SCHUMER REVEALS: PANDEMIC LEAVES FINGER LAKES HOSPITAL STRAPPED FOR CASH, SADDLED WITH COSTS FOR PPE & TESTING; SENATOR ANNOUNCES THREE-PRONG PLAN TO GET FINANCIALLY-DEVASTATED NY HOSPITALS – LIKE SOLDIERS & SAILORS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL – THEIR FAIR SHARE AND SECURE THEIR SERVICES FOR THE REGION

 

COVID-19 Costs and Cancellation Of Elective Procedures Left Hospitals Strapped For Cash; Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital Has Already Eliminated 50 Positions And Risk Needing To Eliminate 20 More In The Fall

Schumer Pushes Three-Pronged Plan To Get Hospitals More Federal Support, 1) Pushing For More Funding From Schumer-Created $175 Billion Provider Relief Fund, 2) Calling For Improvements To Medicare Loans Program, & 3) Demanding More Support For COVID-19 Testing 

Schumer: Finger Lakes Healthcare Workers Were Fighting On The Frontlines, They Shouldn’t Have To Fight To Now Stay Afloat Too

  Standing with officials from Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital in Yates, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today revealed his three-pronged plan to get sufficient federal support for Soldiers and Sailors and stave off additional layoffs of vital staff who helped the Finger Lakes beat back the COVID-19 peak in New York. First, Schumer pushed for ‘COVID-4’ pandemic relief to contain additional funding for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (Provider Relief Fund), which would provide additional tranches of funding that would help Soldiers and Sailors. He also called on HHS to quickly allocate the remaining funding they have available for the program, roughly $60 billion in total. Second, the senator called for improvements to be made to Medicare Advanced and Accelerated Payments, which are loans that help hospitals with cash flow, but have such onerous interest rates and repayment terms that it will severely hurt hospitals in the long run. Third, Schumer additional testing dollars in COVID-4, which would providing more federal support for Soldiers and Sailor’s which is now saddled with new costs due to requirements that staff must routinely be tested.

“The doctors, nurses, and staff at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital have made incredible sacrifices throughout this pandemic, putting public health above profit and working ceaselessly to help Yates County and the Finger Lakes beat back the virus and flatten the curve,” said Senator Schumer. “Despite these incredible sacrifices, Soldiers and Sailors has not yet received enough of the federal emergency aid that I specifically negotiated into the CARES Act and fought for in the Interim ‘Corona 3.5’ package for them.”

Schumer argued that his three-pronged plan is necessary as a series of funding issues have plagued Soldiers and Sailors and all the issues must be addressed in order to sufficiently support hospital operations. Additional funding for the Provider Relief Fund is needed because the Hospital is still facing $3 million in losses by the end of the year, despite receiving $3.5 million in HHS’ Rural Hospital tranche of funding. Soldiers and Sailors has also been wary of Medicare Advanced and Accelerated Payments, as the loan program has prohibitively high interest rates and onerous repayment terms that would severely hurt the hospital in the coming months. Finally, the Hospital estimates it will incur $41,000 in unbudgeted testing costs by December, on top of the budget shortage they are already experiencing. As such, Schumer is pushing for additional funding for testing to support the hospital.

Schumer explained that the lack of federal support has forced Finger Lakes Health and Soldiers and Sailors hospital to take on extra costs which they are unsure of how to alleviate, other than through staff cuts. So far, Soldiers and Sailors has been forced to eliminate 50 positions, and anticipate needing to let go of 20 more in the fall if no additional funding is forthcoming. They have spent thousands of dollars to obtain PPE, supplies, and other critical equipment, were forced to stop capital spending and defer expenses, and spent a significant amount outfitting the hospital to provide a safe environment to treat COVID-19 patients.

Schumer added, “It will take a multi-tiered approach to ensure Soldiers and Sailors gets the aid they need, which is why I am here today pushing a three-pronged plan to ensure the hospital is able to keep its heroic staff on the job and keep its doors open to continue serving the Finger Lakes Region.”

