York City’s crematory personnel are working around the clock to serve these impacted families, they cannot possibly handle this volume of loss. Today’s emergency actions by the State Cemetery Board modified regulations to provide downstate access to upstate crematories where surplus capacity exists. These actions will help to expedite closure for grieving families and address the backlog of remains destined for cremation. We applaud the leadership of the Attorney General and her staff in supporting these families, those lost and the dedicated crematory workers serving both.”

Additionally, the Office of Attorney General issued guidance for grieving families and loved ones as they navigate the funeral planning process during this difficult time.

Those arranging funerals should be aware of certain requirements and recent Executive Orders and emergency regulations that impact funerals and funeral arrangements in the following important ways:

• At this time, only the immediate family of the diseased may gather at the funeral home for a private viewing/ceremony and graveside services. The number of attendees should be kept to as few as possible while maintaining social distancing, which is at least 6 feet apart.
   
• Documents related to funeral arrangements may be signed electronically during the current public health crisis. However, this does not apply to the cremation authorization form, which still requires a physical signature. Cremation authorization forms may be witnessed remotely.
   
• Emergency regulations adopted by the New York State Cemetery Board, allow funeral directors to transfer deceased from crematories operating with extensive back logs to crematories elsewhere in the state that have more capacity.
   
• It is illegal for funeral homes to add a surcharge or additional fees for services to those who died of COVID-19, or any other infectious disease.
   
• Funeral homes may not refuse to embalm or otherwise handle the body of a deceased loved one, regardless of the cause of death.

The complete guidance document regarding funeral planning during the COVID-19 pandemic can be downloaded from the Office of the Attorney General website.

New Yorkers can submit complaints regarding funeral homes through the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) consumer complaint form or with the Department of Health. Complaints regarding cemeteries or crematories should be directed to the Department of Cemeteries.

MAYOR DE BLASIO on COVID-19 MAY 3, 2020

   Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well, good morning, everybody. I want to start by thanking the men and women of the NYPD and the Parks Department and all of the agencies that had our enforcement agents out yesterday, all over the city in large numbers, out there protecting people's lives by making sure there were no large gatherings by making sure that social distancing was being enforced. I am so appreciative for everyone who is out there from all those agencies who are giving out face coverings and I know people really appreciated that, a great effort yesterday and only a beginning because as more and more members of NYPD are coming back on the job, some of whom of course were sick, some of whom are still fighting against this disease or even in the hospital. And our thoughts, our prayers with all of them, all the people who work for the city on behalf of you who are still fighting this disease, our hearts and prayers are with all of them, all of you, all of your families. But what I am so proud of yesterday was a strong effort across the whole city by the NYPD, the Parks Department, all of these agencies to make sure that these rules are being enforced, to make sure people had what they needed. And this is just the beginning. More will come as we get more and more personnel back and we're going to deepen these efforts are going to be more and more efforts to give out those face coverings, more and more efforts to educate people. But as I've made very, very clear and Commissioner Shea has made very clear, more and more enforcement efforts as well in every single part of the city.

Look, the danger is a bounce back, a boomerang where the disease seems to be going away and then reasserts and the cases come on more and more and the numbers go up and more and more people are afflicted and that would set back a restart and a recovery by a long time. And I'll give you real examples to you what's happened some other places where that's exactly the problem they had. They jumped too soon in various ways and then their restart and recovery took a lot longer. So now the question I'm sure you will ask yourself as well, what can I do to make sure we don't have that boomerang to make sure we don't have that happen here? And the answer is that we need to stick with what's working. We need to understand that the restrictions in place are working and that they only get relaxed carefully and slowly. There's no on-off switch here. It's not like you have all the restrictions one day and the next day you're back to normal. I don't think people even expect that anymore. I think people understand we'll be fighting this disease in different ways for quite a while. Doesn't mean we can't start to get more normal, but it means job one is to beat back the disease. So, since it's not on-off, we would do things in careful stages and make sure that each step we take is working before we take the next step. We have to do this to protect our people. We have to do this to make sure our hospitals are not overwhelmed and they can be there to save our lives. We have to do this so we can restart and recover.

Now I told you when I talked to you about this image and I now hope it's really in your mind, the boomerang. It's not abstraction because it's actually happened in other parts of the world. I want to give you those examples. So, the place to look is to Asia because they have been through many experiences that prepared them for the coronavirus. Many parts of Asia went through SARS and the bird flew in different challenges and we can learn from their experiences – it helps us to understand our future and how we can get it right and what not to do as well.

