Wednesday, September 2, 2020
NYC CARE EXPANDS TO MANHATTAN AND QUEENS, GUARANTEEING COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE CITYWIDE FOR ALL NEW YORKERS
Mayor Bill de Blasio today launched NYC Care in Manhattan and Queens ahead of schedule, delivering on the Administration’s promise of guaranteed health care access for all New Yorkers citywide, regardless of immigration status or ability to pay. Since its launch in August 2019 in the Bronx, and expansion to Brooklyn and Staten Island in January 2020, nearly 30,000 New Yorkers have enrolled and obtained access to high-quality health care across the city.
“Our mission to bring affordable, quality healthcare to every New Yorker has never felt more urgent,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “With NYC Care now available citywide, we are delivering on this promise and setting a nationwide model of what it means to provide low-cost, affordable health care.”
“Through the support of the Mayor and our community partners, we are excited to reach the city-wide expansion of NYC Care ahead of schedule, making it easier for New Yorkers who need us most to connect to the quality health care we deliver with excellence, cultural competence, and compassion” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “After all, good health care starts with good primary care, especially during a pandemic and during the post-COVID recovery period. With our determination, NYC Care will continue to bridge health disparities to make New Yorkers healthier as our communities continue to face the challenges of this pandemic and beyond.”
To expand NYC Care membership in neighborhoods most affected by COVID-19, the City will collaborate with 19 community-based organizations (CBOs) to enroll uninsured New Yorkers in the program. Outreach will be conducted in key languages, such as Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Benagli and Urdu. Selected through a request for proposal process in July, the CBOs will conduct outreach with a focus on Jackson Heights, North Corona, Flushing, Murray Hill, Whitestone, Elmhurst and South Corona in Queens and Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble, Hamilton Heights, Manhattanville, West Harlem, Chinatown & Lower East Side in Manhattan:
- Alliance for Positive Change
- Bangladeshi American Community Development & Youth Services (BACDYS)
- China Manpower Project
- CIANA
- DSI International
- Emerald Isle Immigration Center
- Haitian Americans United
- Jacob A Riis Neighborhood Settlement
- Korean Community Services
- Make the Road New York
- Mexican Coalition
- New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE)
- Polonians Organized to Minister to Our Community (POMOC)
- Queens Community House
- Single Stop
- South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS)
- The Tibetan Community of New York & New Jersey
- United Sikhs
- Voces Latinas
In addition to the new CBOs, CBOS that are currently active in in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island will receive a seven-month extension to their contracts as well.
The City will also spearhead a public awareness campaign in key languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Urdu, Bengali, and French, in key neighborhoods in Manhattan and Queens and near all NYC Health + Hospital facilities, including three subway station and bus shelter ad dominations, neighborhood locations, and LinkNYC terminals. In addition to these platforms, NYC Care will also take advantage of guerrilla marketing, coordinating street marketing teams, storefront and in-store posters in bodegas, laundromats, barbershops, check-cashing locations, and more.
Since its launch in the Bronx, NYC Care has dramatically changed the way the City’s public health system connects people to personalized, coordinated primary, preventive and specialty care. With the expansion of NYC Care to Queens and Manhattan, new NYC Care members will receive a primary care appointment within two weeks. All NYC Care members also receive a membership card, access to language interpretation services, expanded pharmacy hours within the NYC Health + Hospitals system, and a 24/7 customer assistance line where they can ask questions about NYC Care and speak to an on-call clinician for all of their needs, including prescription refills. Those who are eligible and want to enroll in the program should call 646-NYC-CARE.
To date, NYC Care’s nearly 30,000 members have had over 85,000 provider visits since the beginning of the program, with over 17,000 telehealth visits and over 30,000 prescriptions filled during new extended pharmacy hours. Further, nearly 20,000 members have been screened for depression since the program began and have been connected to additional supports and services when appropriate. NYC Health + Hospitals is also hiring 26 new primary care providers and specialists, expanding on existing care teams at Queens and Manhattan NYC Health + Hospitals locations. To date, NYC Health + Hospitals has hired over 20 new providers at facilities in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, and continues to recruit to hire over 60 new medical providers to serve new patients through NYC Care.
Additional information on NYC Care, including brochures and translated material languages, is available here.
“With the expansion of NYC Care citywide, we are making the vision of guaranteed health care a reality for all who call our city home, regardless of immigration status or ability to pay,” said Bitta Mostofi, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. “In partnership with a network of community-based organizations that serve their communities in 30 different languages, we are excited we will be able to connect New Yorkers citywide to the care they need when they need it. At a time when the health and well-being of our immigrant communities are under a dual attack from a global pandemic and a xenophobic federal administration, I am proud we live in a city where health care is a right guaranteed to all.”