Schumer’s three point plan calls for the following:

1)    Calling on Congress to provide additional funding for the $175 billion Provider Relief Fund, and calling on the Administration to immediately disperse the roughly $60 billion that remain unallocated

2)    Amending the Medicare loans program to provide more cash flow assistance to hospitals, which carries a punitive 10% interest rate and withholds Medicare payments from hospitals until the balance is paid

3)    Calling on Congress to provide additional resources for testing

VCJC Shabbat Services to Resume Aug 22

 

The VCJC is sending this announcement to inform you of:  Our plan to resume Shabbat Services on Sat. Aug. 22, 2020 The Van Cortlandt Jewish Center wants you to know that we are planning to resume Shabbat morning services this coming Shabbat August 22nd. Services will be held upstairs in the game room on the first floor for the rest of the summer. Due to the need for social distancing, we have to limit the number of attendees to 20 people. Anyone wanting to attend services must sign and return the waiver we mailed out with the high holiday ticket letter to the shul before Shabbat. The waiver is also available for download.   All attendees will be required to wear a mask during services.  All attendees will be given a temperature check upon arrival. We also ask that you contact Stu Harris at 646-240-1279 to reserve your space as soon as possible. You may also reserve a space by email to reservations@vcjewishcenter.org. If you do not make a reservation, you may be denied admittance if we are at our 20 person limit.   Please review the rules for attending services during the pandemic on our website's home page. Services will begin promptly at 8:30 AM and we expect them to end by 10 AM at the latest. For any additional questions regarding the reopening and safety protocols as well as changes to the services please call Stu Harris at 646-240-1279

Mayor de Blasio talks about COVID-19

 

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well, good morning, everybody. New Yorkers have been nothing short of heroic in fighting back against the coronavirus. In fact, when you think about what you have done in the last few months, people all over this country look at and they honestly are amazed, and I think it is a statement on the ability of this city, the ability of the people, the city to do extraordinary things. Now we have so many challenges that this crisis has brought forward, but that same spirit of doing what others may see as impossible or very, very challenging, we New Yorkers take on challenges all the time and we overcome them. So I want to talk to you today about the challenge we're seeing and it's been made so stark by the coronavirus. The challenge of disparity, the challenge of income inequality, it has come up so sharply in the course of these last few months, but it's something we've been grappling with for a long time, and this needs to be a moment when we resolve to make more fundamental changes. The coronavirus itself and the economic crisis that's come with, it has hit so hard in communities of color. It's hit immigrants so hard. It's hit small businesses so hard. We have so much work to do to create something better and fairer, and that's what we're going to do. We are committed to a just and fair recovery. So today in a moment, we're going to talk about a very important piece of that recovery, a very important piece of an effort to do things differently, and it is exciting because it has to do with a brand new approach to supporting businesses in the Black community and providing the support they need to really come back stronger than ever.

 

So we're going to go over that in just a moment, but first I need to give you an update about the situation, a couple of neighborhoods in Brooklyn, and this goes back to everything that we are doing with the Test and Trace Corps, everything we're doing when we identify a problem, how we address it rapidly, another thing that New York City is doing on a level unlike any other city in America, we now have the capacity through Test and Trace, when we see a problem to address it fast and with a lot of energy, a lot of personnel, a lot of impact. So last week I alerted everyone to the situation in Sunset Park. I was out in Sunset Park, Brooklyn yesterday [inaudible] Tuesday, and I was out there with a lot of volunteers. Some of whom you see here reaching out to people, telling them how important it is to get tested. And this outreach effort has been going on for a while, but intensely over the last week. Now what the Health Department saw in the last week or more was an uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases. The outreach effort meant to get ahead of that, to instantly ensure that more and more people got tested, that we found where there were specific problems and address them, obviously, by making sure people safely separated and the situation was contained. The increased testing gave us more information, more data to work with, more contacts to follow up on.

