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Thursday, August 1, 2019
Special Districts Proposal Update - For Bronx Community Board 8
The Department of City Planning filed a revised application on July 29, 2019 to retain zoning text changes affecting the Bronx special district, eliminate regulations only affecting Staten Island, and expand a proposed authorization for subdivisions to the entire Bronx special district. The revised text and cover memo are posted on our website: (https://www1.nyc.gov/site/
The City Planning Commission public hearing will be on August 14th at 120 Broadway beginning at 10am. ULURP calendar constraints limit flexibility in scheduling the hearing, but the Department of City Planning will be strongly urging the City Planning Commission to hold open the hearing in order to provide stakeholders time to review the revised application text and submit fully informed comments.
There are several ways to provide comments to the City Planning Commission, through verbal testimony at the public hearing or through written testimony, which can be submitted through the “CPC Comments form” (https://www1.nyc.gov/site/
We want to ensure everyone from the public has an opportunity to speak or send comments regarding the proposal.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Best,
-Juton
Juton Horstman
PLANNING TEAM LEADER • BOROUGH CERTIFICATION MANAGER • BRONX OFFICE
NYC DEPT. OF CITY PLANNING
1775 GRAND CONCOURSE, SUITE 503 • BRONX, NY 10453
(718) 220-8518 I jhorstman@planning.nyc.gov
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Attorney General James Launches Investigation Into Nycharities.org
Impacted Charities are Encouraged to Contact the NY Attorney General’s Office
Attorney General Letitia James today announced an investigation into NYCharities.org, an online fundraising platform that has failed to distribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to New York charities over the past several months.
“NYCharities.org is inexcusably depriving charities of their donors’ generosity,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “Leaving New York’s charitable organizations high and dry by denying them what they are owed is unacceptable. My office is launching this investigation because we remain committed to the protection of New York’s charitable sector, and those who contribute to it.”
The investigation, being conducted by the Attorney General‘s Charities Bureau, is based on more than 100 complaints from individuals and organizations. The claims of unpaid contributions range from $200 to over $100,000.
Charities that wish to submit a complaint can do so on the Attorney General's website, via an email to charities.complaints@ag.ny.gov, or by calling the designated hotline at 1(800) 771-7755.
The Charities Bureau has also issued a guidance for charities that have utilized the now defunct fundraising platform. Impacted charities are encouraged to:
If the website is active, use their NYCharities.org account to post a message on the page connected to their organization to alert potential donors that contributions should be made directly to the charity, and, to cancel any recurring contributions that have been set up on NYCharities.org’s website;
Post a notice on their websites indicating that contributions should be made directly to the charity and not via NYCharities.org;
Contact regular contributors to advise them that contributions should be made directly to the charity and not via NYCharities.org and to cancel recurring contributions.
First Day Detroit Presidential Debate Watch By Ben Franklin Club.
The top two Democratic candidates for the Democratic Presidential nomination in round one at the Detroit debate were Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Yes there were eight other candidates on the stage with them, but the bulk of the exposure were on these two front running candidates. The debate was hosted by CNN, and to the surprise of some answers to a few questions seemed to agree with the current presidents policies.
The Presidential Debate Watch by the Ben Franklin Club was held at Blackstones Bar and Grill, where the food was delicious and the drinks tall and smooth. Tonight is part two of the Presidential Debate which will feature all three local representatives running for president. They are U. S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) and Corey Booker (NJ), as well as NYC' beloved Mayor Bill de Blasio. The big names will be former Vice-President Joe Biden, California Senator Kamala Harris, and five other longshot candidates.
The debate will begin at 8 PM and the Ben Franklin Club will be toasting the candidates for the second night at Blackstones Bar and Grill located at 3713 Riverdale Avenue between West 236th and West 238th Streets. Below are photos from night one.
Above - 81st A.D. District Leader (and announced candidate for city council in 2021) watches the debate closely trying to pick up what to do, and what not to do.
Below - Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and Chief of Staff to Congressman Eliot Engel Bill Weitz enjoy the debate with other members of the Ben Franklin Club.
