Archive for August, 2009

2009-2010 BALCONY ACCESS FOR SMALL BUSINESS

The Business and Labor Coalition of New York has enlisted WCBS NewsRadio880 as its media partner to conduct a series of Access for Small Business Forums throughout New York State in the fall 2009 and early 2010. These events will assist small business owners and small business organizations to gain access to the information they need to weather the current economic storm and plan for a rapidly changing business future.

BALCONY will co-host a series of at least 5 forums throughout New York State. These forums, co-sponsored by BALCONY’s business coalitions, such as New York AREA, and chambers, such as the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, will deliver timely information, products, and services to owners of small businesses.

We will also work with key New York legislators to strengthen our relationships and act as a conduit for programs.

“Small businesses are the economic engine of New York State,” said BALCONY co-chair Bruce Ventimiglia, chairman of Saratoga Capital Management. “The BALCONY Access for Small Business Forums will bring together experts who can help small businesses survive in these trying times.” he added.

Click here for more information:  Small Business Forum

NYS Plan for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Formula Grant

EECBG

Road to Health Care Reform: Current Overview

Friday, September 25, 2009

The sixth in a series of forums sponsored by the Westchester/Putnam Access to Health Care Coalition to address the impact of the under & uninsured.

Topics and Speakers:
Update on Current Health Care Reform Progress
Speaker: Jean Doyle, Legislative Director for Congresswoman Nita Lowey

Building Citizen Power for Health System Reform:
What We’ve Learned and What’s Next

Speaker: Chuck Bell, Program Director, Consumer Union
(Publisher of Consumer Reports)

Date: Friday, September 25, 2009

Time: 8:00am – 10:30am (8am-8:30am Registration and Breakfast)

Location: Diversified Investment Advisors
4 Manhattanville Road
Purchase, New York

RSVP is REQUIRED
Please call 914-397-8811 or e-mail Lillian.Jones@cancer.org

Conference sponsored by the Westchester/Putnam Access to Health Care Coalition.

Many thanks to the Visiting Nurses Association of Hudson Valley for providing breakfast.

PEF Responds to DOJ Report on Youth Facilities

The New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF), which represents counselors, teachers, social workers and health care professionals at youth facilities operated by the state Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), welcomes the long overdue report by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Much of the report echoes what PEF has been bringing to the attention of legislative leaders and OCFS Commissioner Gladys Carrion for years; the current policies and procedures at youth residential centers aren’t working. Not only are they endangering the welfare of the youths detained in these facilities, they have caused sometimes irreparable harm to the employees who provide services to our troubled youth.

Many of the Justice Department’s findings, including extreme deficiencies in mental health care, have been consistently
reported by our members. Staffing shortages in critical care areas directly affecting rehabilitative treatment have aggravated the already unsafe conditions in the Lansing, Louis Gossett, Jr. and Tryon Residential Centers and all other OCFS facilities statewide. We agree with the DOJ findings that increased training for staff and an overhaul of the mental health care program is desperately needed. We also agree on the confusion over policies regarding the use of restraint
and that it has been an underlying problem at the centers. Real reforms, however, require real resources. It is this lack of
resources that has created the environment which led to many of the issues cited in the report.

While the DOJ investigative report had a narrow focus on youths’ civil rights; there are many more areas of concern, including increased youth-on-youth violence and violence against workers at the facilities. Our members have often been the victims of assaults by youths; this has led to an increased number of employees out of work due to injuries, adding more strain to an already strained workforce.

We agree reform is needed in the state’s juvenile justice system and that state facilities are an essential component. However, in the commissioner’s zeal to transform the state’s system, move youth into communities, and to close state facilities, the effort to address the critical needs of youths has been grossly inadequate, particularly in the areas of mental health and rehabilitative services, staffing and training at those facilities, exacerbating the very conditions she
sought to correct. This has led not only to a deterioration of service levels at the facilities, but to everyone’s worst fear, the brutal murder of a young group home employee by a youth inappropriately placed in a community setting in Lockport, NY. This follows the January shooting of a Rochester police officer by a youth placed in a community
residence by OCFS and the recent riot and frequent AWOLs from Randolph Children’s Home in Cattaraugus County.

