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Monday, November 30, 2020
Representative Adriano Espaillat Statement on the Start of Open Enrollment
During COVID, Open Enrollment Matters Today More Than Ever Before!
On HealthCare.gov and CuidadoD
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During this COVID pandemic, which continues to worsen, the access of Americans to quality, affordable health coverage is more important than ever. Being uninsured during a pandemic puts people at an enormous risk of losing their health and financial security. Millions of Americans, including constituents of New York's 13th congressional district, who would qualify for significant financial help if they enrolled in an ACA Health Insurance Marketplace, yet are still uninsured, is a major problem. That makes this year’s Open Enrollment period for the Marketplaces particularly critical. I vow to continue my efforts with my Democratic colleagues to stand ready to defend and strengthen pre-existing conditions protections together with every other benefit and protection of the Affordable Care Act. My colleagues and I are prepared to remedy what the Supreme Court is likely to do to undermine the health, financial security and well-being of American families. Americans should not let the ongoing fight in the court stop them from obtaining the health and financial security of having quality, affordable health coverage by enrolling in an ACA Health Insurance Marketplace. Most people using HealthCare.gov will qualify for financial assistance. As a result, last year, 2 in 3 shoppers found plans for $10 per month or less. In addition to HealthCare.gov, Spanish-speaking consumers can use CuidadaoDeSalud.gov. On HealthCare.gov and CuidadoDeSalud.gov, the Open Enrollment period for 2021 health coverage runs from November 1, 2020 through December 15, 2020. Coverage will then begin on January 1, 2021. The urgency of consumers getting the information they need is heightened by the fact that the enrollment period is only six weeks long. Sincerely, Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) Member of Congress |
Democrat Rafael Salamanca Kicks Off Campaign for Bronx Borough President
With Borough in Crisis, Salamanca’s Unique Experience Gives Him Edge on Housing, Economic Recovery
Rafael Salamanca Jr., the City Councilmember for The Bronx’s 17th District and Chairperson of the City Council’s Committee on Land Use, is kicking off his campaign for Bronx Borough President today. In the midst of record levels of homelessness and housing insecurity, Salamanca will bring a strong record of creating truly affordable housing, including building over 7,000 units and securing designated units for the homeless.
“We are in a crisis. All of the growth and improvement we’ve seen under the current Borough President is at risk right now, and we need a proven leader with the experience and skills to tackle these issues,” said Salamanca. “We’re all in pain; I lost my dad in April to COVID-19 like so many others, and on top of that we see the job loss, the housing crisis, the small businesses closing, and our health system on the verge of getting overwhelmed again. Too many Bronx families have needlessly suffered because leaders at all levels — from Washington down to the City-level — have failed us. We need experienced leaders to take on our most critical challenges: the COVID-19 pandemic; a recession; housing and food insecurity; economic inequity; and overdue reforms to our criminal justice system. From the Community Board to the Council, I’ve fought for these issues and I am ready to build our communities back better -- to be more equitable for all.”
A proud product of the South Bronx, Salamanca has had the honor of representing the people of the 17th Council District since 2016. Beyond his leadership on affordable housing, Salamanca has been a stalwart advocate and champion for his constituents, prioritizing access to quality healthcare, employment, education and improved quality of life. Salamanca has allocated over $100 million in critical funding for capital investments and social programming. As Chairperson of the Committee on Land Use, Salamanca is a champion for smart development across the Bronx and New York City that prioritizes the needs of all New Yorkers. He has fought for deeply affordable housing, housing for the homeless, senior housing, and housing for working families, and secured over 7,000 units of 100% affordable housing.
Before being elected to the City Council, Salamanca served as District Manager of Bronx Community Board 2, where he was a member for more than a decade. Salamanca has long been committed to helping his community, serving as President of the 41st Precinct Community Council and on the boards of the Community Healthcare Network and the Hunts Point Economic Development Corporation. In addition to all of his community work and activism, Salamanca spent over a dozen years working in healthcare to expand access for low-income and working families throughout the Bronx.