“Today marks an important milestone for New York City. All New Yorkers, no matter their income, immigration, or insurance status, are now entitled to access comprehensive primary, preventive, and specialty care through NYC Care,” said NYC Care Executive Director Marielle Kress. “No New Yorker should be fearful to access needed health care services, especially during the COVID-19 crisis, and I look forward to our ongoing collaboration with our trusted community-based partners to amplify this essential message.”
Wednesday 9/15: FREE Flu Shots at the Riverdale Y
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz announces that he will be hosting the first of our annual free flu shot events with Congressman Eliot Engel and Council Member Andrew Cohen. It will be held at the Riverdale Y on Tuesday, September 15 at 10am. The flu shots are being provided by Walgreens/Duane Reade.
Especially in the current pandemic circumstances, it is imperative that as many people as possible get vaccinated for the flu. The more people who get the vaccine, the more effective it will be. If we can work together to reduce the impact of influenza this winter, it will make it a lot easier for healthcare workers to continue fighting against the spread of COVID-19.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a very limited supply of flu shots to give away, so advance registration is required. Shots will be administered outdoors (rain or shine) and everyone must wear a mask that covers both the nose and mouth at all times. Physical distancing of at least six feet will be maintained while in line.
WHO: Offices of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Congressman Eliot Engel, and Council Member Andrew Cohen, Riverdale Y, Walgreens/Duane Reade, and you
WHERE: Riverdale Y (5625 Arlington Avenue, cross street West 256th Street, accessible by Bx7 and Bx10 buses)
WHEN: Tuesday, September 15 beginning at 10am (or while supplies last)
REGISTRATION (REQUIRED): bit.ly/RivYFluShots
Please contact my office with any questions at DinowitzJ@nyassembly.gov (
An update from Comptroller DiNapoli: NY's Economy & Finances in the COVID-19 Era
Regained Through July; in NYC, 17%
While New York State has regained more than one in four of the jobs it lost in March and April, the unprecedented scale of losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic leaves a daunting path ahead for the State to climb back to pre-recession employment levels. For New York City, the picture is even more troubling.
New York State’s job count fell by more than 1.9 million in March and April. Through July, the State had regained 548,000 jobs, or 28 percent, as shown below.
The COVID-19 recession cost New York City 944,100 jobs in March and April, nearly half the statewide total. Since then, the City has regained 161,000, or 17 percent – with most of the gains (101,000) occurring in June.
Throughout New York State and nationally, unemployment rates spiked upward in April. Since then, unemployment has moderated noticeably both for the nation and for the State outside New York City. However, the City’s unemployment rate in July (latest figures available) remained several points above its April level.
For more current highlights on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the State’s finances and economy, visit our web page. Additional topics this week include:
- Small Businesses in New York Hit Especially Hard by COVID-19
- New York State's Budget
The State Comptroller's office is committed to keeping New Yorkers regularly updated on the state's economy and finances.
Mosholu Parkway Clean Up With Assemblywoman Fernandez
By Robert Press
Monday is MEANINGFULMONDAY community clean up, as proclaimed by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. This past Monday was Mosholu Parkway clean up for the Friends of Mosholu Parkway. They were joined by Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez at the clean up of the area around the Mosholu #4 train station at Jerome Avenue.
The Parks Department was on hand to supply trash picker ups, and plenty of trash bags that were needed. The almost two dozen people filled up over twenty-five bags of trash. Assemblywoman Fernandez tackled one of the areas with the most trash. It looked like she had fun pitching in, and doing so good old hard work to keep her district clean.
Above - The side of the train station is cleaned. There is to be a mural painted on this wall once the approval of the MTA is given.
Below - Assemblywoman Fernandez is well prepared with a trash picker upper and a large trash bag.
Above - Assemblywoman Fernandez and FOMP President Elizabeth Quaranta get ready to tackle one of the areas with the most trash.
Below - You can see what winds up under the seats in the plaza, as it is raked from under the benches.
Kingsbridge Food, Mask, Tote Bag Give Away and Census Fill Out
Monday Councilman, and Supreme Judge candidate Andrew Cohen was on hand to help hand out the almost two-hundred boxes of food provided by the Metropolitan Council of New York. Handing out face masks and tote bags was Female District Leader, and Chief of Staff to Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz Randi Martos. Male District Leader and 11th City Council candidate Eric Dinowitz was also on hand for the event.