 

What we know so far, thank God, limited community spread and not a cluster situation in a Sunset Park, and we'll talk more about that – I also want to mention a situation in Borough Park, Brooklyn, that we're focused on as well, because we've seen an uptick in just in the last few days and particularly a group of 16 cases that came out recently that we see as an early warning sign. Again, we want to be always acting out of an abundance of caution, and we saw this in the Sunset Park situation by assuming there might be a problem getting in there fast with a lot of energy, a lot of personnel, it makes a lot of difference. So we're taking the same approach with Borough Park. Some of these 16 cases are linked to a recent wedding, a large wedding, in fact in the community. So, we are working immediately to galvanize community leaders, to work with Test and Trace Corps, had a good call last night with a group of community leaders from Borough Park. They certainly understand the urgency of situation. We want to get the message out that people need to be tested, that people need to wear face coverings, that we need to avoid those large gatherings that can cause a bigger problem. We're also mobilizing a large response, mask distribution to houses of worship, engaging community organizations, whatever it's going to take, helping people understand that if they do test positive, they can safely separate and get a lot of support to do it. And anyone who's concerned that if they test positive, what's going to happen next, we want them to know that there'll be a lot of support for them to get through what really is in the end, a brief period of separation, and we're going to have community members and community organizations that are going to play a big part in that.

 

So, again, overall New York City is doing so well and you'll hear today's indicators are pretty extraordinary as an evidence of what all of you have achieved, but we've got to stay vigilant about the basics, the social distancing, the face coverings, obviously avoiding large gatherings. This is really important that we take seriously that reality because that will help us stop the spread of this disease. Now I want you to get an update on all of these kinds of outreach efforts because they're so crucial to our success and I want you to hear from the Chief Equity Officer of Test and Trace, she was with me in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, yesterday and did a great job engaging residents directly.

Okay, I'm going to go back where I started that again, this is not just a health care crisis. It's an economic crisis. It's a disparity crisis. And we are dealing with challenges that we haven't seen literally since the Great Depression in this country or this city, but the disparities are now being talked about rightfully in the bluntest possible terms and this fight against income inequality, this has been exactly what this administration has been focused on for the last seven years, but when it comes to the Black community, listen to this fact, it is a deeply troubling one, first of all, in this epidemic Black businesses, twice as likely to close for good as white businesses. But you also have to think about the racial wealth gap at its foundation, and listen to this fact, here in a city that's about – has about 22 percent African American population. So, about 22 percent of all New Yorkers are people of African descent, but only two percent of New York City businesses are owned by members of the Black community. Something's wrong with that picture to say the least. We need to do things differently. And our Department of Small Business Services is leading the way and they've put together a roadmap to help advance Black entrepreneurship in New York City. This is something that you don't just say, okay, the private sector is going to take care of this. No, the public sector needs to get involved to do the most we can to help Black businesses move forward, especially with the challenges going on now. So, Small Business Services launched Black Entrepreneurship NYC last year. The simplification of that phrase is BE NYC – 1,500 Black business owners and community leaders and academic leaders came together to put together a vision of what would actually work on the ground for community businesses. And the idea is to do something profound, to start to close the racial wealth gap. Now, what do we do?

 

Well, we know there's three big areas of concern that came out of this process, obviously, access to capital and trying to right the wrongs of the past where that capital was not available to Black entrepreneurs. Marketing, helping businesses, smaller and bigger, to have more access to the digital marketplace and more connection to new sources of revenue like government contracts that obviously connects to everything we've been doing with the M/WBE program of the city, minority and women-owned businesses. And then mentoring, getting folks who have been successful and have great networks to share that success, share those networks with up and coming businesses. So, the BE NYC partners have come together with a number of leading New York City businesses to do this work. I want to mention a few and thank them in the process. Ernst & Young will be providing free one-on-one consulting to businesses to work on their business plans. Goldman Sachs will be providing access to affordable financing. Mastercard will help business owners to set up virtual storefronts. Major, major firms committing to this effort in a tangible way. And very importantly, a new BE NYC accelerator at the Brooklyn Navy Yard – a $3 million effort to provide the space and the support and the knowhow to help these businesses to move forward rapidly in one location where all that help is there to energize the efforts of entrepreneurs.