“The Bronx is tough and resilient, and I know we will get through these challenges and come back stronger. I am proud every day to serve our community and it would be an honor to serve as our next Borough President,” concluded Salamanca.
VAN NEST NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE (VNNA) – A COVID CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
Christmas Greetings Van Nest,
Hope you and your families enjoyed your Thanksgiving!
VNNA will be having our "COVID Christmas Tree Lighting" next Sunday, December 6th at 5pm in front of the white cross at the Convent Garden, Van Nest Avenue and Unionport Road.
To keep with COVID safety, we will not have carolling but play Christmas music.
Then we will be visited by our "Safe Santa". Marion, Dee Dee and Santa's Elves will help Santa give out the toys in front of the tree and nativity. It will all be outdoors this year. So dress warmly!
We will also have two Hot Coco stations with cookies manned by volunteers, to keep it all safe and orderly.
Please let your friends and neighbors know to come and join us for a positive and joyful event to bring the community together : - )
Best regards,
Bernadette Ferrara
President, Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance
Sunday, November 29, 2020
Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic - NOVEMBER 28, 2020
Positive Testing Rate in All Focus Zone Areas is 5.65 Percent; New York State Positivity Outside All Focus Zone Areas is 3.45 Percent
Statewide Positivity Rate is 3.98 Percent
42 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are entering a challenging period of sustained COVID-19 spread across this state," Governor Cuomo said. "It's up to you, your neighborhood and your community to slow the spread. Our micro-cluster strategy can target very small areas with restrictions, so the actions each of us take and the actions our neighbors take may seem small, but they make a big difference. New York has one of the nation's lowest infection rates and the nation's highest testing capacity, but it will take the vigilance of New Yorkers to get us through the holidays and through this pandemic."
The Governor noted that the positive testing rate in all focus areas under the state's Micro-Cluster strategy is 5.65 percent, and outside the focus zone areas is 3.45 percent. Within the focus areas, 36,745 test results were reported yesterday, yielding 2,076 positives. In the remainder of the state, not counting these focus areas, 115,610 test results were reported, yielding 3,987 positives.
Today's data is summarized briefly below:
- Patient Hospitalization - 3,287 (+184)
- Patients Newly Admitted - 433
- Hospital Counties - 54
- Number ICU - 654 (+18)
- Number ICU with Intubation - 331 (+37)
- Total Discharges - 84,938 (+215)
- Deaths - 42
- Total Deaths - 26,632
MAYOR DE BLASIO AND CHANCELLOR CARRANZA ANNOUNCE PLAN TO RETURN TO IN-PERSON LEARNING IN NEW YORK CITY SCHOOLS
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza today announced a plan to safely reopen New York City school buildings for in-person instruction with more rigorous testing protocols in place. Students in 3-K and Pre-K programs, as well as those in grade k through grade 5 who have opted for in-person learning will return to school buildings on Monday, December 7, and schools serving students with the most significant disabilities, known as District 75, will return on December 10th. Middle and High Schools will remain remote for the time being.
“Reopening our buildings is paramount to our city’s recovery from COVID-19,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “That’s why we are doubling down on the safety and health measures that work to make in-person learning a reality for so many of our students.”
"Getting our kids back in school buildings is one of the single most important things we can do for their wellbeing, and it’s so important that we do it right," said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. "The unparalleled value of in-person learning for students has been evident in the first few months of school, and we will do everything we can to keep our schools safe and keep them open for the duration of this pandemic."
By the time students return to buildings on December 7th, a consent form for testing will be required for all students and staff, and every school will participate in weekly random testing for 20 percent of their in-person population. Parents can fill out the consent form online using a New York City Schools Account (NYCSA) at mystudent.nyc or print and sign the form and bring it to school on their first day back to buildings.
Our schools are safe, and the most recent positivity rate is 0.28 percent--453 positive cases out of 159,842 tests. The Situation Room will continue to take fast action following established protocol for tracing COVID cases that are reported from both outside and in-school testing.
