Comptroller Stringer to Mayor de Blasio: Cut $1.1 Billion in NYPD Spending Over Four Years and Reinvest in Vulnerable Communities and Vital Services

Stringer lays out specific roadmap to reducing NYPD spending – cuts $265 million annually by reducing uniformed headcount through attrition, scaling back overtime and trimming Other Than Personnel Services (OTPS)

Letter calls on City to shift responsibilities and dollars away from the NYPD’s $5.9 billion budget and toward vulnerable communities most impacted by police violence and structural racism

  New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer sent a letter to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio calling on the City to cut $1.1 billion from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) over the next four fiscal years, shifting both responsibilities and dollars away from the NYPD and toward vulnerable communities most impacted by police violence and structural racism. Building on his prior calls for all agencies to identify savings of at least 4 percent, Comptroller Stringer unveiled a specific proposal to implement a 5 percent cut to the NYPD’s Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) Executive Budget by reducing uniformed headcount through attrition, cutting overtime, and trimming Other Than Personnel Services (OTPS) — saving approximately $265 million annually. By doing so, the City could free up that funding to support critical frontline services, rebuild communities ravaged by COVID-19 and systemic community disinvestment, and dramatically reduce police interactions that too often end in unnecessary criminal legal system involvement. Comptroller Stringer’s call comes at a time when the mayor is proposing a mere 0.31 percent cut to the NYPD’s $5.9 billion budget, despite deep cuts already implemented by City Hall to vital services — including a total elimination of the City’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP).

Comptroller Stringer’s letter outlines strategies  to shift responsibilities away from the Police Department — and its armed officers — and toward social workers, counselors, community-based violence interrupters, and other trained professionals better equipped to handle calls related to individuals in mental health crisis, homelessness, and other non-criminal activities, as many other cities across the nation already do.

“The brutal, senseless murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmed Aubrey are the most recent reminders of the longstanding need for racial justice and reform in policing. We must call out racism in all its ugly forms to break this painful cycle. But it is not enough to condemn racism in words: our fight for justice must be backed up with accountability and concrete action,” said New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. “Breaking down structural racism in New York City will require long-term, lasting change — and that must include reducing the NYPD’s budget. If our budget is a reflection of our values, it is unconscionable that services for Black and Brown New Yorkers are on the chopping block while the NYPD’s budget remains almost entirely untouched.  This is a bold and achievable roadmap to immediately cut millions and instead invest those critical dollars in underserved communities and the programs that will uplift those New Yorkers who need it most.”

A Plan to Reduce NYPD Spending by $1.1 Billion

Comptroller Stringer proposed achieving this more than $1 billion budget reduction in the following ways:

• Reduce uniformed headcount through attrition:  The City should suspend hiring of new police classes in FY 2021.  Assuming a 3 percent attrition rate, that would bring expected uniformed headcount down to approximately 35,000 by end of FY 2021, or roughly the same average headcount that prevailed between 2011 and 2016, when crime continued its steady decline to historically low levels.  Savings would also accrue from associated fringe benefits savings.
• Cut uniformed overtime by 5 percent:  Overtime spending for FY 2021 is budgeted at $519.6 million.  A 5 percent reduction in budgeted overtime for uniformed officers would yield a $26 million annual savings.
• Trim Other than Personnel Services by 4 percent:  The City-funded OTPS budget for FY 2021 is $429 million. A 4 percent reduction in OTPS savings would yield $17 million in savings.  This could be achieved through reductions in the NYPD’s spending on computer services and other service contracts, as well as a lengthening of the replacement cycle for NYPD vehicles, among other possible actions.

Comptroller Stringer’s proposed cuts would save roughly $265 million annually, representing a reduction (or PEG) of 5.0 percent in FY 2021.  Over four years, the plan would net the city nearly $1.1 billion in accrued savings that could be redirected to other priorities, including helping the city to stave off cuts to other essential services.

Comptroller Stringer also urged the City to consider additional avenues for savings, including strategies for reducing legal claims filed against the NYPD. An analysis by the Comptroller’s office revealed that in FY 2018, the City paid out as much as $237.4 million in settlements related to allegations made against the NYPD for use of excessive force, civil rights violations, and personal injury and property damage. Since FY 2014, the total cost incurred to address the consequences of alleged police misconduct has amounted to some $1.3 billion dollars. Acting aggressively to identify and hold officers accountable for police misconduct will not only save dollars in future lawsuits, it will spare many New Yorkers the needless pain and suffering stemming from the unnecessary use of force or other violations of civil rights.

A Brief History of the NYPD Budget

The NYPD’s current uniformed headcount of 36,461 is higher than at any time since FY 2002 with the exception of FY 2018, when headcount topped out at 36,643. The Comptroller’s proposal would reduce headcount to 35,000, or roughly the same average level that prevailed between 2011 and 2016, when crime continued its steady decline. The data suggest, therefore, that there is an opportunity to scale back spending and headcount at the NYPD without impacting recent gains in reducing the City’s overall crime rate.