So many, many parts of Asia have done smart strategies, but they also have made those missteps at times that are instructive to all of us. And the smallest misstep, the smallest weakness is exploited by this disease. So, I'm going to give you three examples of a boomerang and we can learn from each one. First, let's go to Japan. And the lesson of Japan is don't come back too early. This is a raging discussion in our own country right now is some states are rushing to restart and it looks to me like some of them are doing it without a lot of evidence, without a lot of health care indicators to tell them what's really going on. And I'm hoping and praying for them that doesn't backfire horribly on the people of those states. In Japan, there is the example, the region of Hokkaido and it was a region that had initially experience with the coronavirus. And then late in February, after having only about 70 cases, this region declared a state of emergency. For three weeks, there was a lockdown in Hokkaido. And again, I emphasized just three weeks, at which point it seemed like the disease had been contained. Now we all know three weeks is not a long time. So, after three weeks, the lockdown was lifted on March 19th and it wasn't lifted gradually. It was lifted rather abruptly. So schools were reopened, public gatherings were allowed again, there were still some restrictions, but some of the biggest indicators, if you will, some of the places where people get together the most, like our schools and public gatherings, those were the places that somehow were allowed again, almost instantly. 26 days later, there was a surge in cases again in Hokkaido, and guess what they had to do very sadly, they had to go right back to stringent restrictions. And that's what they're still experiencing now. So that's one case study of a place that thought they had it beat, didn't necessarily wait a long time to make that conclusion and then went very fast back into a restart and now unfortunately are paying for it.

Now let's look to Hong Kong. Hong Kong is an example of how even if things look better, small levels of activity can suddenly grow into something much worse. So, by early March it looked like Hong Kong was pretty much done with the disease and normal life resumed. Travelers started returning home to Hong Kong. People were allowed to go out again. Nightlife started again, obviously very, very active nightlife in Hong Kong, a city very much like New York City, lots of bars, lots of restaurants, clubs. People went back out and in late March the cases started to surge. What happened, the government had to now in Hong Kong put a variety of new restrictions in place, restricting travel, restricting gatherings, schools, all sorts of places people went, those restrictions had to be asserted again and then in April even more had to be added. So again, an example of a city very much like ours that found they had to put back restrictions and then go even farther. The last thing we want to see here again, our job is to have a clear, steady march forward, as steady as it can be when time comes to relax restrictions, relax them, and get it right once and for all and never have that boomerang effect.

One more example, Singapore. Now Singapore has been lauded for doing a lot of things the right way early on in this crisis. By the middle of March, there were relatively few cases, Singapore was getting a lot of praise for a very strong, focused effort to address this disease. But again, not every part of the equation apparently was considered in Singapore. And one of the things that typifies Singapore is there's a number of migrant workers and they live in dormitories. The dormitories were allowed to fill up. By late April, there are hundreds of new cases of the coronavirus and the government had to impose a two week stay at home order and now has even increased restrictions on schools and restaurants and other types of public gatherings.

So, three case studies. What they have in common is they're all examples of the dangers that exist if the restart goes the wrong way, and if that boomerang effect is allowed to happen and it's a reminder that we have to be vigilant because even a small number of cases can lead to that resurgence if the right restrictions aren't in place. It's also a reminder that what we're building up – the massive testing apparatus and tracing apparatus and the ability to isolate people, quarantine people, that has to be stronger and stronger all the time to make sure we put the disease in check and keep it in check. So, the bottom line is we have to get this right

Now, testing, as I said, testing is the key. Testing has always been the key and I'm going to talk to you now about something exciting happening right here in this city to make sure that we will have what it takes for wide-scale testing. As of this week, we have begun the process of producing test kits here in New York City and this is a first in our city's history because this was not a place like so many other parts of America that thought we had to have our own medical supplies and medical equipment built right here. But we've learned a tough lesson that we have to create and we have to protect ourselves. That's why we're going to have a strategic reserve going forward for New York City to protect New York City. So, for the first time we are producing now test kits in New York City and this has had to be put together very quickly. A lot of partners brought together a lot of different moving parts that had to be made since that has never been done before. So, we're really an uncharted territory creating these test kits in New York City. And I will tell you like so many other things we've been working on.