Our troubled youth need and deserve our help and guidance to turn their lives around. Reform as mandated by the Justice Department is the first step in the right direction. We look forward to working with OCFS to ensure these positive changes take place.

PEF is the state’s second-largest, state employee union, representing 59,000 professional, scientific and technical employees.

Why We Need Health Care Reform

by Barack Obama

OUR nation is now engaged in a great debate about the future of health care in America. And over the past few weeks, much of the media attention has been focused on the loudest voices. What we haven’t heard are the voices of the millions upon millions of Americans who quietly struggle every day with a system that often works better for the health-insurance companies than it does for them.

These are people like Lori Hitchcock, whom I met in New Hampshire last week. Lori is currently self-employed and trying to start a business, but because she has hepatitis C, she cannot find an insurance company that will cover her. Another woman testified that an insurance company would not cover illnesses related to her internal organs because of an accident she had when she was 5 years old. A man lost his health coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because the insurance company discovered that he had gallstones, which he hadn’t known about when he applied for his policy. Because his treatment was delayed, he died.

I hear more and more stories like these every single day, and it is why we are acting so urgently to pass health-insurance reform this year. I don’t have to explain to the nearly 46 million Americans who don’t have health insurance how important this is. But it’s just as important for Americans who do have health insurance.

There are four main ways the reform we’re proposing will provide more stability and security to every American.

First, if you don’t have health insurance, you will have a choice of high-quality, affordable coverage for yourself and your family — coverage that will stay with you whether you move, change your job or lose your job.

Second, reform will finally bring skyrocketing health care costs under control, which will mean real savings for families, businesses and our government. We’ll cut hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and inefficiency in federal health programs like Medicare and Medicaid and in unwarranted subsidies to insurance companies that do nothing to improve care and everything to improve their profits.

Third, by making Medicare more efficient, we’ll be able to ensure that more tax dollars go directly to caring for seniors instead of enriching insurance companies. This will not only help provide today’s seniors with the benefits they’ve been promised; it will also ensure the long-term health of Medicare for tomorrow’s seniors. And our reforms will also reduce the amount our seniors pay for their prescription drugs.

Lastly, reform will provide every American with some basic consumer protections that will finally hold insurance companies accountable. A 2007 national survey actually shows that insurance companies discriminated against more than 12 million Americans in the previous three years because they had a pre-existing illness or condition. The companies either refused to cover the person, refused to cover a specific illness or condition or charged a higher premium.

We will put an end to these practices. Our reform will prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage because of your medical history. Nor will they be allowed to drop your coverage if you get sick. They will not be able to water down your coverage when you need it most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime. And we will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses. No one in America should go broke because they get sick.

Most important, we will require insurance companies to cover routine checkups, preventive care and screening tests like mammograms and colonoscopies. There’s no reason that we shouldn’t be catching diseases like breast cancer and prostate cancer on the front end. It makes sense, it saves lives and it can also save money.

This is what reform is about. If you don’t have health insurance, you will finally have quality, affordable options once we pass reform. If you have health insurance, we will make sure that no insurance company or government bureaucrat gets between you and the care you need. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. You will not be waiting in any lines. This is not about putting the government in charge of your health insurance. I don’t believe anyone should be in charge of your health care decisions but you and your doctor — not government bureaucrats, not insurance companies.

The long and vigorous debate about health care that’s been taking place over the past few months is a good thing. It’s what America’s all about.

But let’s make sure that we talk with one another, and not over one another. We are bound to disagree, but let’s disagree over issues that are real, and not wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that anyone has actually proposed. This is a complicated and critical issue, and it deserves a serious debate.

Despite what we’ve seen on television, I believe that serious debate is taking place at kitchen tables all across America. In the past few years, I’ve received countless letters and questions about health care. Some people are in favor of reform, and others have concerns. But almost everyone understands that something must be done. Almost everyone knows that we must start holding insurance companies accountable and give Americans a greater sense of stability and security when it comes to their health care.