Comptroller Stringer’s letter to the City outlined soaring NYPD spending:

• Between FY14 and FY19, the NYPD’s spending rose by 22 percent over the five year period to $5.977 billion — accounting for more than 6 percent of the City’s total budget.
• The NYPD’s total headcount grew from 50,565 to 53,486 when civilian employees are counted. Of those 2,921 new hires, more than two-thirds (2,021) were uniformed officers.
• Personnel costs account for about 89 percent of the agency’s budget, while other than personnel services (OTPS) make up about 11 percent of agency spending. Within that 11 percent are a range of costs, including police vehicles ($86.9 million in FY 2019) computer equipment and services ($120.6 million).

Transforming Approaches to Policing and Investing in Our Communities

Over the long-term, divesting from policing and limiting the NYPD’s outsized role in the provision of social services, including the City’s approaches to mental health and homelessness, must be the goal.

Comptroller Stringer’s letter outlined a vision of the city’s police force that would limit NYPD responsibilities to certain kinds of interventions that would be better handled by others who are trained in serving specific populations, among them individuals experiencing a mental health crisis and those experiencing homelessness, as well as certain low level calls for which a uniformed police officer is not needed or necessary.

Furthermore, redirecting funds toward trained social workers, counselors, and outreach staff to help them respond to challenges like homelessness and mental health disorders—which are circumstances rooted in poverty, trauma, and structural racism, not crimes in progress—would produce far more positive outcomes. There is strong evidence that alternatives to policing work well when properly funded, not only in mitigating harm but in building public safety and trust. Comptroller Stringer called onto the City to find inspiration in other jurisdictions across the nation that have dared to take new approaches to policing, highlighting existing models and approaches that have proven successful in Eugene and Springfield, Oregon; Tucson, Arizona and Camden, New Jersey.

To read Comptroller Stringer’s letter to the City, click here.

MAYOR DE BLASIO on Protests and COVID-19 - June 5, 2020

  Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning, everybody. Yesterday afternoon, my wife Chirlane and I went to a very moving memorial. As the funeral of George Floyd was beginning. People gathered in Brooklyn to honor George Floyd, to honor his life, his memory, to not let him have died in vain. His brother Terrance was at the Memorial, and we could see the deep pain he was feeling. That whole family is feeling. We have to hold them in our thoughts and prayers. And I could see the raw pain and anger in the crowd gathered. I felt it, I heard it. People who've seen injustice before our very eyes, and can't live with it. And I said, even though the crowd was angry and hurt and unquestionably doubting, whether there could or would be change I said it is incumbent upon me and everyone in leadership to not just say words about change, but to produce change, and show people that we can have a better and more just society. It begins with all of us who you have chosen to lead to actually create that new reality. It cannot just be rhetoric. Rhetoric will be seen through quickly. It should not be just words. It should be actions. So, I said yesterday, and I say it again today, you will see change in this city. You will see change in the NYPD. We simply have not gone far enough. This status quo is still broken. It must change. I'm not going to forget all the progress that has been made. And it is in so many ways important and evident, but it's not enough. And people will know in their hearts when things have been made right. That's the moment I have to get us to more and more every single day. They will know when there is more justice. They will know when there is more fairness. They will know when people in this city, can walk down the street and feel they are safe from crime, but they also are not going to be disrespected, because of who they are. We are not there yet and we have to get there. So, this will be the work for the next year and a half of this administration to make more change, to make it urgently, to make it powerfully, to make it clear. And that work will proceed immediately. And you will see those results. And you'll judge for yourself as all New Yorkers do. But even though we say that phrase, words matter, and words do matter, actions matter more, and that's what we have to achieve.

So, let's talk about yesterday, last night, and also what we have to do. There were protests in our city during the day, they were overwhelmingly peaceful. Some proceeded into the night, also overwhelmingly peaceful. There are things we need to address. There are things we need to fix in the NYPD, but the overall restraint levels were clear. And I always express my appreciation to the men and women of the NYPD for the work that they do. And we need that restraint. We expect that restraint. That is the instruction that all officers have been given. There were those overwhelmingly peaceful protests. There were few or no attacks on property. There were however, some attempts at violence. And this is the point I always want to make to people. We've got a very few mingled in among the peaceful protesters who aim to do violence. Their methods are systematic. I have asked the NYPD to keep providing the information, what we're seeing here, what we're seeing around the country about that very systematic attempt to foster violence. We will not accept that. Every single time we'll intervene to stop that. We also saw in the midst of what was undoubtedly overwhelmingly, what we want to see, an overwhelmingly peaceful night, peaceful protest, little or no property damage, efforts and violence sorted. These are all very good and important things. We saw some things that weren't so good, and I want to make sure those are addressed. First of all, there is no circumstance in which a member of the news media should ever be arrested by the NYPD or any other police organization. If you said to me, well, what if that person overtly went out and committed a crime, obviously then they're committing a crime, they're not doing their job as a member of the news media. That is a different matter. What I'm concerned about is when news media is out there doing their job, reporting, looking at the truth, whether it's convenient or inconvenient truth, their right to do their job must be protected at all times. That is as clear as a bell in our constitution. So, I don't know why we've seen here, and in other parts of the country instances where members of the media that were arrested, that is unacceptable and that needs to stop. And it's clear that that is one of the underpinnings of a free society. Also, want to make clear, this curfew was brought together very quickly in an emergency situation. The message from the beginning was essential workers doing their job in the middle of doing their work are exempted from the curfew. And I want to make that clear to people. The curfew is only going on for a few more nights, but essential workers are essential workers. Any essential worker doing their job is exempted from the curfew. And we are making that abundantly clear to everyone, to the essential workers themselves, and to the NYPD.