Schools will also continue to work towards accommodating students in person five days per week. This includes the approximately 300,000 students who have shown up to in-person learning so far, and the 35,000 students who opted-in earlier this month. Superintendents will work with their schools to adjust schedules as needed with the goal of full-time in-person education in the coming weeks for the students who have selected that option.
We will continue to closely monitor transmission in schools and throughout the City, and work closely with public health experts and the latest State guidance to keep our schools safe and open for in-person learning.
Editor's Note:
As a former parent leader all the way up to the Chancellor's Parent Advisory Council this is very troublesome to me. The mayor had set a benchmark of 3% where NYC public schools would close. Today he announces a benchmark of 3.9%, and that public Schools will reopen on December 7th in eight days as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. As a matter of fact, it is expected that inside dinning may be banned once again by the Governor in NYC early in December.
We could understand this thinking by the mayor if there was a vaccine that has been distributed, but that is not expected to happen until mid 2021. As a former member of the Chancellor' Parent Advisory Council I would tell parents not to send their children to public school to be laboratory experiments of the mayor and chancellor, especially when the public schools had to be closed due to rising COVID-19 indicators above the threshold the mayor and chancellor had previously set by almost one third.
Mayor de Blasio - New York City public schools will be reopening in phases starting on Monday, December 7th.
Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well, good morning, everybody. I hope everyone had a joyous and safe Thanksgiving. And even though this Thanksgiving was definitely different, I hope you got to feel the warmth and the love of your family and friends. However, you did that, I hope you got to feel it, and I hope it will help sustain you in the weeks ahead. We're here today with a major announcement regarding our school system. And I want to start with just a moment of reflection on what we have been through up to now. You go back to the summer, Chancellor Carranza and I were adamant that we believed reopening our schools was the right thing to do, that our kids needed it. Parents had a lot of concerns. Educators and staff had a lot of concerns. A lot of people said it could not be done, but we believed it could be done and it could be done safely. And we became one of the few major cities in America to reopen our schools, in fact, by far, of course, the biggest school system in America. What we did a lot of people looked at with amazement and that's a credit to our educators and our staff, everyone at the Department of Education, our custodial services team, food services, school safety, everyone who was a part of that. They believed they could do it. And they did. And we kept our school safe and we did it in real-life conditions. We prove that schools could be extraordinarily safe because we put a tremendous number of health and safety measures in place, created that gold standard of combined health and safety actions that worked. What we didn't know back in July and August, we do know now that these steps work, and they keep kids safe and they keep the whole school community safe.
But we also said at the time that we would set a strict standard and we would live by it. And if we hit three percent, we'd have to reevaluate the whole situation. We did, of course, hit three percent. We did a temporary closure of our schools. And then we went about the work immediately of resetting the entire equation and trying to determine a path that would be sustainable. Regardless of the challenges we faced, we needed something sustainable that could link us up to the time when we would have the vaccine widely distributed. And so, we focused on increasing the health and safety measures, doubling down on the things that work, making them even more stringent and exacting. Had conversations with our stakeholders, conversations with the State. I've had a number of conversations with the Governor. We've been working through, how do we take all those good lessons of health and safety and amplify them with new measures? So, that is exactly what we now will put in place. We will have testing that is going to go from monthly in every school to weekly in every school. We will have a consent forms required for attendance. I want to emphasize this. Students will not be able to attend school unless they have a consent form on record period. This is something for everyone's health and safety. And as we open school in phases – and I'll go over to phases in a moment – wherever possible, we will, in schools that have the ability, go to five-day-a-week instruction. This is for the students who already were in blended learning or the ones who opted in recently. For any school that does have the space and the ability to move to five-day-a-week in-person instruction, for those kids that will now be the preferred model. So, we'll have in-person instruction for those who are part of that approach, remote for all other kids.
The situation room will also, of course, continue to do its extraordinary work. And this has been one of the big X-factors. The situation room has allowed us to keep each individual school safe with very exacting follow-through on every reported case and quick action to address what the ramifications of the case would be. Whether it means in some cases, the classroom needs to be closed for a period of time or even a whole school. That approach has worked, that will stay strong. Obviously, all the social distancing rules, mask wearing everything that's worked before, but with these new measures. So, that is the basic approach. And now here's the important news. Beginning the week of Monday, December 7th, New York City public schools will begin to reopen. We will begin with elementary schools K-5 and our pre-K, 3-K public school centers. And then later that week on Thursday, December 10th, our District 75 special education programs. So, New York City public schools will be reopening in phases starting on Monday, December 7th.