I am confident that when all is said and done, we can forge the consensus we need to achieve this goal. We are already closer to achieving health-insurance reform than we have ever been. We have the American Nurses Association and the American Medical Association on board, because our nation’s nurses and doctors know firsthand how badly we need reform. We have broad agreement in Congress on about 80 percent of what we’re trying to do. And we have an agreement from the drug companies to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors. The AARP supports this policy, and agrees with us that reform must happen this year.

In the coming weeks, the cynics and the naysayers will continue to exploit fear and concerns for political gain. But for all the scare tactics out there, what’s truly scary — truly risky — is the prospect of doing nothing. If we maintain the status quo, we will continue to see 14,000 Americans lose their health insurance every day. Premiums will continue to skyrocket. Our deficit will continue to grow. And insurance companies will continue to profit by discriminating against sick people.

That is not a future I want for my children, or for yours. And that is not a future I want for the United States of America.

In the end, this isn’t about politics. This is about people’s lives and livelihoods. This is about people’s businesses. This is about America’s future, and whether we will be able to look back years from now and say that this was the moment when we made the changes we needed, and gave our children a better life. I believe we can, and I believe we will.

Community Healthcare Network opens new primary care facility in Long Island City, Queens

Elected Officials Onorato, Maloney and Gioia grateful for care center will provide to constituents regardless of economic, insurance or immigration status

Queens, NY – Community Healthcare Network (CHN) is excited to announce the opening of its tenth federally qualified health center and second location in Queens. The new Long Island City location is part of a continuing commitment to provide all New York City residents with quality healthcare.

Community Healthcare Network’s Long Island City Health Center, located at 36-11 21st Street, provides primary care, including pediatrics and family planning services, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Patients can call (718) 482-7772 to schedule appointments.

“We are pleased to provide comprehensive primary care to more people in Queens,” said CHN President and CEO Catherine M. Abate. “During a time when many are bypassing needed medical care because of financial constraints, our new location, and all CHN centers, remove the financial barriers to accessing quality healthcare.”

“The opening of a new health center in Long Island City is wonderful news, particularly for the many residents of our community who have limited access to health care,” said Representative Carolyn Maloney. “I thank Community Healthcare Network and its president, Catherine Abate, for their ongoing dedication to providing New Yorkers with quality healthcare, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. Western Queens residents are fortunate to have outstanding advocates like CHN on their side.”

“I am absolutely delighted to welcome Community Healthcare Network’s new health center to our community,” said State Senator George Onorato, who represents Long Island City in the New York State Senate. “This new
center will provide vital new opportunities for local residents to obtain accessible, quality health care at a time when economic constraints are making it so much harder for many individuals and families to afford these needed services.”

“This new health center will be a great addition to the neighborhood,” said Councilman Eric Gioia. “Everyone is entitled to quality healthcare- and Community Healthcare Network’s new health center in Long Island City will go a long way towards making that possible.”

In opening the center, CHN has partnered with New York-Presbyterian Hospital to provide internal medicine and pediatric physicians from Weill Cornell Medical College.

“Partnering with New York-Presbyterian Hospital is a result of our shared mission to improve and maintain the health and well-being of the community,” Abate said. “Together we will be able to bring the latest advances in medical care to all New Yorkers.”

Center staff speaks English and Spanish. In addition, staff can also contact translators by phone speaking more than 150 languages.

About CHN:
Community Healthcare Network (CHN) is a not-for-profit organization providing access to affordable, culturally-competent and comprehensive community-based primary care, mental health and social services for diverse populations in underserved communities throughout New York City. CHN serves more than 65,000 individuals a year who would otherwise have little or no access to critical health care. CHN is composed of 10 federally qualified health centers and is accredited by the Joint Commission. To learn more about CHN visit our website at www.chnnyc.org.