DE BLASIO ADMINISTRATION LAUNCHES ASTHMA-FREE BRONX, FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND PROGRAM ADDRESSING PEDIATRIC ASTHMA
Asthma-Free Bronx aims to reduce asthma-related emergency room visits to three of the City’s public hospitals
The de Blasio Administration announced today the launch of Asthma-Free Bronx, the City’s first program to address pediatric asthma in a comprehensive, coordinated manner between a child’s home, school and health providers. The program, run by the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, NYC Health + Hospitals, and the NYC Department of Education, will provide a suite of personalized services to every child seen in the emergency department or hospitalized at any of the City’s three Bronx public hospitals due to an asthma attack. The three hospitals currently serve more than 2,500 children for an asthma exacerbation yearly.
“Families in the Bronx should not worry about their kid’s next asthma attack,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “As a city, we are stepping up to ensure kids have access to a comprehensive program that provides them with the resources and education they need to control their chronic condition and live healthy lives.”
“Too many families in the Bronx live in fear of their child’s next asthma attack, which is emotionally taxing and compromises their overall physical health,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray. “This new program will connect families in our city to the treatment and holistic care their children need to manage their asthma and be healthy.”
“This new health initiative is the latest evidence of what can be accomplished when we successfully leverage the power of our local Health Department, health care delivery and public school systems to improve the health of New Yorkers.” said Dr. Herminia Palacio, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services. “Through Asthma-Free Bronx, families will learn to manage their children’s asthma, avoiding unnecessary ED visits and hospitalizations; this will go a long way in closing the Bronx pediatric asthma racial disparity gap.”
Asthma-Free Bronx will help coordinate key services between the hospital and other agencies by stationing social workers in all three NYC Health + Hospitals’ Bronx acute care centers. These social workers will be responsible for identifying children who are seen in the ED for asthma exacerbation, and enrolling them into the Asthma-Free Bronx program. Social workers will also schedule a follow-up visit with a primary care provider within two weeks, notify the child’s school nurse, and refer them to the NYC Department of Education’s Open Airways Program, which educates children about the condition and empowers them to manage their asthma. The program will also facilitate the seamless sharing of information between providers to better serve families, and will provide home inspections to identify allergens and provide in-home asthma education to the family of all kids enrolled in Asthma-Free Bronx. Additionally, the program aims to increase the number of schools in the Bronx with DOE’s Open Airways curriculum.
The program will start at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln in September and will be fully implemented at all Bronx NYC Health + Hospitals by November. The City will invest $2 million in FY 20 for this program, and double the funding for future years.
Asthma-Free Bronx will improve asthma outcomes in the Bronx among children ages 5 to 17 by reducing asthma-related visits to the emergency room by 50 percent and asthma-related hospitalizations by 30 percent in the three public hospitals, both within five years. Black and Latino communities endure the highest burden of preventable emergency department visits and hospitalizations, so achieving a reduction in childhood asthma rates will make significant strides towards closing racial health disparities in the Bronx. Each year, approximately 20,000 children in New York City end up in the emergency department or are hospitalized due to asthma; about 40 percent of these children live in the Bronx. NYC Health + Hospitals’ three acute care facilities serve about one-third of all Bronx kids with asthma exacerbations.
Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot said, “As a pediatrician I have seen how dangerous, as well as how treatable, asthma can be. Asthma-Free NYC will enable us to reach children at home, in school and in their neighborhoods to lead healthier lives.”
“When we work together to meet the needs of the whole child, our children succeed, our schools succeed, and our City succeeds. I’m excited to be part of this innovative partnership to better serve our Bronx children and families, and I thank Mayor de Blasio, DOHMH, and NYC Health + Hospitals for their leadership and collaboration in this exciting, first-of-its-kind program,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza.
“We are excited to be partnering with the Mayor and NYC DOHMH to help address pediatric asthma in the Bronx,” said Dr. Ted Long, Vice President for Ambulatory Care at NYC Health + Hospitals. “Chronic diseases, such as asthma, require comprehensive, coordinated care, and so working with schools, health providers and others in a child’s day-to-day life will ensure they’re able to better manage their asthma and stay out of the hospital.”
Other NYC Health + Hospitals facilities will have the opportunity to adapt the program to meet their pediatric patients’ needs as success of the program is demonstrated in the Bronx.
The City’s three public hospitals in the Bronx are:
· NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi
· NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln
· NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx
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