Each night, we see a lot of good work. Each night, we see some progress towards our goal of getting back to a fully peaceful circumstance so we can move forward. Because, phase one, the restart of our city begins Monday. That's where we're supremely focused to start moving us forward. But each night we see certainly several situations that raise real questions. Individual instances, where our officers take an action that raises a valid concern. In each and every case, there must be a full investigation, and where discipline is warranted, it needs to be speedy. I've had this conversation with Commissioner Shea. We are working together to ensure that the past history where internal discipline of the NYPD was slow. We're not doing that anymore, we have to move past that. Commissioner Shea spoke passionately yesterday about his desire to heal, to bring police and community together, to continue that progress. And to make clear to people, there are consequences when something has done wrong. The vast, vast majority of officers do their job, do it right, but when someone does something wrong, as in all of our society, there must be consequences. Commissioner Shea made clear yesterday, disciplinary actions are about to be announced. Some will include suspensions of officers. There's a lot going on, but one thing that has to happen is people need to see. The people of this city need to see that when an officer does something wrong, it is investigated. If it is found to be true that something wrong was done, there must be consequences, and they must be swift. That is one of the ways to restore trust and begin the process of moving us forward. And that is what we will do.

I want us to get to the day where no one wonders if they're being treated differently because of the color of their skin. We are not there to say the least, we have to get there. But again, it's not about words. People will know it. If they start to experience something differently, young men came up to me over the years, and told me how different it was to not be stopped all the time. Stop and frisk was a horrible stain on this city. Hundreds of thousands of young people in a given year treated like criminals, even though they hadn't done anything. Devalued young men of color, the future of this city, devalued. Treated with disrespect. That was broken. We fixed that. And I've heard from those who used to experience that disrespect, how much better it feels to just be able to walk down the street, go to school, go to work, be treated with dignity and decency. We've got a lot more to do. That should be every encounter that a citizen of this city has with the NYPD. That's what we strive for. But in the meantime, we've got huge inequities we have to address. Not just in policing, in our economy, in our health care system, everything laid bare by the coronavirus epidemic. And right now, we must address those disparities. We must keep our city safe in this moment of this pandemic. We have to restart our economy. Wherever I go, people talk about how fearful they are for their health, for their family's health, but also, because they're running out of money or they already have run out of money. How are they going to pay the rent? How are they going to pay for food? How are they going to pay for medications? We have to fight back this disease more. We cannot take our eye off the ball.

So, Monday is the restart, and that will be something that allow us to get people back their livelihoods, but we'll also come— with challenges of fighting back this disease. What does it come down to? If we're going to fight this disease, it is once again about that word you've heard so many times testing, testing, testing, testing. That is a way forward, then tracing following up on everyone who was in contact with someone who tested positive so much to do, to make sure we keep people safe, but this is our focus right now. Last week, we had a day where 33,000 people got tested in one day in New York City, the highest we've had since the beginning of this crisis, we intend to keep building that number up to at least 50,000 a day.

Now, the message is I want every New Yorker to get tested and more and more testing capacity is out there in your community. Go take advantage of it, it will help us to move forward. Today we announced something really important that will be mobile testing in New York City— mobile diagnostic testing. So, you can literally stay in your neighborhood, and the testing trucks come to you. We're starting in two neighborhoods next week, Soundview in the Bronx and Kew Gardens in Queens, and they'll be moving around in neighborhoods all over the City. This is an idea that came out of the work within this city government, our task force on racial equity and inclusion, our center for community and faith partnerships, our leaders in this administration talking to community members saying, what do you need? What would help? And people said, mobile testing. We need it in neighborhoods hit hard, we need it so that people can more easily connect with testing. We need to remind people, it is always free, it's easy, it's fast, and it's coming to you. Two trucks next week, we're going to ramp up to 10 trucks in the next few weeks. They can do 80 tests per day, excuse me, 80 tests per day per truck. So, 800 more tests per day because of the trucks. And again, whether it's one of the trucks or one of the hundred and 80 centers that we now are putting up or have up, you can get a free test by going to nyc.gov/CovidTest or calling 3-1-1.

Final point on this, if you have been at one of these protests, I want to strongly urge you to get tested. It has been a real concern that people have gathered in close proximity. I understood, and I understand still this painful, real moment in history, but I want to keep reminding people. It is dangerous to be close together and people must keep social distance, and we got to get back to that clear understanding. We're going have to hold that clear understanding social distancing, face coverings, we got to get back to that discipline. So, if you have been in a protest, I strongly urge you to get tested.