DiNapoli: New York’s Local Infrastructure Needs Projected To Be $80 Billion Under Funded Over Next 20 Years

Multi-Year Capital Planning and Increased Federal Funding Needed
Driscoll Joins DiNapoli at News Conference in Syracuse

At the current rate of spending, New York will have $80 billion in unmet infrastructure needs over the next 20 years unless state, federal and local governments work together to improve multi-year capital planning and better fund infrastructure projects, cautioned State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli in a report he released today in Syracuse. DiNapoli’s report estimates the state’s capital needs for repairing roads, bridges, and water and sewer lines will swell to a quarter trillion dollars over the next 20 years.

“New York’s deteriorating infrastructure is a serious problem, an $80 billion problem,” DiNapoli said. “Governments at every level – federal, state and local – must face the state’s aging infrastructure head on. This won’t be easy but if we don’t invest, our infrastructure will fall apart. Now more than ever, localities have to work together and work smarter to improve capital planning regionally. Government can accomplish so much more when – on a regional basis – we prioritize our mutual needs, pool our resources and get the job done.

“My office is tracking and auditing how New York spends federal stimulus dollars. But even with the stimulus funding, there are billions of dollars in urgent infrastructure improvements that are languishing.”

New York’s local infrastructure needs have been under funded for years, in part due to a significant slowdown in federal and state investments, according to DiNapoli’s report, “Cracks in the Foundation: Local Government Infrastructure and Capital Planning Needs.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides New York with funding for immediate capital improvements, including about $500 million for water and sewer systems and $1.8 billion for roads and highways. While ARRA represents increased federal commitment to infrastructure investment, it only scratches the surface of New York’s looming infrastructure deficiencies, according to DiNapoli.

DiNapoli’s report advocates for improving capital planning at the local government level by conducting an affordability analysis to identify funding gaps; seeking a sustained commitment by federal and state policymakers to increase investment for infrastructure; and developing a regional approach to prioritizing projects.

“Comptroller DiNapoli puts the state’s infrastructure woes into perspective and the level of funding needed is staggering,” said Syracuse Mayor Matthew J. Driscoll. “The City of Syracuse has several infrastructure projects that need to be addressed in a comprehensive manner. The water main break three months ago is an example of the need to address this very old infrastructure in our City. Like many older cities, Syracuse needs to find a long-term funding solution for these types of projects. However, in the short term, we have to take a piecemeal approach to replacing and maintaining our water system. The estimated cost to completely replace our existing water system is in excess of $2 billion. Clearly our city’s tax base cannot support this amount of investment.”

The report is part of DiNapoli’s on-going oversight of federal stimulus spending. DiNapoli’s office is tracking every stimulus contract on the Open Book New York website (www.openbooknewyork.com). DiNapoli is also auditing local governments’ capital planning processes; conducting a series of audits on stimulus spending; and preparing a management training guide and online tutorial on effective multi-year capital planning for local government officials. In addition, DiNapoli created the Local Government Leadership Institute to offer local governments a forum to discuss regional issues and explore collaboration opportunities.

According to DiNapoli’s report, New York will need to invest $250.1 billion in its water, sewer and highway systems over the next 20 years. This includes $175.2 billion for transportation needs, $36.2 billion for municipal wastewater improvements and $38.7 billion for clean water investments. Assuming current funding levels can be maintained, roughly $80 billion of these projects will remain unfunded.

DiNapoli’s report recommends that state and local officials:

* Strengthen municipal capital planning by requiring local governments to have a long-term capital plan in place in order to receive any additional aid and asking state agencies to provide guidance on best practices for construction and capital financial management.
* Urge better intergovernmental coordination among the state and local governments to maximize resources and economic benefits.
* Establish regional capital planning vehicles, modeled after the metropolitan planning organizations used by the U.S. Department of Transportation to prioritize highway projects.
* Advocate for increased funding from the federal government after ARRA funds are exhausted.
* Consider other pooled-financing vehicles similar to the revolving loan fund operated by the state’s Environmental Facilities Corporation.

DiNapoli was joined at the news conference by Jerry Comer, International Vice President of IBEW, and Ron Haney, Secretary/Treasurer of the Syracuse Building and Construction Trades.

