Health

City Racial Justice Commission Discusses Racial Disparities in Health and Mental Health

By SARAH HUFFMAN
New York City’s Racial Justice Commission (RJC) hosted a virtual panel entitled, “Overcoming Racial Disparities in Health and Mental Health” earlier this summer to discuss health and persistent racial disparities in health and mental health.   The event, held on July 20, was hosted by commission chair, Jennifer Jones Austin, and was divided into two, hour-long panels, each made up of three expert panelists. The first panel comprised LaRay Brown, CEO of the Brookdale Hospital Medical Center and president and CEO of One Brooklyn Public Health System, Guillermo Chacon, president of the Latino Commission on AIDS, and Claire Green-Forde Ph.D.,


Read More

Out & About: Ballet Hispánico, Illuminated Mausoleums Tour, Pumpkin Carving Demonstrations & More!

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Editor’s Pick  Plentiful pumpkins and hordes of gourds will be on display at New York Botanical Garden’s ongoing Scarecrows & Pumpkins event, through Sunday, Oct. 31, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the LuEsther T. Mertz Library Building, and on the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory Plaza, 2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY 10458. To add to the seasonal fun, more than 100 whimsical scarecrows will line the twisting trails of the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. For more information, go to: https://www.nybg.org/event/scarecrows-pumpkins/.   Events NYC Parks is hosting a True Crime Group hosted by Allerton & Eastchester libraries at Allerton Library,


Read More

Alternate Side Parking to be Suspended in Early November

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Alternate Side Parking (ASP) regulations for street cleaning purposes will be suspended on Thursday, November 4, for the Diwali holiday.   ASP will also be suspended from Monday to Tuesday, Nov. 1 to Nov. 2, for All Saints’ Day and for Election Day.   Meters will remain in effect.    

Feliz Highlights Million-Dollar Investment in City Council District 15 ahead of General Election

By SÍLE MOLONEY
District 15 City Councilman Oswald Feliz is gearing up for the Nov. 2 general election by reminding his constituents of his accomplishments since he first took office after winning a hotly contested special election in March 2021, as reported, and later going on to retain his seat with 65.2 percent of the vote in the June primary election earlier this year. Bronx Community Board 7 district manager, Ischia Bravo, was runner-up.   Feliz wrote on his Facebook page on Monday, Oct. 25, “Proud to bring $3.4 million dollars to transform Poe Park (my childhood park!) in my district!” The park


Read More

Montefiore Celebrates 50 Years of Post Graduate Physician Assistant Surgical Residency Program

By SÍLE MOLONEY
This year, Montefiore Medical Center is celebrating 50 years of its postgraduate Physician Assistant (PA) surgical residency program, the oldest such program in the country. Established in 1971, Montefiore officials say the program has proudly trained over 450 PAs and is steeped in great history and tradition.    According to the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), PAs are medical professionals who diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and often serve as a patient’s principal healthcare provider. With thousands of hours of medical training, PAs practice in every medical setting and specialty.   As part of the program,


Read More

Montefiore Highlights Importance of Organ & Tissue Donation as 8,486 New Yorkers Await Organs

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  There are 8,486 New Yorkers currently on the organ transplant waiting list across the State, according to data from the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN) and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Meanwhile, according to the New York State “Donate Life” Registry, only about one third of the State’s roughly 19.45 million inhabitants are registered organ donors.   Oct. 7 marked the 7th annual Organ Donor Enrollment Day. Montefiore Medical Center officials marked the day by setting up tables outside the hospital to share information with the public about the importance of organ donation, and to


Read More

Jacobi Opens New Pride Health Center, Vowing to Continue its Provision of Culturally Competent Healthcare

By SÍLE MOLONEY
NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi announced on Friday, Oct. 15, the opening of its new comprehensive Pride Health Center. The center will serve LGBTQ patients as they receive what was described as “high-quality, culturally competent, respectful care,” at the hospital’s “state-of-the-art facility.”   Hospital officials said the new center, located at 1400 Pelham Parkway South in Morris Park, will provide LGBTQ-affirming care for a variety of services, including primary care, adolescent care, OB/GYN, family planning services, behavioral health, dental services, eye care, hormone therapy, testing for sexually transmitted infections and HIV, as well as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), meaning medicine taken to


Read More

Fully Vaccinated State Senator Alessandra Biaggi tests Positive for COVID-19

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Democratic State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (S.D. 34), who represents parts of the Bronx and Westchester counties, confirmed that she has tested positive for COVID-19, despite being fully vaccinated.   The senator wrote as part of her weekly update on Friday, Oct. 22, “On Thursday evening I tested positive for COVID-19. While I am fully vaccinated and have taken all CDC recommended safety precautions, I unfortunately contracted the virus. I am experiencing symptoms and currently isolating at home per CDC guidelines.”   Biaggi went on to say that as someone experiencing a breakthrough case, she wanted to take the time to


Read More

Bedford Park Residents Fed Up with Trash on Mosholu Parkway

By DAWN CLANCY
On a cloudy Saturday morning, Cindy Barrera and her dog, Venom, stopped near the corner of East Mosholu Parkway North and 206th Street in Bedford Park and glared at the Heineken beer bottle caps, greasy granola bar wrappers, and spent coffee cups tangled up in a nearby patch of grass.   Barrera, a 30-year-old registered nurse, is fed up with the amount of trash dumped along the parkway. It’s a problem that has plagued the area, also known as Mosholu Parkland, for years. “It really [expletive] me off because we have such a beautiful park,” said Barrera. “To see trash


Read More