Now, fighting disparity means focusing on the hardest hit neighborhoods, fighting disparity means providing more to those neighborhoods all the time. These neighborhoods are filled with people who have done the work that built the city over generations, but have never reaped the rewards of their labors. We have so much more to do to create fairness and redistribute the wealth of this city, to the places that actually built that wealth, but weren't rewarded. So, one of the ways we do that is through a strong public health care system, 11 hospitals, 70 clinics that serve the people of city, regardless of ability to pay. We've got to strengthen that system, we invested in it years ago to save it. That became a crucial element of how we were able to save many lives at the height of this crisis and help push back this disease, now we need to go on the offensive and deepen our investments in communities. Once again, our taskforce on racial equity and inclusion, push this notion hard that we need tangible impacts now to address disparity, not in the future now. And so, the task force insisted that we look at how to speed up all of our plans and make sure that real investments happen in communities right now that will help people get more health care. There's a specific new initiative called Centers of Excellence, and this will mean that three new ambulatory care facilities will be built in neighborhoods that need it in New York City. In Elmhurst Queens, I don't think I have to say anything more, after what we saw happen at Elmhurst Hospital, Tremont the Bronx, Bushwick and Brooklyn. Centers of Excellence, they were supposed to be something in the future, now they will be open this September. The task force made the point, this is why I named the task force speed intensity, redistribution, focus on impact now in communities that are hurting. these centers of excellence will provide a wide range of health care, they'll focus on COVID, fighting COVID, they'll focus on making sure that respiratory diseases are addressed. they'll make sure that people not only get physical health care, but mental health care as well. Tens of thousands of people per year will benefit, construction is beginning immediately. And I want to thank, of course, the Racial Equity and Inclusion Task Force, I want to thank Health and Hospitals. I want to thank our Department of Design and Construction, that's doing amazing work, extraordinarily fast work. These three centers will be opened this September and many, many people will benefit, and it will help us fight back this disease, but it will also help us fight back that deeper health care disparities.

Now, getting people back to their livelihood, that's what phase one is about. Getting New York City back on its path, to being strong again, to our economy being strong to our people, having what they need. Three days from now, phase one begins, one of the big pieces of phase one is construction, 32,000 construction sites will reopen. Some magnitude is a reminder, as recently as February, how vibrant the economy of this city was and how vibrant it will be again, 32,000 construction sites will come back. That means a lot of New Yorkers will come back to work, but it has to be safe, has to be healthy, that is the bottom line. Every site has to be ready and we're going to make sure it's ready, the guidelines are clear. You go to nyc.gov/coronavirus, every single company can see and working people can see what those standards of healthy, safe work would be, and we are going to protect every single worker. Department of Buildings will be out inspecting the sites constantly, every single one, making sure their social distancing, proper hygiene rules, hand sanitizer, face coverings, you name it. For the first 30 days, I want this to be very clear to all the owners and managers of the companies involved in these construction sites. For the first 30 days, we will educate, we will constantly monitor, we will help you to ensure what you're doing is safe. Our department of buildings will be there to help, not to fine to help, but if after 30 days of nonstop engagement, you are not doing what you need to do, then the fines begin. I don't want to give a single fine, I don't want to take money from anyone unless you are ignoring the health and safety needs of your workers.

Let's now talk about our thresholds and in general, the news is good, but this is going to be something we will be talking about for days and weeks ahead. And we're going to watch when we see something that isn't as good and make sure it does not turn into a larger trend. So, indicator number one, daily number of people admitted to hospitals for a suspected COVID-19. That was only 48 yesterday, today we saw a jump I don't like that, It's 84 today. Now 84 is still well within our 200-person threshold, but that's a meaningful movement in one day, we're going to keep a close eye on that. We need to stay under 200 to keep sustaining phase one and to move on to phase two. Daily number of people in our Health and Hospitals ICUs is under threshold today, 344 against the threshold of 375. Percentage of people tested positive for COVID citywide, well within under our threshold of 15 percent, that number today is four percent, that's a very good number. So overwhelmingly good results based on all of your hard work, but we got to hold the line, we cannot loosen up because these numbers start to move in the wrong direction, we're going to talk about it. If ever to move in the wrong direction, we're going to talk about it, they move too much in the wrong direction, we then can't keep moving forward on our plan for reopening. So, we have to be clear about holding the line.

Phase One Reopening: Safely Restarting Construction Activity in NYC

DOB will inspect every work site across the city for social distancing compliance, proper hygiene, and to make sure construction safety requirements are met

  The New York City Department of Buildings released new COVID-19 safety guidelines for property owners and contractors as 33,556 non-essential construction sites get back to work as part of New York City’s entrance into Phase One of New York State’s reopening plan, currently scheduled for Monday, June 8th, 2020. These new required safety measures for construction sites were developed in partnership with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and are being implemented to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus to workers and the public during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Read the guidelines.

