BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ CONDEMNS CITY’S LIVING WAGE REPORT

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. has blasted a study, released by the Bloomberg administration, which states that the “Fair Wages for New Yorkers” Act—a bill that would require developers that receive heavy taxpayer subsidies to pay their employees a “living wage”—would harm the city’s economy.

“We have known all along exactly what this report would say, so I am not surprised,” said Borough President Diaz, who noted when the study was commissioned that it would likely be skewed against the bill. “Not only did the City choose a company that is hostile to the idea of a ‘living wage’ to conduct this study, but the mayor has made it crystal clear for months that he does not support this bill. The mayor wasted $1 million of taxpayer funds on this study, simply to provide trumped-up evidence for their pre-determined conclusions on the ‘Fair Wages for New Yorkers’ Act.”

Borough President Diaz noted that there is a host of evidence contradicting the City’s report, and added that a “living wage”—currently defined as a modest $10-an-hour plus benefits—would lessen the financial burden on taxpayers by lowering dependence on government programs such as welfare and food stamps.

“The ‘Fair Wages for New Yorkers’ Act is sound economic policy, and fiscal conservatives should support a ‘living wage’ because it lowers dependence on the anti-poverty programs they so often vilify. If mega-corporations do not want to pay a ‘living wage,’ then the answer is simple: do not beg for a taxpayer handout. As I have said in the past, if you want charity, you must be charitable,” said Borough President Diaz.

The “Fair Wages for New Yorkers” Act, which was introduced into the City Council at the behest of Borough President Diaz, would require developers that receive heavy taxpayer subsidies to pay their employees a “living wage.” The bill, which was introduced by Council Members Annabel Palma and G. Oliver Koppell on behalf of the borough president, currently has 30 City Council co-sponsors. A City Council hearing on the bill will held on Thursday.

“I look forward to testifying in favor of this bill and leading the citywide charge for fair development and good salaries. ‘Living wage’ is the right thing to do, and it is time to get it done,” said Borough President Diaz.

COMPTROLLER LIU STATEMENT ON EDC LIVING WAGE STUDY

 City Comptroller John C. Liu stated the following in response to questions about a recently completed study commissioned by the NYCEDC, “The Economic Impacts on New York City of Proposed Living Wage Mandate.”

“The EDC’s claim that a living wage kills jobs shows just how distorted the agency’s operations have become.  The proposed living wage would be a requirement on new projects that are heavily subsidized by taxpayers.  It may curtail the number of new minimum wage jobs, with the hope that these new jobs would then pay a decent wage.  The claim of job losses is rhetoric at its worst.”

SENATOR RIVERA HOSTS TOWNHALL TOUR OF SENATE DISTRICT 33
Assemblyman Castro and Councilman Cabrera Join Senator Rivera for First in Series of Town Hall Meetings
 

Senator Gustavo Rivera will hold a Townhall Tour of the 33^RD Senate District over the next month, visiting with community leaders from throughout the district. The first in this series of town hall meetings will be held on Wednesday, May 11 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the Bronx Works Morris Senior Center. 80 E 181 St. Bronx, NY

Senator Rivera will be hosting additional town hall meetings on the following days:

-          Sunday, May 15 from 2:00PM-3:30PM – Kingsbridge Heights Community Center - 3101 Kingsbridge Terr. Bronx, NY

-          Wednesday, May 18 from 6:30PM-8:00PM – Twin Parks Southwest Community Room - 1800 Valentine Ave. Bronx, NY

COMPTROLLER LIU STATEMENT ON THE MAYOR’S EXECUTIVE BUDGET

New York City Comptroller John C. Liu stated the following in response to questions about Mayor Bloomberg’s FY 2012 Executive Budget:

“While the Mayor’s Budget presents a picture reflective of the lingering effects of the recession, it should be noted that throughout the economic crisis, City agencies have spent billions of dollars on high-priced outside consultants resulting in runaway spending on technology-related contracts.  Unfortunately, the Executive Budget offers no respite. The continued lack of oversight of subcontractors working on City projects has resulted in the City being bilked out of millions of dollars - dollars that could have been better utilized elsewhere.