Now, number two, the new second indicator, new reported the cases on a seven-day average basis, threshold of 550 cases, today's report 320. Number three, percentage of the people testing positive citywide for COVID-19. Again, we have moved the threshold now from 15percent to five percent, as we continue to tighten up, we continue to fight back this disease. We now told you we're doing everything down to the decimal points so you can see more specifically what's happening with the testing. The number I'm showing you here today is the lowest number we have had since this crisis began. This is the lowest infection rate in New York City since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis. Today's number is 0.24 percent. This is extraordinary. Now, we all know every day can vary. We all know there's no single perfect measure, but the fact that with expanded testing and more and more outreach all the time, you now see a number as low as 0.24 percent for the New York City infection rate. This is striking and this should be a clarion call to all of us to double down and go farther because the more we can do to beat back this virus, the more we can bring back this city. So, congratulations to all of you, because this is your achievement. 

DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officer Highlights

 

  New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) enforce the 71 Chapters of NY Environmental Conservation Law (ECL), protecting fish and wildlife and preserving environmental quality across New York. In 2019, the 288 ECOs across the state responded to 25,704 calls and worked on cases that resulted in 16,855 tickets or arrests for crimes ranging from deer poaching to solid waste dumping, illegal mining, the black market pet trade, and excessive emissions violations.

Two-thousand-and-twenty marks 50 years for DEC and 140 Years for New York’s Conservation Police Officers. In 1880, the first eight Game Protectors proudly began serving to protect the natural resources and people of New York State.

"From Montauk Point and Brooklyn to Buffalo, the ECOs patrolling our state are the first line of defense in protecting New York's environment and our natural resources, ensuring that they exist for future generations of New Yorkers," said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. "Our ECOs have worked arduous hours, both deep in our remote wildernesses and in the tight confines of our urban landscapes, for far longer than the 50 years since DEC was created. These officers are critical to achieving DEC's mission to protect and enhance our environment and I am confident they will continue this important mission for the next 50 years and beyond."

If you witness an environmental crime or believe a violation of environmental law occurred, please call the DEC Division of Law Enforcement hotline at 1-844-DEC-ECOS (1-844-332-3267). 

Illegal Turkey Take – Westchester County 

On July 27, a Westchester County man appeared in the Town of Mamaroneck Court to answer charges from the illegal taking of a turkey from a roadway. Back on May 7, ECO Schneider responded to a call for assistance from Mamaroneck Police for reports of a turkey shot from the roadway at approximately 7 p.m. ECO Schneider photographed the scene and spoke to a witness who described a van in the area at the time of the shooting and provided a license plate number. The following day, ECO Schneider turned the case over to ECO Tompkins who is assigned to Westchester County. ECO Tompkins interviewed nearby residents who may have witnessed the incident and reviewed video from a homeowner with surveillance cameras pointed at the road where the turkey was believed to have been shot. The videos showed the turkey dead on the side of the road with the van in question stopped as a passenger exited the vehicle and picked it up. ECO Tompkins tracked down the owner of the van, identified as Mark Luceno of Mamaroneck, and spoke to him about the incident. When presented with the evidence, Luceno gave a full written confession describing how he shot the turkey from the side of the road with his compound bow while his wife drove. He was issued six tickets for illegally taking protected wildlife, taking a turkey during closed hours, use of a motor vehicle to take small game, discharging a bow from across a public highway, discharging a bow within 150 feet of a dwelling, and failure to tag a turkey as required by law. Luceno agreed to civil penalties in court and paid a $500 penalty. 

Tangled Osprey – Suffolk County 

On Aug. 12, a concerned personal watercraft rider contacted ECO Perkins reporting an osprey hanging from its nest with its foot wrapped in fishing line. The nest was in the State Boat Channel near the Cedar Beach Marina in the town of Babylon. With help from Town of Babylon Bay Constables, ECO Perkins boarded a boat to reach the nest and used a pair of shears to cut the fishing line tangled around the osprey’s foot. Once free, the osprey flew away without showing signs of injury. 

Bear in Downtown Monroe – Orange County 

On Aug. 14, ECOs Duchene and Newell responded to Mill Pond in the village of Monroe, Orange County, for reports of a bear in a tree in a busy part of town. When the Officers arrived, they found what appeared to be a yearling bear about 50 feet up a tree. The Monroe Police Department, already on site, assisted with public safety. After a short time, the bear descended the tree and began to run along Mill Pond before climbing another tree along a busy road. DEC wildlife staff members Matt Merchant, Deena Brabant-Oatman, and Jonathan Russell responded, tranquilized the juvenile bear, and removed it from the tree. With help from Monroe Police Chief Guzman and Sergeant Tenaglia, DEC Officers and staff were able to weigh, measure, and tag the juvenile bear before it was transported to nearby State lands and released unharmed.  