Well, a test kit has something in common with that. You need three parts for a test kit. For the PCR test, the diagnostic test for the coronavirus. You need the swabs to take the actual sample. You need the transport medium, which is what keeps the sample in place on the way to the lab. And you need the screw top tubes to protect the sample from any contamination. So what the lab gets will be accurate. Well, the good news is these screw top tubes are something we have plenty of access to, but the two challenges where the swabs and the transport medium, the fluid that you actually keep the sample in. So the swabs, well, a painful, painful irony that the entire world experienced a shortage of these swabs starting over the last month. Why? Because almost all of them were made in Northern Italy. That turned out to be one of the epicenters of the global crisis. We realized we had to find another source. The global market wasn't working, there weren't sources around this country that were reliable enough. So, we decided we would make our own and this small piece of plastic here it, it's long. I want to remind you that way. This works is it is put literally biomedical professional well up your nose. So, it is a very careful effort that has to be done by someone that knows what they're doing. But this seemingly simple piece of plastic actually proved to be a complex matter because it has to be done just the right way and it has to be kept sterile in packaging like this until the point when it's actually used on a patient. So, getting this right proved to be actually a complex matter. But again, there's tremendous talent in this city and so many people, so many companies, so many partners who came forward and said, we want to get this done because we know it'll save lives in our city.

So, our local partner is Print Parts, a 3D printing company and they are using designs like this one that have been clinically validated. In this case, we found a partner in the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and another partner in Envision Tech, which is a medical 3D printing firm. So, we put together a coalition of different organizations to help us get this right. Now, how many when, well 30,000 will be delivered by this Friday and then we'll be on a track thereafter for 50,000 a week. Now, I mentioned what's called a transport medium, this is the fluid that the samples are kept in our local partners at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a great New York City institution. They worked with what you might call a recipe, which follows a CDC-approved protocol, and the first batch of this transport medium will be produced this week in New York City. Still has to go through a validation process, so that's going to take a little more time. But by the week of May 17th we will begin to pair the locally made swabs with a locally made transport medium and then like that cup of coffee, we'll have all the pieces come together and for the first time in the city's history, we will have our own test kits produced in large numbers right here in the five boroughs.

In the meantime, we're not going to wait. That initial set of 30,000 swabs. That'll be delivered by Friday. We will pair with an interim source of transport medium from outside New York City, and that pairing will happen Friday May 8th. Those full test kits will be delivered wherever they're needed to be part of our widespread testing effort by the week of May 10th. So this is all growing all the time and more and more pieces are going to be brought into play so that we can get to that widespread testing to help us go on the offensive testing, tracing, isolating, quarantine all the pieces needed to fight back this disease and avoid that dreaded boomerang.

Now we're going to beat back this disease. We're going to do it with testing, tracing, isolating, quarantining, all these strategies that work. We're going to do it on a vast scale, but, in the meantime, we continue to fight that other part of the crisis, that horrible reality of people who have lost their livelihoods, struggling to make ends meet. And in so many cases struggling just to get food on the table. Remember the estimates before the coronavirus were about 1.2 million New Yorkers, and this is a very sad reality. 1.2 million New Yorkers experience some amount of food insecurity at any given point in the year. And that's a horrible number to begin with. It's something we've been trying to fight back for years now. That number, even though we don't have all the facts yet and we're still trying to understand the sheer impact of this horrible crisis on everyday New Yorkers, that number may have grown by a million. There could be as many as two million or more New Yorkers experiencing food insecurity now or who will be experiencing it in the coming weeks. So, we have to help people right now and from the beginning, I've been painfully aware there's a lot of New Yorkers who now have to ask a question they never thought they'd ask. And that question is, where's my next meal coming from? The answer from the City of New York, the answer from your City government is we will be there for you. No New Yorker will go hungry. No matter what it takes, we will provide food to everyone who needs it.

So, food delivery is a big piece of this because there are a lot of people who can't get out. They're seniors. They're vulnerable folks that maybe people with disabilities, whatever it is, there's reasons why they can't get out, can't get the food. And particularly in this tough environment, there are a lot of people used to depend on other people to bring food for them who can't right now or dependent on members of their family who were the breadwinners, who don't have an income right now. So, we made it our business to do a massive food delivery effort for those who are most vulnerable. 

So, we continue to expand our Get Food program and particularly our delivery program. But to do this, to keep expanding we are going to need help at the community level. So, I'm going to today be asking people to join in who can help us in this endeavor. We need more personnel at the distribution site. So, if you're a nonprofit organization, a community-based organization, there are a lot of great ways we can partner with you. First of all, we need to immediately find an additional 300 staff members who can manage distribution sites. So we're looking for nonprofit partners with that skill, that ability to manage a site. We need you to come forward right away.