Although the Mayor has heeded our concerns and acknowledged that more needs to be done to rein in spending on consultants, now is the time to fully rethink the proposed spending plan on IT projects, especially within the Department of Education.  As we have seen in recent months, there are serious gaps in the DOE’s ability to properly keep track of their prime and subcontractors.

Before we commit critical funding towards more technology contracts, we must consider the necessity of these projects when compared to the proposed service and personnel cuts the Mayor has put forth.

As our local economy continues its gradual recovery from the recession, I am hopeful that some of the most painful cuts proposed in the Mayor’s Budget will be able to be mitigated.  I look forward to analyzing the Mayor’s Budget and presenting my findings.  In the meantime, my office will continue to scrutinize and restructure when necessary each contract that comes through our door as well as audit City agencies to find savings.”

STATEMENT FROM BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ

RE: Mayor Bloomberg’s Fiscal Year 2012 Executive Budget

  

“While I understand that these are tough fiscal times, Mayor Bloomberg’s budget will drastically reduce crucial services and have a major negative effect on the quality of life in our city. Certain services, especially our public schools, must be held harmless from budget cuts, and the mayor’s plan to lay off more than 4,000 of our teachers is unacceptable.

“Right now, this city has a close to $3 billion surplus, which Mayor Bloomberg has stated should be seen as a ‘rainy day’ fund. Well, it’s pouring, and that money needs to be used to protect our teachers, and our public school students, from cuts that will increase class sizes and lower their quality of education.

“In addition, I am concerned that the Department of Homeless Services, an agency that serves some of our most vulnerable residents, has been gutted by this budget. I hope that the Bloomberg Administration will rethink these painful cuts to some of our neediest city residents.

“I do agree with the mayor that the State has not done enough for New York City to prevent these cuts, and I join his call for the State Legislature to fulfill its fiscal commitment to the five boroughs.”

“There are some bright spots in the mayor’s budget, and he is to be commended for them. I am happy both that we will not see the closure of firehouses in this budget and that 1,147 new police recruits are slated to join the force. I am also happy that the city has backed off of its plans to eliminate most of the 16,000 day care slots that had been slated for closure,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Editors Note*
We add that Scott M. Stringer, the Manhattan Borough President (and possible candidate for mayor in 2013), criticized the mayor’s lack of transparency in releasing his budget. “This document is political,” Stringer  said,  and “This is not the way we should be running the city.”

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., and AT&T New York President Hal Lenox Commend Summer Search NYC for Broad Impact on City Youth

Wednesday May 4 the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice welcomed Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., AT&T New York President Hal Lenox and Summer Search New York City Executive Director Karina Kirsch to honor the impact the Summer Search program has had on high school students in the South Bronx and across the City. 

Summer Search is a non-profit youth leadership program that provides high school students a unique combination of intensive, long-term mentoring; full scholarships to summer experiential education programs; access to college and financial aid counseling; and a lasting support network, including access to professional development skill-building for alumni. 

AT&T sponsors Summer Search through its “AT&T Aspire” program, a $100 million multi year commitment to confronting the high school dropout crisis and preparing students for continuing education and the workforce.

Summer Search New York City is currently focusing its growth in two of the most underserved areas of the City, the South Bronx and Brooklyn.

 More than 99 percent of students who have participated in Summer Search graduate high school and 85 percent graduate college, as compared to the current 50 percent and 11 percent graduation rates for high school and college, respectively, for South Bronx students.

 Summer Search New York City participants Ashley Gonzales, Kyabell Glass, Annell Ovalles, Laurin Ellis, Marjorie Abreu, Kassandra Cardona, Alex Williams, Nikarly Santiago, Erika Marte, Kattery Guzman and Tiga Anderson meet with AT&T New York President Hal Lenox (fifth from left) and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. (seventh from left) at a Summer Search reception held at the Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice May 4.

 

 

DANGEROUS DELAYS IN WOMEN’S HEALTH CARE AT SOME CITY HOSPITALS

City Comptroller John C. Liu uncovered dangerously long waits for women in need of mammograms at some City hospitals, according to an audit released today.

The audit examined the ability of nine HHC hospitals to provide two types of mammograms: screening and diagnostic. Screening mammograms are initial checks for cancer, usually for women age 40 and older. Diagnostic mammograms however are more urgent and are scheduled when a
lump or other potential sign of cancer is found.