“The pandemic is slowly receding because New Yorkers did what we do best – we came together and made the necessary sacrifices to protect our families and neighbors,” said Department of Buildings Commissioner Melanie E. La Rocca. “As we restart the economic engine that is our construction industry, there is no excuse to abandon the social distancing and health measures that we know save lives. Our health and safety guidelines are crystal clear, and we will be out in force, sweeping every work site in the city, to ensure compliance.”

“As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuild as a city, we need all New Yorkers to continue taking public health measures to protect each other’s health,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot. “The precautions are in place to keep workers safe, and the health of our city depends on them being followed.”

The newly released guidelines will apply to all construction activity in New York City during the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency, until the State rescinds or amends its Executive Order and related guidance. Stop Work Orders previously issued by the Department for noncompliance with the State’s non-essential construction ban will be lifted. The Department will not be lifting Stop Work Orders at sites that illegally continued work even after they were issued a Stop Work Order for violating the ban, and have outstanding civil penalties.

In addition to following our guidelines, employers are also required to develop a site-specific health plan that is prominently visible on the worksite. They will also be required to submit and display an affirmation to the State that they have read and understood the additional reopening requirements as required in the NYS Interim Guidelines.

To ensure compliance with these new health requirements, DOB inspectors will be conducting a safety inspection sweep of every permitted construction site in New York City, and following up with additional periodic checks of active work sites. Members of the public can also call 311 to report a work site where proper COVID-19 safety measures are not being followed. During these sweeps, our inspectors will be looking for the following:

• Compliance with social distancing protocols. Six feet of distance should be observed between all personnel, unless safety or work functions require shorter distance.

• Anyone on site, including workers, other construction professionals, and approved visitors, who are less than six feet apart must wear face coverings. Maintaining this practice at all times is highly encouraged.

• Readily available hygiene and hand washing stations.

• COVID-19 safety measures signage visible to workers, reminding everyone to adhere to all safety protocols while on site, including proper hand hygiene, physical distancing rules, appropriate use of personal protective equipment, and cleaning and disinfecting protocols.

• Tightly confined spaces (e.g., elevators, hoists) occupied by only one individual at a time, unless all occupants are wearing a face covering and the space is kept under 50% maximum capacity.

• For elevators and hoists, 50% capacity signage must be posted within the cab and at each landing.

• A site safety monitor must be designated. The role’s responsibilities include continuous compliance with all aspects of the site safety plan.

• Safety plan(s) are conspicuously posted on site and include a copy of the submitted State affirmation.

• Properly completed and updated cleaning and disinfection logs.

• A communication plan for employees, visitors, and clients is on site.

• Correctly completed and updated logs of every person who may have had close contact with others on site to ensure effective contact tracing.

During the first 30 days after construction activity resumes on Monday, June 8th, the Department will focus on educating and helping the industry learn how to implement these new procedures, while providing on-site guidance on best practices to contractors and site safety professionals. Initial DOB violations for noncompliance with these regulations, issued during these first 30 days, will carry no financial penalty. Following this 30-day period, subsequent violations will result in financial penalties, and continued noncompliance may result in Stop Worker Orders and additional summonses with accompanying civil penalties of up to $5,000 for each offense.

These COVID-19 guidelines are the minimum requirements for construction work sites to operate safely in New York City. Owners and contractors are welcome to implement enhanced safety measures as they see fit to protect their workers. To protect our teams out in the field, all DOB personnel will continue to wear gloves and masks while in public and our offices will be reconfigured to promote social distancing.

To keep workers, the public and our employees safe and informed during the COVID-19 pandemic, DOB enforced the Governor’s order banning nonessential construction and proactively transitioned many of our customer service transactions to be available online. These steps included:

• Greatly expanding the number of filings that can be submitted through our online portals DOB NOW and eFiling.

• Launching a daily updated online map identifying the location of essential work sites around the city.

• Offering online training and license renewal options for construction professionals.

Additionally during the citywide halt to non-essential construction, the agency’s frontline teams regularly conducted multiple inspections of work sites citywide to ensure only approved essential construction activity was allowed to proceed. Non-essential work sites that were halted due to the Governor’s Executive Order were checked to make sure they were properly secured and maintained at all times in order to safeguard the public throughout the duration of the ban. During this time, calls from New Yorkers concerning potentially illegal construction in their neighborhood were responded to within 24 hours, and often on the same day.

Customers who want to learn more about our expanded virtual services can find more information here.

MAYOR DE BLASIO AND TASKFORCE ON RACIAL INCLUSION AND EQUITY ANNOUNCE NEW COVID-19 CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE

Three new Gotham Health sites will provide comprehensive care to support recovering COVID-19 patients, including pulmonary care, radiologic and diagnostic services, mental health services, and on-site access to medication

  Mayor de Blasio announced that three “COVID-19 Centers of Excellence” will open in communities of color that have been hardest-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Located in Bushwick, Jackson Heights, and Tremont, the new Gotham Health sites will provide comprehensive outpatient services for recovering COVID-19 patients.