Now, we are focusing on the younger grades – let's be clear – focusing on the younger grades on that Monday, all K-5 programs, whether they're standalone or part of a bigger school, those grades will come back. And those pre-K, 3-K centers. Why? Because we know, first of all, studies consistently show that younger kids are having less of a negative experience. And there's less concern about the spread when it comes to younger kids. Also, the demands that our parents are going through. And I feel for all our parents who are experiencing so many challenges right now, how important it is for them to have their younger kids in school, how important that is at that age, both educationally and socially, but also in terms of how parents juggle all the challenges in their life. And then District 75, they have a little bit of extra work to do to get District 75 programs back up and running. But as I said, Thursday, December 10th, District 75 schools, special needs programs. So crucial. We want to be there for those kids and their families that go through so much. We've heard from those families, they need this back. So, we will get that up and running. Now that's going to be the vast majority of the city, those levels. We're going to address in the future of middle school and high school, but we're not ready for those yet. That's just the plain truth. We will work to get to that day, but we're not there yet.
I do want to address schools that happen to be in the orange zone areas of the city, and that’s just a small part of the city right now. But we will work to open those schools as well. Following the very clear State guidelines. The State guidelines require a lot. We will work to meet those goals and reopen those schools as early as the week of December 7th. Some particular work that has to be done there, but we're going to go to that work immediately and see what we can do to get as many of those open as possible. Look, whatever happens ahead, we want this to be the plan going forward, because we now believe we know what we didn't know back in the summer. We know what works through actual experience. And we know that if you put a heavy emphasis on testing and you continually reinforce those health and safety measures, you monitor carefully with the situation room, we know we can keep our schools safe for the duration and link up to that day when we have the vaccine that changes the whole reality for all of us.
Here to speak about why this is so important and how we are going to make it work, someone who believed from the beginning that we could reopen the nation's largest school system and has been a strong voice throughout for finding the way to keep it open and do it the right way, our Chancellor, Richard Carranza.
Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. When we made the painful decision to close schools temporarily, we did it with the health and safety of our students and staff at the forefront of our minds. We are seeing cases rise across our city, which is why we're increasing testing in tandem with continued rigorous interventions. And as you've mentioned, our situation room is performing heroically to act on positive cases when they do arise. Our schools have been remarkably safe and it's important that we're taking good care to keep them that way while New Yorkers do everything we can to stop the spread. Getting our children back in school buildings is one of the single most important things we can do for their wellbeing. And it's so important that we do it right. With these new measures in place, I and the entire team is confident that we're on track to safely and successfully keep our schools open for the duration of this pandemic. I, once again, will add my voice to yours, Mr. Mayor, and implore upon all New Yorkers, please follow the medical advice, please limit your interactions, please wear your mask. If you want schools to open and stay open, it's upon all of us to do our share, to keep them open. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Mayor: Thank you very much, Chancellor. And we're going to be talking about that a lot. A lot of people have been saying, rightfully – a lot of parents, we've heard your voices loud and clear, you wanted schools back open, but we're going to ask everyone to be a part of that, everyone to participate to make it work. And we'll be talking about that this week and beyond.
Okay, now, in that very same vein, what can you do? Every parent, we need you to get that consent form, for testing, in. I want to be very, very clear for any child to be in a classroom going forward they either will have to have a testing consent form on file or an appropriate medical exemption from a doctor. If folks have a concern, they need to talk to a doctor, we will facilitate that through Health + Hospitals. But literally every single student who will be in person will need that. We'll get you the exact number, but it's in the neighborhood of about 330,000 kids who will qualify to be in person, but it can only work if everyone has a consent form on file. So, parents, if you are one of the parents that really wants your kid back in school and you already were in blended learning, or you signed up during the opt-in period, here's what you need to do. You have to go online, please do it right away. Go to mystudent.nyc, fill out that testing consent form. The other acceptable option is for the child to bring it on their first day of school when we come back. But we need this to happen to keep everyone safe. This was a crucial part of resetting the entire equation that this would be a strict rule. And every parent who cares about getting their kid back in the classroom, help us by getting that form in.