Tomhannock Clean-up Day - Rensselaer County 

On Aug. 15, ECOs Canzeri and Crain teamed up with the Rensselaer County Conservation Alliance to help clean up an area around the Tomhannock Reservoir. The reservoir provides drinking water to approximately 135,000 residents in three counties and is open for fishing year-round. The reservoir is notable for its walleye and carp, including a state record carp exceeding 50 pounds, but also contains healthy populations of black bass, yellow perch, bullhead, chain pickerel, and panfish. DEC maintains a fishing access site at the reservoir and has an agreement with the city of Troy to patrol and enforce laws related to hunting, fishing, pollution, and water quality. ECOs respond to complaints and proactively patrol the 5.5-mile-long waterbody all year. Approximately 47 volunteers participated in the cleanup, including New York State Assemblyman Jake Ashby. ECOs Canzeri and Crain provided health and safety compliance checks on top of assisting with the cleanup efforts. The event went well with beautiful weather and more than 50 full contractor garbage bags were collected.

Bronx Jewish Community Council - Volunteer Opportunity

 

Volunteers needed on September 13th  (10-11:30 AM) for a contact-less Rosh  Hashanah package delivery to the outside  doorstep of our isolated seniors -  exclusively  at Amalgamated Housing  between Riverdale and Moshulu Parkway.  Thank you! If you would like to RSVP contact   Niti, BJCC Director of Volunteers by  email at nMinkove@bjcconline.org   or at 917-693-3084

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES NEW COMMITMENTS TO FURTHER BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN NEW YORK CITY

 

Mayor de Blasio today announced new commitments to further invest in Black entrepreneurs in all five boroughs. The BE NYC initiative is a first-of-its-kind model, which aims to increase the number of Black-owned businesses in New York City with a focus on growing businesses in high-growth industries. As part of the City’s commitment to close the racial wealth gap and support Black-owned businesses, the Department of Small Business Services is releasing the landmark Black entrepreneurship report and using its partnerships to launch four new programs for Black business owners. 

 

“Black entrepreneurs built New York City,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This historic public-private partnership will ensure we can come together to support them, and give them the recognition they have deserved for so long.”

 

“Black-owned businesses are certainly struggling, and helping them grow is part of the broader struggle for racial justice,” said J. Phillip Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives and Co-Chair of the Racial Inclusion and Equity Taskforce. “The commitments made today will provide significant opportunity for these small business owners to grow in new economies and lay the foundation for a more equitable future.”

 

"NYC-based businesses form the backbone of our city's economy, and I commend SBS for this important initiative," said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been. "Thank you to Mastercard, Ernst & Young, and Brooklyn Navy Yard for contributing resources that foster Black entrepreneurship and business ownership in our communities."

 

“Black entrepreneurs are an essential part of the fabric of New York City, and equity and opportunity are at the core of the work we do at SBS. These values lay the foundation for BE NYC,” said Jonnel Doris, Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services. “Working together with business, academic, government and community leaders, we are striving to create a fairer and more equitable city where Black-owned businesses can grow and thrive.”

 

“We look forward to the release of this final report which is a close analysis of the many challenges facing Black Businesses based on an in depth conversation with those very businesses,” said Maggie D. Austin, Senior Advisor and Director of the Mayor’s Office of M/WBEs. “Over the past year our partners at SBS have developed this critical tool for understanding challenges in the market place and some long term solutions that the City can leverage or provide such as access to capital and mentorship opportunities. Although the work began long before the timing of this report is crucial as COVID-19 has wrought new obstacles and deepened longstanding ones. New York wins when black businesses succeed and thrive.”