And we need help with delivery in specific neighborhoods where we need more personnel. And in sourcing available meals in those neighborhoods. The more we can do locally, the better off we'll be. Having the kitchen capacity, having the delivery all happen locally -- the more local, obviously the less traveling around, the more efficient, the speedier, the better. So, I’m going to name some neighborhoods where we are particularly looking for help. We are looking for help in Melrose, in Washington Heights, in Howard Beach, South Ozone Park, in Gravesend, and Sheepshead Bay, in Morris Park, on the North Shore of Staten Island, in Flushing, in Jackson Heights, in Eastchester and in Sunset Park. And we're particularly looking for providers who can help us by producing at least a thousand meals a day. We've put out a request, it's online right now. Anybody from a nonprofit organization or anybody who thinks they can help us with these immediate needs so we can really expand this meal program intensely, please go to nyc.gov/nonprofits, nyc.gov/nonprofits.

Okay. Few more things. So next Sunday, a very, very important day, every year, Mother's Day. It is a day that we cherish in our family. It's a day when everyone remembers to express their deep appreciation to, in our case, the mothers in our life, but every family, remembering how much we owe the moms in our families. Now, this is not going to be a typical Mother's Day to say the least, and, unfortunately, we've gotten some practice here because so many other crucial days in our year, from all different faiths, all different communities have overlapped with this horrible crisis. We went through Easter, Passover, now Ramadan, everyone's trying to figure out how to maintain our traditions and everything that is so dear to us in the midst of this crisis. Well, we're going to have to improvise again for Mother's Day. Now, Mother's Day for so many of us meetings gathering together. In fact, it's a day when our moms expect everyone to come together. Stop what you're doing and just slow down and appreciate the family and appreciate the mom in your life. But to appreciate mom this year, it means keeping mom safe. It means doing things differently. And that's particularly true if your mom happens to be older. We want to protect all the moms in New York City. And the way to do that is to show love and appreciation in different ways.

We used to all flock home to mom. This is not the year to do that. It is the year to show love and support in different ways. In fact, normally the gift we give to mom is to all show up. This time the gift we can give to mom is to give her some space and help her stay safe. So you can celebrate lots of other ways. Facetime, Skype, Zoom. There's so many ways you can celebrate. You can also do that old-fashioned thing we call a phone call, which moms still appreciate very much. In fact, many moms are like you could call more often, they'd like that. You can go outside mom's house and wave from the sidewalk. You can do all sorts of things. But let's remember how important social distancing is for everyone. And let's remember protecting mom’s health should be the number one thing we think about on Mother's Day.

Well, let me talk today, unfortunately, about someone who did the exact opposite of that. And I was shocked when I heard this. The White House Economic Advisor Kevin Hassett. He [inaudible] talking about the stimulus program, talking about what's needed to get New York City and all cities and states back on their feet. Yesterday morning, he says, well, everything appears to be happening safely. And literally, this is a quote he says, there is a chance that we won't really need another stimulus – a phase four stimulus. Listen to those words. There's a chance we won't need it. Well, let me tell you something, Kevin, why don't you come to New York City? Why don't you go to Elmhurst Hospital? Why don't you talk to our first responders? Why don't you talk to the families who have lost their loved ones? Or go to the ICU where hundreds of people are still fighting for their lives? In terms of your desire, which is pretty transparent to save money rather than to protect people, to risk the future of New York City and this State and so many cities and states around the country. It is outrageous that anyone with a position of authority in our federal government could even breathe these words. Because it's disrespectful in every way.

Imagine if the very same doctors and nurses working in our public hospitals are the very same EMTs and paramedics who were such heroes in this crisis, imagine if after fighting through this battle, months from now they had to face furloughs or layoffs here and all over the country. If we don't get help from Washington that is what will happen. And I'm talking about one place, one city right here already, $7.4 billion in the hole because of a crisis we didn't ask for and we didn't create. Came to us from another place. But all of you have fought heroically through it. I just want to see everyone in Washington show a little bit of respect for what New York City has gone through and so many cities and states around the country have gone through and just do the right thing and help us back on our feet.