At some City hospitals women had to wait more than three weeks for the  next available diagnostic mammogram appointment.  At Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, patients faced a wait of 50 working days.

“For years, City policy has emphasized the need for women to get mammograms. Unfortunately, significant shortfalls and lapses at City hospitals have undercut that intent and worse yet placed women in jeopardy,” Comptroller Liu said.  “The HHC has performed admirably in the wake of private hospital closures, and shrinking budgets and reimbursements. This audit nonetheless uncovers problems that require attention and resources so that women’s lives and health are not put at risk.”

LONGEST WAITS FOR A DIAGNOSTIC MAMMOGRAM
50 working days  Elmhurst Hospital  Queens

28 working days  Woodhull Hospital  Brooklyn

21 working days  Kings County Hospital  Brooklyn

20 working days  Gouverneur Hospital  Manhattan

17 working days  Bellevue Hospital  Manhattan

“For a woman who is worried she might have breast cancer, a 50-day wait for a diagnostic mammogram can be agonizing and could delay urgently-needed treatment,” said Lois Uttley, co-founder of Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need, a national initiative based in Manhattan. “Many of the women who depend on HHC facilities are uninsured and cannot afford to go somewhere else for a mammogram.”

“The real danger and focus of greatest urgency needs to be on women who present with a suspicious finding and don't receive a diagnostic mammogram immediately.  This is where lives can potentially be saved,” said Alice Yaker, Executive Director, of SHARE: Self-help for Women with Breast or Ovarian Cancer, a survivor-led 35-year-old breast and ovarian cancer organization.  “While controversies about efficacy surround the screening of healthy women, there is no controversy about the need for a diagnostic mammogram in a woman who presents with a lump in her breast, for example.  This requires our urgent attention, budget cuts and hospital closings notwithstanding."

The HHC currently has no guideline on how quickly a woman with potential breast cancer symptoms should receive a diagnostic mammogram appointment.  It does have a guideline of 14 days for a screening mammogram.  Nevertheless, patients at three HHC facilities had to wait more than one month for a screening mammogram appointment.

LONGEST WAITS FOR A SCREENING MAMMOGRAM

148 calendar days  Elmhurst Hospital  Queens

49 calendar days  Queens Hospital  Queens

41 calendar days  Woodhull Hospital  Brooklyn

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death after lung cancer and in 94% of cases is diagnosed in women ages 40 years and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Early detection through breast cancer screening saves lives, reducing the risk of death by 17 to 30 percent the CDC has determined.

Long waits for a mammogram carry an added patient risk because the longer the wait, the higher the odds they will miss their appointment, according to the National Institutes for Health.  Auditors noted a high number of missed mammogram appointments at Elmhurst Hospital, where the waits were the longest.

Officials at Queens Hospital and Elmhurst Hospital said that several hospital closures in recent years and budget cuts have left them overwhelmed and unable to meet the HHC’s 14-day guideline.   In addition to having the longest waits, Elmhurst Hospital also conducted the most mammograms: 11,425.  Queens Hospital performed 10,544 mammograms, the second highest of HHC facilities.

The remainder of the nine HHC hospitals in the audit did offer prompt mammogram appointments during Fiscal Year 2009.  The audit also determined that HHC radiologists read and interpreted mammogram exam results in a timely manner.

Audit Recommendations:

§  Create a guideline for the number of days in which women will receive diagnostic mammogram appointments

§  Ensure all facilities provide screening mammogram appointments within 14 days
§  Ensure all facilities send patients reminders of scheduled appointments

HHC Response:

§  HHC is reviewing the creation of a performance standard for offering diagnostic mammograms appointments with a target date of September 2011  

§  HHC is currently reviewing its 14-day performance standard for offering screening mammogram appointments and seeking to improve the wait time where it is able

§  HHC facilities are individually reviewing their ability to place appointment reminder calls to patients with a target date of June 2011

Comptroller Liu credited Deputy Comptroller for Audit H. Tina Kim and the Audit Bureau for presenting the findings.  The full report is available at http://comptroller.nyc.gov/audits.