“Our city will not recover until we address the painful disparities laid bare by the COVID-19 crisis,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The Centers of Excellence will move us forward in our fight for a fair recovery and deliver care to the communities that need it most.”

"The coronavirus pandemic has exposed deeply-rooted health disparities for people of color, and the City must do everything possible to close these gaps,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray. “These new COVID-19 Centers of Excellence will ensure that New Yorkers in the hardest-hit neighborhoods, many of whom have sacrificed their health to keep the City running during this crisis, have access to high-quality health care.”   

COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on communities of color, with Black and Latino New Yorkers dying around twice the rate of their white counterparts when adjusted for age. According to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, in sections of Jackson Heights, Queens, approximately 37 percent of people who have been tested for COVID-19 have been positive for the virus. This is also true for approximately 30 percent of people in the Tremont section of the Bronx, and 25 percent of people in Bushwick, Brooklyn. 

To support patients recovering from COVID-19, these new Gotham Health Centers will specifically provide pulmonary care, radiologic and diagnostic services, as well as mental health services to help address anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychological distress. The sites are projected to open this fall, and will also house retail pharmacies. Patients can be referred to the one of the centers after a hospital visit or through their primary care provider. Positive COVID-19 test results, antibody or not, are not required.

"As the de Blasio administration prepares to reopen New York City, the COVID-19 Centers of Excellence provide the foundation for long-term health recovery in our hardest hit communities,” said Dr. Raul Perea-Henze, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services and Co-Chair of the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity. “This visionary project represents the commitment of the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity to address the unacceptable disparities that have been amplified by the pandemic. I thank my co-chairs First Lady Chirlane McCray and Deputy Mayor Phil Thompson and our colleagues for championing this forward-looking approach.”

“One critical way to ensure an equitable recovery from COVID-19 is by providing free  or low-cost healthcare and mental health support to communities that are in most need of, but can least afford, these life-saving services, ” said J. Phillip Thompson, Deputy Mayor for  Strategic Policy Initiatives and Co-Chair of the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity. “These centers will give those living in historically underserved areas the resources they need to physically recover from their illnesses so that they can begin rebuilding their lives once this pandemic is over, not left behind.”

“The global public health community anticipates uncovering the long-term impacts of COVID-19 for generations to come. However, NYC Health + Hospitals is proactively establishing COVID Centers of Excellence to begin caring for those who have already been impacted by this vicious virus,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “When it comes to the novel Coronavirus, the global medical community is at an unprecedented disadvantage of not knowing all of the facts and what to expect, but New York City won’t wait around to start seeing the long-term health impacts of this pandemic.”

“It is important to address the potential long-term health implications of COVID-19 head on and locally in the communities hardest-hit by this global pandemic,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health CEO Michelle Lewis. “Following our system’s emphasis on preventative medicine, the new COVID Center of Excellence will proactively track patients’ health and respond medically to ensure every New Yorker under our care is able to live a full and healthy life.”

“At NYC Health + Hospitals, we will continue our commitment to the well-being of every New Yorker, especially in communities that have been hardest hit by COVID-19,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President of Ambulatory Care Ted Long, MD. “Our three new COVID Centers of Excellence emphasizes our investment in these communities and all New Yorkers. Our priority is to care for people, where it’s convenient for them and in a personalized manner.”

  

Councilman Mark Gjonaj - COVID-19 Protective Supplies & Food Distributions in District 13

MAYOR DE BLASIO on Protests and COVID-19 - June 4, 2020

  Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning, everybody. There’s over 8 million people in this city – over 8 million people who just want to live in peace – over 8 million people who want things to get better, who want to see this city brought together, who want to see us fight back against the disease that's afflicted us all, held us back, disrupted our lives. Done so much damage to our families, and our neighborhoods. Done so much damage to our families and our neighborhoods. People want peace, and they want us to move forward. Now, there always going to be people trying to disrupt the peace and unity of this place. The single most diverse place on earth, a beacon of hope to the world. That's what New York City is, because New York City offers the possibility and the promise that people could come together from all faiths, from all backgrounds in one place, people of all nations building together something better, and that's what we do all the time. And sometimes we meet crisis, because that is part of humanity. Sometimes we meet challenges, but New Yorkers historically time, and again, overcome these challenges, and actually find more unity, more strength, and we will do that again now. These have been tough, tough days, painful days, confusing days, not just the last few days, the three months that we've been dealing with the greatest healthcare crisis in generations, but we will fight our way through together. And the only way we get there is together. Last night in New York City, there were some specific, horrible moments, but there was overwhelmingly, overwhelmingly peace. Last night in New York City, the NYPD was out there protecting us. Men and women of the NYPD, we ask so much of them. We asked so much strength, so much restraint. They were out there protecting us as they do every day. There were people out there, very few who were protesting overwhelmingly peacefully. We did not see, thank God anybody, very few acts of vandalism. We saw overwhelmingly it was peaceful protest. The vast, vast, vast majority of New Yorkers honored the curfew. The curfew helped to move us towards peace and a better place. We're going to keep at this work day after day, it will not be easy, but we will keep at it and we will achieve the progress we need.