Okay, we're going to go over the daily indicators. And as I've said, the reality of these indicators is what's going to determine our future and directly relates to all you do. We've generally seen progress, not quite enough yet. We have to keep at it. So, today progress, generally, still more to go. First indicator – daily number of people admitted to hospitals for suspected COVID-19, that's up, and that's that one troubles me but it is the truth up from 92 to 113. But the other indicators are down. Daily number of people in ICUs across our public hospitals for suspected COVID-19, down from 677 to 645. Percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19, citywide down 21 percent to 20 percent. Only a little but still down. Public health lab tests for COVID-19 – percentage down, 50 percent to 33 percent. We keep putting together good days. I want us to put together great days and consistent days, but we're clearly moving in the right direction. Let's stick with it. Let's stick with it because it's working. But job-one is to get through this steadily, constantly, and get to the point where we can start to get to normal. But at the same time, job-two is always there – never let that boomerang happen. So, avoiding that boomerang, that's up to you, and that's up to all of us here at City Hall to make sure we are prudent and careful in the steps we take. You keep doing your part – and you're doing it great, New York – we'll keep doing our part, we will not let our foot off the gas until we're sure it's time. That's how we keep the boomerang from happening. That's how we move steadily forward together. 

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES LOCAL MANUFACTURERS SCALING UP PRODUCTION OF CRITICAL TESTING SUPPLIES

  Today, Mayor de Blasio announced local manufacturers are ramping up production of critical testing supplies to create 50,000 COVID-19 test kits per week for New York City.

“There’s no challenge too big for New Yorkers – and I’m proud to see our medical and manufacturing community join forces to make our city a self-sufficient source of the tests we’ll need to get through this crisis,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Rebuilding a fairer and better New York City starts with conducting a rigorous testing program in every borough, and they’ll help us ensure a safe and responsible recovery.”

Testing kits primarily consist of two main components: a nasopharyngeal swab to collect a sample and a tube of transport medium, a liquid that preserves the collected sample while it is transferred to a lab for testing.

In close coordination with NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H), the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is working with Manhattan-based Print Parts to produce swabs. EDC is also partnering with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx to produce transport medium. EDC will contract with a local company to assemble the two components into completed kits.

The City has also identified interim sources of transport medium and is in conversation with other local manufacturers to create testing supplies.

“Large-scale testing is absolutely critical for New York City’s reopening and recovery,” said James Patchett, president and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. “Local production of these test kits is another example of how the City has tapped into the creativity and innovation of NYC businesses and institutions to solve what seemed to be an insurmountable challenge. Whether it is test kits, face shields, gowns or bridge ventilators, we’ve seen firsthand the extraordinary ability of New York City to adapt and rise above. At EDC we’re incredibly proud to be part of these efforts that exemplify the very best of our city.”

“These critical testing supplies will ensure that NYC Health + Hospitals can continue to prioritize testing to vulnerable and at-risk populations during our response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “We are grateful for this collaboration as it is a shining example of how the private sector has supported the public health system and our heroic healthcare workers.”

Print Parts, an additive manufacturing service, is producing 3D printed swabs based on a clinically validated design from EnvisionTec and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. It is expected to deliver 30,000 swabs at the end of this week and will ramp up to 50,000 a week in subsequent weeks.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine is complimenting those efforts by following a CDC protocol to produce transport medium for the testing kits. Initial production will begin this week and will produce at scale after further testing and approval.

In only three weeks, EDC worked closely with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and H+H to create a local supply chain producing swabs, an essential testing component. EDC spoke with experts in 3D printing and consulted with medical, laboratory, and manufacturing experts across the country.

Using that knowledge, the EDC-led team built partnerships with leading manufacturers, assemblers and academic laboratories across the five boroughs to review swab designs and manufacturing plans, secure sterilization firms, bring an academic lab back online for sterile production of transport medium, and secure local distribution and packaging rights to better support our front line medical professionals.

“We are honored to support New York City during these difficult times,” said Robert Haleluk, founder and CEO of Print Parts. “We have been working closely with the city government and various industry partners to rapidly scale our production capabilities and begin providing these critical testing supplies that will be essential to getting our city back on its feet.”

"Albert Einstein College of Medicine is proud to participate in this important initiative spearheaded by Mayor de Blasio. It's critical for all of us to play our part in blunting the force of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic on New York City,” said Gordon F. Tomaselli, M.D., The Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer at Montefiore Medicine. “Tapping into our resources and the talents of our scientists, we are pleased to contribute to this effort to expand testing, with the goal of reducing the spread of infection and easing the burden of this deadly disease on our community."