 

Blueprint for Investing in Black-Owned Businesses

Informed by more than 1,500 current and aspiring Black entrepreneurs, business leaders, community leaders and advocates, SBS is publishing Advancing Black Entrepreneurship in NYC - a blueprint for advancing Black entrepreneurship in all five boroughs. The report highlights the challenges Black entrepreneurs face when starting and growing their businesses and offers recommendations in four key areas:

• Provide equitable access to financing
• Strengthen connections within NYC’s Black entrepreneurial community
• Scale Black businesses for long-term success
• Meet the challenges of the economy of tomorrow

 

To view the full report and to learn more, visit nyc.gov/benyc.

 

BE NYC’s inaugural partners will work together with the City to address the key challenges and respond to the recommendations in the report. The commitments made today are just the beginning. The City is dedicated to working with partners in the private and philanthropic sectors to deepen our reach into communities of color and make sure our resources are being distributed equitably.

 

Providing Access to World-Class Business Experts

Less than 40% of Black entrepreneurs reported that they had access to mentors and advisors. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately impact the health and economic welfare of Black communities across the city, time with advisors has become even more scarce—and even more important. To address this need, the City has partnered with Ernst & Young (EY) to connect Black entrepreneurs with world-class resources and guidance. In this new, three-part program, EY has committed to: 

• Creating a resource hub that will allow Black entrepreneurs to access materials from entrepreneurship experts
• Hosting interactive online group learning sessions, providing face-to-face interaction and support from experts while promoting peer-to-peer learning and network building among participants
• Offering 2,000 hours of one-on-one consulting on business planning, operational improvements, and financial planning for Black business owners. 

 

“Black-owned businesses of all sizes are part of the fabric of New York City,” said Kelly Grier, EY US Chair and Managing Partner and Americas Managing Partner. “But Black entrepreneurs have not always had access to the resources, capital and networks to equitably succeed and contribute to economic recovery and resiliency. Our hope is that by collaborating with the City of New York, we will guide Black entrepreneurs and connect them to helpful resources. When every entrepreneur succeeds, we all succeed.”

 

Access to Capital and Business Education

The top challenges identified by Black entrepreneurs were access to capital (40%), lack of preparation and background on how to run a business (15%) and a lack of reliable resources to help (13%). Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses has a decade long track record of addressing these gaps and providing underserved small businesses with the resources to grow. Goldman Sachs is a crucial partner to BE NYC in delivering the opportunities that Black entrepreneurs need.

 

“Black entrepreneurs face outsized challenges in accessing the resources, network and capital they need to thrive,” said Asahi Pompey, President of the Goldman Sachs Foundation and Global Head of Corporate Engagement. “The pandemic has laid bare the inequities faced by the Black community, and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is proud to support the City’s efforts to create meaningful opportunity for Black-owned businesses.” 

 

Building upon its longstanding partnership with the City, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses will support BE NYC by facilitating access to affordable financing and business education. Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is committed to advance the solutions outlined in Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Doris’ blueprint to support Black-owned businesses across New York City.

 

Closing the Digital Divide

More than 70% of Black business owners indicated that they want assistance reaching more customers and growing their sales. In this current moment, where virtual storefronts and e-commerce are more important than ever, Mastercard will join New York City in its efforts, helping to ensure that Black entrepreneurs survive and thrive in a post-COVID economy by providing the resources they need and deserve to launch and maintain their business, as well as expand and improve their online presence. This includes:

 

·         Delivering tailored business education and mentorship designed exclusively with and for the Black business community of NYC to address the challenges they face, including the ability to reach and sell to customers online. 

·         Providing access to the Mastercard Main Street Resource Center including its suite of services and Digital Doors™ initiative, to further provide the digital tools needed to run their business.

·         Helping Black entrepreneurs establish virtual storefronts and providing effective cyber-security safeguards at no cost. 

 

“It’s time to acknowledge that starting and growing a business is hard enough without the additional challenges of a system that feels built to hold you back, ” said Ajay Banga, Chief Executive Officer of Mastercard. “We have to stack the deck in favor of success for everyone. That means doing our part in pulling down the road blocks and giving NYC’s Black-owned businesses the tools and resources they need to take hold of the opportunities before them now and the power to grow and thrive into tomorrow. Joining Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Doris in this effort is just one way we can help level the playing field and close the digital divide so that the digital economy really can benefit everyone, everywhere.”