The following is a list of aging infrastructure systems across New York.

Regional Examples of New York’s Aging Infrastructure

Statewide

* About 37 percent of highway bridges in New York state are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete (Source: New York State Department of Transportation, Highway Bridge Data https://www.nysdot.gov/main/bridgedata)

Western NY

* City of Buffalo water system
* Village of Springville sinkhole repairs on South Buffalo Street

Central NY

* Oneida County Sewer District
* City of Syracuse water system

Capital District

* Town of East Greenbush water system
* City of Troy water system

Southern Tier

* Broome County bridges rated structurally deficient
* Town of Vestal water system

Hudson Valley

* Westchester County sewage treatment plants
* Town of Middletown sewer/stormwater infrastructure

Northern NY

* Village of Saranac Lake water system
* Town of Elizabethtown sewage and wastewater treatment

Long Island

* Village of Patchogue sewage and wastewater treatment

Report, “Cracks in the Foundation: Local Government Infrastructure and Capital Planning Needs.”

$1.5 BILLION IN STIMULUS MONEY CURRENTLY APPROVED FOR NYC TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS, BUT LITTLE ACTUALLY SPENT TO DATE

FULTON STREET TRANSIT CENTER AND SECOND AVENUE SUBWAY TO RECEIVE LION’S SHARE OF FEDERAL STIMULUS DOLLARS

A total of $1.57 billion in federal stimulus dollars has been approved to date for transportation capital projects in the five boroughs of New York City. Another $1 billion in transportation projects are likely to be approved for stimulus funding, according to a New York Building Congress analysis. However, an analysis of project data provided by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC), also found that virtually all of the approved capital funding has yet to be spent.

A little less than half of the stimulus dollars approved thus far will go to support New York City Transit’s work on the Fulton Street Transit Center and the Second Avenue Subway. A total of $423.4 million will flow toward Fulton Street via the rehabilitation of the 4/5 and A/C subway mezzanines and construction on Dey Street and the Corbin Building. A total of $276 million has been approved for ongoing construction of the Second Avenue Subway. Of that, $197 million is devoted to construction of the 96th Street subway station.

Overall, New York City Transit, which is operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has been approved for $1.2 billion in stimulus funds. In addition to the Fulton Street and Second Avenue projects, most of the remaining funds are dedicated to the rehabilitation of existing stations throughout the system.

The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) has been approved for $282 million in stimulus funds. Of that total, $175 million will be used to replace the 60-year-old bus ramps at the St. George Ferry terminal on Staten Island. Other NYCDOT projects to receive stimulus funding include work on or around the Brooklyn Bridge and the Bruckner Expressway. New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) projects approved for New York City total $81.1 million.

While considerable funding has been made available to New York City, and 44 projects already have been approved, very little stimulus money has actually been spent to date, according to the Office of State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. In fact, no federal dollars have yet been expended by either New York City Transit or the NYCDOT.

While there is no breakdown to date on NYSDOT expenditures, statewide, the agency has spent $278 million, which represents just six percent of the total federal stimulus dollars spent statewide in the current fiscal year.

“The transportation projects slated for stimulus funding present a positive blend of mass transit and surface transportation projects intended to maintain and expand the system,” noted Building Congress President Richard T. Anderson. “What is of great concern, however, is the slow pace of these projects. It has been almost six months since Congress and the Obama administration approved the stimulus package, yet close to nothing has been expended on the capital side.”

Mr. Anderson continued, “We have seen a good deal of spending on workforce programs and health and social services, all of which are important. Unfortunately, those expenditures do not provide the same bang for the stimulus buck as direct construction spending, which creates jobs and revenues while pumping money into the broader economy. It is incumbent upon our elected leaders and agency heads to get these dollars flowing directly into the projects already approved and likely to be approved in the coming months.”