Okay, let's go over today's indicators. One, the daily number of people admitted to New York City hospitals for a suspected COVID-19, threshold 200 patients. Today's report, 130 patients. Confirmed positivity level of 48.12 percent. Number two, new reported cases on a seven-day average, threshold 550 cases. Today's report, 1,636 cases. And number three, percent of people testing positive citywide for COVID-19, threshold five percent. Today's report, the daily is not yet ready because we've had an aberrantly low number of tests come in. Obviously, it's a holiday, so we don't feel we have an accurate measure. We'll put that up as soon as we have something accurate, we do have a clear picture on a seven-day rolling average. That is 3.9 percent.
Okay, everyone. Look, I'll finish with this point. It all comes down to you in the end. This is what we've learned over and over from the coronavirus, is that government has such an important role to play setting the standards and giving people constant updates and guidance and leaning on the data and the science constantly, but nothing works without the people. So, we need you to make this new approach work. This is the approach could take us all the way through to when we have the vaccine widely distributed, it's still possible to bring back our schools for a huge number of kids five days a week in the spring, if all goes well with the vaccine. But to get to that point, we had to keep people safe in the meantime. So, we need everyone – please focus on the social distancing and the mass gathering – mask wearing, excuse me – limit gatherings, do all those things. But also, parents, if you're in that group of parents that is signed up for in-person learning, we need you fill out that test consent form. If you have any questions or concerns, our school team and our Health + Hospitals team will always be available to talk to you in multiple languages. But we need parental involvement to make this work, to bring back the schools, starting on Monday, December 7th, and then keep them open for the duration as part of bringing this whole city back and serving our parents and families. Thank you, everyone.
Was the Ben Franklin Democratic Club 11th City Council Forum Biased For One Candidate?
There were questions about last week's candidates forum by the Ben Franklin Democratic Club, as to why there was no media invited to observe the online 11th City Council forum. There were seventy-five of the hundreds of members of the Ben Franklin Democratic Club including all currently announced of the seven candidates, two of whom are members of the club.
The seven candidates went in this order. First was Abigail Martin, then Jessica Haller, Dan Padernacht, Marcos Sierra, Mino Lora, Eric Dinowitz, and Carlton Berkley. Each candidate was given a total of five minutes to speak, including answering questions.
After the forum was completed the club president went into club business. He said that the Executive Committee voted to give the President the power to, in consultation with those deemed necessary to devise a substitute procedure of election of club officers, members at large of the executive committee, endorsement of candidates for public office, and party caucus. It will include candidate nominations, candidate presentations, securing ballots, casting ballots, and counting ballots. This is being done due to COVID-19 to insure personal safety, encourage participation, provide transparency and fairness, protect ballot secrecy, and be affordable to the organization.
In viewing the campaign financial statements we have found the following we must call into question. There are contributions from Bruce Feld on 8/29/2018 and 7/18/2019, and contributions from Ben Franklin Club President Mike Heller and his wife on 9/2/2018 and on 7/9/2019 to 11th City Council candidate Eric Dinowitz. Eric Dinowitz was a participant in the Ben Franklin Club 11th City Council forum moderated by Mike Heller and the timekeeper was Bruce Feld. There was no announcement of such contributions to one of the candidates during the forum, and the next filing is not due until mid January for the July 2020 - January 2021 contributions. Mr. Heller and Mr. Feld should recuse themselves from any matters involving the 11th City Council election be it special election or a regular primary.
Photo 1 - The contributions of Bruce Feld to the campaign of Eric Dinowitz for City Council 2021.
Photo 2 - The contributions of Ben Franklin Club President Mike Heller and his wife to the campaign of Eric Dinowitz for City Council 2021.