 

Launching a BE NYC Accelerator 

Through an initial $3 million investment of capital and operating funds from the City Council, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, The Young Men's Initiative, and SBS will launch a BE NYC accelerator to help cultivate businesses for the economy of tomorrow. This effort will include meeting space and technical assistance focusing on launching and growing local Black-owned businesses. The Brooklyn Navy Yard will identify partners to build out the space, curate an active community and product programming for participants.

 

“The Brooklyn Navy Yard continues to invest in initiatives that address the need for racial equity including expanded access and resources for underserved communities,” said David Ehrenberg, President & CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation. “The BE NYC accelerator will directly support Black entrepreneurs as the Yard continues to do its part to rebuild and reshape the City's economy — one that values and celebrates the contributions of women and our Black and Brown neighbors. We thank the de Blasio administration for including us as we re-envision the future of the business community in New York City.”

 

“As Black entrepreneurs, we know firsthand the sacrifice and determination needed to start a business or work in a corporate office and understand the challenges our community faces as they embark on that journey,” said the BE NYC Cabinet. “The BE NYC initiative not only highlights the barriers in a milestone report , but also actively works to dismantle them through innovative, collaborative solutions. We know that eradicating a system built on hate can only be done through partnership and we are delighted with this incredible opportunity to help shape the future of Black business and the future of NYC.”

 

Governor Cuomo Announces Two Additional States Added to Travel Advisory

 

Eleventh Straight Day with Infection Rate Below 1 Percent

Alaska and Delaware Meet Metrics to Qualify for Travel Advisory 

0.98 Percent of Yesterday's COVID-19 Tests were Positive 

8 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

SLA and State Police Task Force Visits 976 Establishments and Does Not Observe Any Violations of State Requirements

Confirms 655 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to 426,571; New Cases in 40 Counties

  Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that two additional states meet the metrics to qualify for the travel advisory requiring individuals who have traveled to New York from those states, all of which have significant community spread, to quarantine for 14 days. The newly-added states are Alaska and Delaware. No areas have been removed.

The governor also announced that for the 11th straight day, New York State's rate of positive tests was below 1 percent. Governor Cuomo also updated New Yorkers on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The number of new cases, percentage of tests that were positive and many other helpful data points are always available at forward.ny.gov.

"New York State is moving forward in the face of a continuing crisis throughout the nation and around the world—we've gone from one of the nation's worst infection rates to one of its best and have an infection rate below 1 percent for the 11th straight day—but that's no excuse for getting complacent as we add two more states to our travel advisory," Governor Cuomo said. "Our success in this fight is determined, more than anything, by the actions each of us takes in daily life—washing our hands, properly social distancing and wearing masks—and by the willingness of local governments to be competent partners and to enforce state guidance. We continue to move in the right direction, but it's up to all of us to slow the spread and stay safe." 

The full, updated list of states on the travel advisory is below:

• Alaska
• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Arizona
• California
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Iowa
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Mississippi
• Montana
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• Oklahoma
• Puerto Rico
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Virgin Islands
• Wisconsin

Yesterday, the State Liquor Authority and State Police Task Force visited 976 establishments in New York City and Long Island and did not observe any establishments that were not in compliance with state requirements.

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Patient Hospitalization - 537 (+3)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 52
• Hospital Counties - 31
• Number ICU - 126 (-7)
• Number ICU with Intubation - 60 (-4)
• Total Discharges - 74,258 (+51)
• Deaths - 8
• Total Deaths - 25,264

Governor Cuomo Announces Insurance Fraud Action Against Two International Opioid Manufacturers

 

DFS Files Administrative Charges Against Teva and Allergan in Connection with the Opioid Crisis

DFS Claim Alleges Teva and Allergan Engaged in Fraudulent Marketing and Promotional Campaigns That Misrepresented the Safety and Efficacy of Opioid Drugs to Expand the Opioid Market and to Promote Their Drugs — Perpetuating the Opioid Crisis and Leading to a Dramatic Increase in Insurance Costs for New York Consumers 

Read DFS Statement of Charges for Teva and Allergan on the DFS Website Here

  Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the New York State Department of Financial Services has filed charges and initiated administrative proceedings against Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., and its subsidiaries, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., Cephalon, Inc., Watson Laboratories, Inc., Actavis Pharma, Inc., Actavis LLC, and Actavis Elizabeth LLC; and against Allergan PLC and its subsidiary Allergan Finance LLC. These charges are the third set to be filed in DFS's ongoing investigation into the entities that created and perpetuated the opioid crisis. 