According to State officials, of the $314M in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) highway and bridge funding committed to the New York City area, $215 million has been allocated to projects under the jurisdiction of New York City DOT, while $99 million is allocated to State DOT projects in the City. To spend these funds, projects must follow a mandatory federal process that includes unprecedented transparency and accountability requirements. Governor Paterson and the NYSDOT are working with local agencies to advance eligible projects, more than half of which are being undertaken by local municipalities, and create jobs more quickly.

Report Compares Four Comprehensive Reform Proposals and Their Impact on Health Insurance Coverage in New York

On July 17, 2009, the New York State Departments of Insurance and Health issued a report to Governor Paterson on the Partnership for Coverage Initiative on the Release of the Urban Institute report.

BALCONY , working with the American Cancer Society, has been instrumental in assisting the New York State Departments of Insurance and Department of Health in delivering business, labor and advocacy opinions on the current state Health Insurance in New York. Together we held forums in Buffalo, Albany, New York City, Long Island, Westchester and Rochester providing thought provoking testimony and round table discussion on health care benefits.

The Departments of Health and Insurance contracted with the Urban Institute to determine the cost and coverage implications of four health reform proposals: (1) the Public-Private Partnership proposal that simplifies and expands existing public programs and reforms private health insurance; (2) New York Health Plus, Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried’s proposal that gives all New Yorkers an option to enroll in Family Health Plus; (3) Public Health Insurance for All, a single payer public health insurance option; and (4) the Freedom Plan, an option that relies on regulatory flexibility and tax credits. The Public-Private Partnership proposal is similar to the proposal now being debated in Congress.

http://www.ins.state.ny.us/health/pfc/pfc_report.pdf

The full text of the Urban Institute’s study, as well as the Transmittal Report from the Departments of Health and Insurance may be accessed on the Partnership for Coverage website (www.partnership4coverage.ny.gov), as well as on the websites of the Department of Health (www.health.state.ny.us) or Department of Insurance (www.ins.state.ny.us). To view Transforming New York’s Public

The following is a report by Health Care for All New Yorkers which analyzes the July 2009 New York State Health Care Recommendations of the Urban Institute.

HCFANY Analysis

Multiple Myeloma in World Trade Center Responders: Mt Sinai School of Medicine August 10, 2009

Emergency personnel that responded to the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers may be at higher risk for multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. The findings, which were published, early August, in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, are still very preliminary, but suggest that airborne toxins may have damaged the rescue workers’ lungs.

Since 2006, BALCONY has made the monitoring of rescue workers at the World Trade Center a top policy priority , joining the larger coalition advocating for treatment and extended benefits,” stated Lou Gordon, Director of BALCONY. “ In fact, we produced several TV and Radio PSA’s featuring actress Sigourney Weaver and former boxing champ, the late, Jose Torres, alerting those involved in cleanup , rescue and recovery to register and to be regularly screened so as to qualify for New York State workers’ compensation benefits should they become ill.”

Multiple myeloma normally affects the elderly, but was shown to develop early in the emergency personnel, who were all under 45 years old.

Rescue workers were heavily exposed to a toxic chemical soup released from the fires that raged at the World Trade Center site for three months after 9/11. The chemicals included several known carcinogens, some of which have been linked to a heightened risk of multiple myeloma.

“ This is very preliminary,” cautioned Dr. Mitchell Smith, director of the Lymphoma Service at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. “It could turn out to be a statistical fluke and means nothing or it could be the tip of the iceberg and we’ll see an increase in the next 10 years,” he said.

“The concerning thing,” he added, “is it makes biological sense. There is certain data that multiple myeloma is associated with an increased exposure to certain chemicals. It has never been shown with inhaled chemicals but this amount of exposure probably did get into the blood.” Smith was not involved in the study.

“Practitioners should be on the lookout for unusual disease patterns,” added Dr. Jacqueline Moline, lead author of the report, which appears in the August issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. “Multiple myeloma is usually a disease that occurs in the seventh or eighth decade of life. A person is 10 times more likely to get myeloma when they’re 70 than when they’re 45 or 48. Clinicians should be sensitized to patients coming in with unusual symptoms. They should think broadly.”

Source: health.usnews.com

Read the complete report: Myeloma