The event was scheduled to run for two hours in front of the Kingsbridge Public Library on West 231st Street. With the large crowd the food and other supplies ran out in less than one hour. Representatives from the U.S. Census Office said that over twenty five people filled out the U.S. Census.
Below - Councilman Cohen helps hand out the boxes of food.
Above - Councilman Cohen opened up this box of food, and places a few of the items in it in the tote bag for this woman.
Below - Female District Leader Randi Martos helps put this box of food into the wagon for this woman.
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Governor Cuomo Announces the Availability of Up to $158 Million to Advance Action Plan Combating Homelessness
Homeless Housing and Assistance Program to Provide $128 Million in Capital Funding for Permanent Supportive Housing Projects; Emergency Shelter Repairs
Up to $30 Million in Operating and Service Funding Also Available Through the Governor's Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the release of two requests for proposals for programs that build and support homeless housing across the state. Combined, the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program and the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative make available $158 million for projects that will house New Yorkers experiencing homelessness and provide supportive services aimed at addressing the root causes of housing instability. This funding continues the work of the Governor's unprecedented $20 billion, five-year housing plan, which is creating or preserving 100,000 units of affordable housing and has spurred the development of more than 6,600 of supportive housing units across the state.
"For many who experience homelessness, housing insecurity is only a symptom of an even greater underlying problem," Governor Cuomo said. "Projects that address both the shelter and support needs of those experiencing homelessness are at the vanguard of our efforts to ensure all New Yorkers have a safe, stable place to live. These programs represent a crucial investment in our communities and to ensuring the most vulnerable among us aren't left to languish on the streets."
New York State's Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP) is providing up to $128 million in capital funding for projects that propose to build supportive housing units or to repair emergency shelters -an amount that is double the prior year's allocation. In addition, the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI) is accepting proposals for up to $30 million for the ongoing services and operation of supportive housing for individuals experiencing homelessness and with special needs, conditions, or other life challenges.
Building on his commitment to the five-year, $20 billion housing plan, Governor Cuomo's enacted 2021 state budget increased the available funding for the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program from $64 million to $128 million. This funding includes $5 million earmarked for supportive housing for homeless veterans; $5 million for supportive housing for individuals with AIDS who are experiencing homelessness; and $1 million for necessary repairs to emergency shelters.
The Homeless Housing Assistance Program provides capital grants and loans to not-for-profit corporations, charitable and religious organizations, and municipalities to acquire, construct, or rehabilitate housing for persons who are unable to secure adequate housing without special assistance. The grants are awarded through a competitive process by the New York State Homeless Housing and Assistance Corporation, a public benefit corporation staffed by the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA).
Through this program, New York State has appropriated more than $1.2 billion toward the development of supportive housing. In total, the program has created more than 22,000 units of housing to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
OTDA Commissioner Mike Hein said, "New York State's unrivaled commitment to expanding the amount of supportive housing statewide is a commonsense approach toward ensuring all New Yorkers have access to a safe, affordable place to live. With this unprecedented increase more than doubling our available funding, we can further support Governor Cuomo's visionary plan to reduce homelessness throughout the state and effect meaningful change in communities grappling with housing instability."
Established in 2016 and administered by the state Office of Mental Health, the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative is a five-year program designed to fund the service and operating costs of at least 6,000 units of permanent supportive housing for at-risk populations. The initiative is aimed at better coordinating resources from multiple-state agencies, thereby allowing more dynamic programming and quicker implementation.
To date, this initiative has provided service and operating funding for more than 4,600 units of supportive housing. The funding allocated in this year will help create an additional 1,200 units statewide.
OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, "Stable housing provides people living with mental illness who are at-risk of homelessness the support they need as they address their challenges. Governor Cuomo's Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative has brought new hope of recovery to thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers who were facing instability and uncertainty in their lives."
HCR Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, "This $158 million investment will expand critical services for New Yorkers at the highest risk of homelessness and further Governor Cuomo's aggressive $20 billion, 5-year housing plan to create 6,000 units of supportive housing for New Yorkers. During a global pandemic, there is no greater need than the protection that only a safe, secure and affordable home can provide. Our commitment to tackling this current crisis and continuing our fight against homelessness means we must ensure resources are available to help people find quality housing and stay there."
OASAS Commissioner Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez said, "The Governor's Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative has been a true blessing for the population we serve. This new round of requests for proposals will allow for our providers to apply for support to create safe, permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals who are dealing with a substance use disorder."
The Homeless Housing and Assistance Program request for proposals can be found here.
The Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative request for proposals can be found here.