Teva has been a prolific manufacturer of opioids in the United States, manufacturing approximately 20% of the opioid products that flooded New York from 2006 to 2014. Teva manufactured both its own branded opioids as well as generic opioids through its Actavis subsidiaries. Allergan also manufactured opioid products from 2006 to 2014. 

"New York will continue to aggressively investigate the bad actors that caused the opioid crisis - an American tragedy that has taken too many lives and caused irrevocable harm to communities in our state and across the country," Governor Cuomo said. "Everyone who has been affected by opioids deserves justice and we will make every effort to deliver it to them by pursuing the companies that defraud the public and holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law." 

The DFS Statement of Charges alleges that, like other opioid manufacturers, Teva and Allergan each knowingly furthered false narratives to legitimize dangerously powerful opioid products as appropriate for a broad spectrum of pain. In particular, the companies' messaging greatly downplayed the drugs' long-known addictive nature and risks. This strategic effort by the opioid industry caused an increased acceptance of opioids as medically legitimate, necessary, and appropriate painkillers by both patients and medical professionals. As a result, demand for opioids soared to unprecedented levels as did the predictable crisis of addiction and abuse that resulted from this overprescribing. 

The allegations include the following:  

• Contrary to FDA prescribing guidelines, Teva through its subsidiary Cephalon intentionally marketed its branded fentanyl drugs for off-label use — meaning any use not specified in an application and approved by FDA — and misrepresented their risks while doing so. Fentanyl is an incredibly powerful opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine. This off-label strategy succeeded. For example, the FDA approved Cephalon's first fentanyl drug, Actiq, only for the treatment of cancer pain. Through the off-label marketing strategy, however, Actiq sales skyrocketed from $16 million in 2000 to an excess of $590 million by 2006, at which time only 8% of patients were taking the drug for cancer pain. After Actiq was retired, Cephalon continued off-label promotional practices with its new fentanyl lozenge, Fentora.  

• Teva through its Cephalon subsidiary also crafted template "letters of medical necessity" for doctors to send to insurers to justify off-label use and get the prescriptions reimbursed. These letters were used by sales representatives to further entice healthcare providers into prescribing these powerful opioids to patients for increasingly broader use. 

• Allergan also misrepresented its drugs in marketing materials. In 2010, the FDA sent the company a warning letter concerning brochures the company had released for its drug Kadian. The FDA warned Allergan about the brochures' omission and minimization of risk information, their failure to state the drug's full indication, as well as unsubstantiated claims of efficacy and superiority over other opioid drugs. 

• Both Teva and Allergan used various third party "front groups" and doctors called "key opinion leaders" to disseminate unbranded and misleading messaging regarding the safety and efficacy of opioids in general. Such communications included medical education courses as well as pamphlets, websites, and books that targeted both patients and prescribers. Among other things, these materials downplayed the risks of addiction of opioids, labelled legitimate concerns by prescribers over those risks as "opiophobia," and dismissed patients' clear signs of addiction as "pseudoaddiction." 

According to DFS's Statement of Charges, Teva and Allergan violated two New York Insurance Laws. Section 403 of the New York Insurance Law prohibits fraudulent insurance acts and carries with it penalties of up to $5,000 plus the amount of the fraudulent claim for each violation; DFS alleges that each fraudulent prescription constitutes a separate violation. Section 408 of the Financial Services Law prohibits intentional fraud or intentional misrepresentation of a material fact with respect to a financial product or service, which includes health insurance and carries with it penalties of up to $5,000 per violation; once again, DFS alleges that each fraudulent prescription constitutes a separate violation. 

Read a copy of the DFS Statement of Charges for Teva and Allergan on the DFS website.

The hearing will be held at the office of the New York State Department of Financial Services, One State Street, New York, New York, beginning on October 26, 2020.