Health

Beth Abraham Center Resident, Clarence Duncan, Turns 101!

By JEFFREY JACOMOWITZ
The ever so popular Clarence Duncan from the South Bronx turned 101 on July 9, happily celebrating yet another birthday milestone surrounded by his family at the Beth Abraham Center, in Allerton. Mr. Duncan arrived at the large 448-bed nursing and rehabilitation center just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York City on March 27, 2020.   Like so many other seniors, Mr. Duncan was unable to be around his family amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic while visitor restrictions were in force at care homes. Once families were, once again, able to intermingle with their loved ones and mark


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Neighborhood Notes on Expanded Funeral Cost Reimbursement, Winding Down of Expanded Unemployment Benefits, Libraries Services Reopen & More

COVID-19 Updates Restrictions  COVID-19 restrictions are now lifted, as 70% of adults have received their first dose of the vaccine. New York State’s health guidance and industry specific guidelines are now optional across commercial and social settings. Effective May 19, New York State has adopted the CDC’s Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People for most businesses and public settings. See more information here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html. See New York’s guidance for implementing the new CDC recommendations on https://forward.ny.gov/.   Front Line Healthcare Workers Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week that more than 40,000 workers in city-run hospitals and health clinics


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Out & About: Bronx Book Fair, Summer History Camp, Silver Shoes Dance Club & More!

By DAWN CLANCY & SÍLE MOLONEY
                                                                                      Editor’s Pick  Tango, Foxtrot, and Cha-cha, oh my! Every Thursday until October, the Silver Shoes Dance Club welcomes all dancers 55 years and older for free dance classes at Van Cortland Park’s Woodlawn Playground at Van Cortlandt Park East and Kepler Avenue. No experience or partner is necessary, and the dancing kicks off at 10 a.m. All


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Schumer Hails New Child Tax Credit Plan, Citing Benefits Over a Child’s Lifetime

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Following the passage of the broader American Rescue Plan earlier this year, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has heralded the recent Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion which ensures payments of up to $300 per child will automatically go out to families across New York State, each month. The program took effect on Friday, July 16 and Schumer said the plan will impact over 86 percent of New York children.   “Help is here for families across New York in the form of enhanced Child Tax Credits that puts more money in families’ pockets to recover from COVID, while


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Music, Fun & Politics Merged at the 20th Annual Morrison Avenue Festival in Soundview

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES, SHANIA DEGROOT & SÍLE MOLONEY
  The 20th annual Morrison Avenue Festival returned with gusto to the Soundview section of The Bronx on Saturday, June 12, having been cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.   District 18 City Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr., along with H.O.G.A.R., (Housing Options and Geriatric Association Resources, Inc.) Bronx County Expo Association, and Freddy Perez Jr. of FPJ Amusements and Entertainment Services Inc. hosted the popular event which, though well attended, saw smaller crowds than the original 5,000 expected for a joy-filled day of music, dancing, fun, as well as a bit of political rallying thrown in for good


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Bronx BP Confirms $35 Million in Capital Funding to Bronx Institutions for Fiscal Year 2022

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced on Wednesday, July 14, that his office is providing more than $35 million to institutions across the borough through his Fiscal Year 2022 capital funding allocations.   According to representatives from the borough president’s office, this year, the borough president will allocate $35,880,000 to 130 total projects. This includes funding for nearly 100 education projects, park upgrades, healthcare technology, improvements to cultural facilities, the creation of over 900 units of new housing, as well as the redesign and redevelopment of Orchard Beach and the design of the Universal Hip Hop Museum.   “Through these funding allocations,


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UPDATE: COVID-19 Delta Variant Spotlights Vaccine Hesitancy in the Bronx Once Again

  The following is an extended version of the story that recently appeared in our print edition.   Like many New Yorkers, Dilletta Pina, a 70-year-old retiree from Norwood, worries about the highly infectious COVID-19 Delta variant. To stay safe, Pina never leaves her house without a mask, diligently washes her hands, and practices social distancing. But, like some of her fellow Bronxites, there is one step she’s not yet ready to take, and that’s getting the COVID-19 vaccine.   According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, compared to other boroughs, as reported, the Bronx


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Neighborhood Notes on a Youth Run Farm Stand, Fostering a Guinea Pig, Help for Small Businesses & More

COVID-19 Updates COVID-19 restrictions are now lifted, as 70% of adults have received their first dose of the vaccine. New York State’s health guidance and industry specific guidelines are now optional across commercial and social settings. Effective May 19, New York State has adopted the CDC’s Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People for most businesses and public settings.   See more information here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html. See New York’s guidance for implementing the new CDC recommendations on https://forward.ny.gov/. The Open Enrollment Period for uninsured New Yorkers has been extended through December 31, 2021. New Yorkers can apply for coverage through https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/ or directly


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Out & About: Toddler Obstacle Course, HITT Cross Training Circuit, ¡Jazz Puertorriqueño! & More

By SARAH HUFFMAN & SÍLE MOLONEY
                                                                                      Editor’s Pick  Come learn, play and compete in the 2021 Girls Flag Football Season. Three NYC Parks sites in the Bronx are hosting clinics, leagues, and tournaments for girls. The Weekly Instructional Series/Clinics includes instructional drills and strategies for girls ages 10-17. The Bronx instructional series of Girls Flag Football Clinics will be held July 12  to


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