Had a horrible, painful incident late last night in Brooklyn, three of our officers wounded in an absolutely unprovoked attack and we are piecing together the details. Commissioner Shea will speak to it, but there's still a lot more to know. But I've seen the video of myself, and I can say here were two of our officers simply trying to protect the community, and they came under unprovoked attack, and that is absolutely unacceptable attack on any one of our officers is an attack on all of us. I need you to know that the officers who were wounded represented all that is great about New York City. Represented the fact that people come here from all over this country, all over this world to find a better life. And they represent this entire world, and then some choose to serve all of us. The officer who was attacked with a knife, police officer Jean Pierre, born in Haiti, came here, an exemplary young man giving back to the country that welcomed him and embraced him. He was the one attacked with a knife last night. And two of his colleagues, Officer Ramnarine, his parents immigrated in this country. Officer Chu, as well his parents immigrated to this country. A painful, horrible moment at the same time, a picture of the greatness of the New York City, that these three individuals brought all of themselves to all of us to protect all of us. Thank God they will all recover, but it is unacceptable. I'm going to say it so clearly, it's absolutely unacceptable to attack a police officer in any way, shape or form. We will not tolerate. There will always be consequences.

Now, let's move forward. Let's move forward. Today in Minnesota will be the funeral for George Floyd. There will be a Memorial here in New York City. That marks a moment to recognize the pain that caused so much concern. So much of an outpouring, of a deep, deep, deep desire for change. But there's also an inflection point. I ask everyone to remember if we're going to make changes, we have to do it together, and we need peace. So, this is a good moment to reflect and a good moment to turn the page, and start moving forward.

Now, we saw some horrible events a few days ago. And as I keep saying, it had nothing to do with the actions of peaceful protesters. We saw attacks on communities in the Bronx, and in Manhattan, just pure vandalism criminality, only for personal gain, not for any cause. And in the community in the Bronx that I visited a few days ago, Burnside Avenue, Fordham Road, the places that were hit so hard. We have small business owners fighting back. We have community residents cleaning up the streets, not accepting anyone who would try to destroy their community, standing up, reclaiming their streets, their neighborhood, their city. We will help them. Those small business owners who scratched, and saved, and built a small business. So many of them immigrants living the American dream, today we announce support for them. The New York City Mayor's Fund will start with a half a million dollars to help those businesses recover. Individual grants, direct cash assistance. I want to thank everyone who is supporting this effort. We turn to community members who care, and they stepped up to help the people of the Bronx, to help those small businesses. Special thanks to SOMOS Community Care, to Dr. Ramon Tallaj, and Dr. Henry Chen. New Yorkers, immigrants, people who believe in helping others. They will work with us to help those small businesses back on their feet. I met those small business owners. They're not going anywhere. They believe in the Bronx. They believe in New York City. They will be back. We'll provide a variety of help to all those small businesses that were affected legal help, help get insurance, whatever it takes to get them back on their feet.

Now, let's go back to the moment in history we're in much more broadly. We're dealing with some very, very real issues these last days, but remember for almost a hundred days now we have been dealing with the coronavirus. This pandemic has created such pain, such frustration. That's laid bare such clear disparities that must be addressed, and taking such a human toll. And then on top of it, created a crisis that stole people's livelihood that forced people, especially our young people to have to be indoors without schools, without the things that they depended on, the community centers, all the things that mattered. This disruption has been vast, but we will not let it stop us, and we will rebuild, and we will restart. And so Monday, June 8th phase one begins, and we are resolute that we will continue this restart process. We're going to do all we can to support the businesses in phase one. We're going to do all we can to support working people who are part of phase one. Today, we launch a dedicated hotline to help small businesses. Today we will put out guides to help small businesses know exactly what they need to be able to do the work of restart. Any small business that needs help, as they prepare for Monday can call 888-SBS-4NYC. We're going to be providing 2 million free face coverings to small businesses to help them get started. We're going to help workers as well. Any worker who has a return to work and is concerned about their health and safety, needs guidance, needs support, can call 311 or they can go to nyc.gov/coronavirus to get the facts about all we will do to help working people. We must have health and safety as the priorities in this restart. So, we're going to go forward with a vigorous, energetic approach that we must restart. Phase one must begin Monday. It will begin Monday. If we all work together, phase one can move on to phase two. And at this moment, phase two can start as early as the beginning of July. So, we want to keep moving forward, but it's going to take an intensive focus on health and safety at every moment in every business in everything we do. But we're not just saying to businesses, go out there and figure it out. We will be with them every step of the way to help them protect themselves, to protect the workers, make sure that everything is done the right way. We want these businesses to succeed as they come back. We want this city to succeed. We want people to get their livelihoods back, and that's going to help create progress and peace when people can make ends meet again. So, we will be there with the business of New York City as they restart Monday.

Now, I mentioned that phase two could begin as early as the beginning of July. And in phase two, we will be able to move onto many other types of businesses. And as we heard from the state, that can also include reopening a number of our restaurants with a focus on outdoors. And that's the way we want to go. We have a new initiative, open restaurants that will focus on what it takes to make outdoor seating work. We will provide a plan to help restaurants set up that outdoor seating, to help them bring their employees back. We will provide a massive expansion of curbside seating, a big expansion of open streets. We'll do what it takes to help this key part of life in New York City, key part of our economy, the wellspring of the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers to come back, come back strong, starting in phase two in July. This is going to be another important step. But again, health and safety first. Everything we're doing is to make sure that we do it safely, that this disease does not spread, that we beat it back. And as our test and trace program comes into high gear this week, we fight back to disease with more and more testing for New Yorkers, more and more tracing of those who have been infected and all their contacts to get them the help they need. To get them if they need to be safely separated, the support, they need more testing, more tracing, more support at the same time as we help businesses restart safely, bring back people's livelihood, bringing back all that people love about this place, fight this disease back every day. And that leads me to our indicators and thresholds.

Once again, we see that because of what you have done. You, everyone I'm looking at out there over 8 million people, you have achieved this success. Indicator one, daily number of people admitted to hospitals for suspected COVID-19. Again, that threshold has to stay under 200 patients a day, 48 is our latest report only 48, and that is great. Indicator two, daily number of people in our Health and Hospitals, ICU that threshold is 375 and today only 354 in our ICU. And this is the most important and best news, percentage of people tested positive citywide for COVID-19, that threshold is 15 percent today we have the lowest number we have seen since this crisis began only three percent testing, positive with more and more testing, happening more and more people being reached only three percent testing positive. That is very good news, whatever else we're fighting, whatever else we have to overcome, this is what is going to allow us to move forward. And it's because of all of you, everyone has stayed indoors, no matter it's tough, everyone is socially distance, everyone who wears a face cover. You are changing things so that we can restart this city and make sure we move forward. Thank you.

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES SMALL BUSINESS EMERGENCY GRANT PROGRAM

 Mayor de Blasio announced a Small Business Emergency Grant Program for small businesses who were impacted by looting and experienced damage to their storefronts. Thanks to $500,000 in initial funds from SOMOS Community Care, the City will begin providing grants to small businesses of up to $10,000 per business, starting in the Bronx. These grants will help with recovery, including repairs, security systems, locks, and more. The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City will work with Small Business Services to assess the level of need throughout the city, with the intent to raise funds for repairs of businesses in other boroughs. 

“The only way we will move forward and get small businesses back on their feet is by coming together as a community,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Our small businesses are not going anywhere. They are strong and resilient and they will be back, and we are here to help them do that.”

New York City’s Small Business Service’s Emergency response team is on the ground in affected communities, surveying damage and providing applications to apply for the grant to small business owners. The City is also providing emergency legal support, incident report support, and insurance claim support.

“SBS has been in the Bronx, speaking to small business owners impacted by looting and actively working to get them the resources and support they need to recover,” said Jonnel Doris, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “Our small businesses are tough and resilient.  This resource will ensure that these Bronx businesses will receive direct support and equip them with the tools necessary to come back."

“If our community is to heal, we must do all we can to help our local business prepare to reopen. Unfortunately, hundreds of small businesses in diverse, immigrant communities were doubly impacted, first from the COVID-19 shutdown and now by the looting and damages,” said Dr. Ramon Tallaj, Chairman and Founder of SOMOS Community Care. “Through this grant, we can help essential business owners, including community practices, pharmacies, bodegas, and others, access the funding they need so that they can continue to rebuild our communities and provide for their families.”

“Small business owners are already concerned about their financial future because of lost income from several months of lockdown. We are hopeful that this grant will provide the necessary relief for essential businesses in NYC’s hardest-hit communities,” said Dr. Henry Chen, President of SOMOS Community Care. “Now more than ever, the city’s immigrant communities need all the support we can offer, especially for the essential businesses that are the city’s lifeblood.”

Drs. Chen and Tallaj continued: “We both came to this country and built practices to pursue the American dream. Now it’s time to help others trying to do the same under the hardest circumstances imaginable.” 

"Small businesses are the backbone of this city--they are vital community hubs that bond us in times of celebration and of grief. Our neighborhoods are unrecognizable without them," said Toya Williford, Executive Director of the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City. "We stand in solidarity with these small business owners--our neighbors, friends, and family members--as they rebuild and as our city presses on toward a transformed future."

“Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the looting that occurred in our borough earlier this week, we must do all that we can to give our borough’s small businesses a chance to survive in these difficult times,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “Our Bronx small businesses and entrepreneurs are a key component of our economy, and aiding vulnerable local job-creators, such as the business owners on Fordham Road, is important as we look to help our small business community rebound.”

“I'm extremely pleased that Mayor de Blasio has made available $10,000 per store for communities hardest hit by this week's vandalism and looting.  This is an unprecedented move in a most difficult time for the city.  I thank and highly commend the Mayor for his timely action.  This will go a long way in helping my district, which sustained extensive damage and theft, including Fordham Road, the largest and most diverse commercial district in the Bronx," said Council Member Fernando Cabrera.