Lehman Organizes Vaccination Educational Session Amid Low Vaccination Rates in The Bronx

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Despite measures taken in recent weeks to increase the pace of the roll-out of the various COVID-19 vaccines across New York State, some residents still have questions about the different vaccines, and in some cases, they are still reluctant, skeptical and concerned about getting vaccinated. In the Bronx, the percentage of adults vaccinated to date varies per zip code and no one zip code has had more than 15 percent of adults fully vaccinated to date. Listed further below is a breakdown of adult vaccinations per zip code. In order to address the matter, Lehman College will be holding

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

On a cold but bright and sunny afternoon, members of Masjidus Sabur set up a table on Bainbridge Avenue in Bedford Park for their annual winter coat and essentials drive. Masjidus is the Islamic term for mosque. Iman Alprentice Talibudeen McCutchen helped manage the event on Feb. 5 in front of the mosque, located at 2975 Bainbridge Avenue. “In today’s event, we’re giving away [free] coats for children as well as teenagers and adults… and book bags,” McCutchen said. A group of four to five volunteers joined McCutchen in manning a folding table surrounded by multiple boxes of coats

By SÍLE MOLONEY

When she was nine years old, Shira Blumenthal, founder of the nationwide anti-bullying movement, #HatNotHate, was a self-described, chubby girl with short frizzy hair, buck teeth, and very little confidence. At the start of fourth grade, she had two friends. “They were a little cooler than I was, but that didn’t faze me,” she writes on her website, hatnothate.org. Then, there was another “cool” girl in her class, who, she wrote, was friends with everyone, boys and girls, and who always wore a bra strap headband, which she told other kids her mother had invented. Blumenthal said she can’t remember

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Mino Lora, an educator and executive director of the People’s Theatre Project, who is one of six candidates running for City Council in the 11th District in The Bronx, has recently been endorsed by Run for Something, CWA District 1, Jewish Vote, and NYIC Action. A special election is being held on March 23 to decide who will represent the district. According to its website, Run for Something provides a safety net for new and exciting progressive candidates — at all stages of their journey — to help them run efficient, grassroots & voter-contact driven campaigns so that they

Bronx Teen First Vaping-Related Death in New York State

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A week after Yankee Stadium opened as a large-scale vaccination site in The Bronx, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday, Feb. 10, that stadiums and arenas will be allowed reopen for sports and other events with limited spectators starting Feb. 23. The governor said that following the success of the Buffalo Bills testing program, sports and entertainment events in major stadiums with a capacity of 10,000 or more will be allowed to reopen with limited attendance. He said that venues and events must follow State guidelines on capacity limitations, testing requirements, mandatory face coverings, social distancing and more. Norwood

By DAVID GREENE

A North Bronx grandmother, frustrated that parents aren’t explaining to children why they are being told to wear masks and to wash their hands more frequently, has written a poem/rap and has been distributing copies of it to folks at different sites across the borough in an effort to enhance health education among kids and help them understand why it is important to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Long-time activist and Community Board 12 member, Barbara Gibson, 81, recalled, “As a teacher, I noticed society was not approaching the children and explaining to them what the virus

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Empire BlueCross BlueShield and Montefiore Health System announced a new agreement on Feb. 9 on improving access to quality healthcare for people throughout New York City, Westchester and the Hudson Valley. According to a press release, this latest multi-year agreement continues the longstanding relationship between the two organizations, and features several new community outreach initiatives including health events, a partnership to support nutrition services for at-risk populations, and a mobile health unit to deliver essential testing and screening focused on improving the health of the community. Alan Murray, president of Empire BlueCross BlueShield said the group is on a

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Thursday, Feb. 11, at 1:30 p.m. ET, the American Muslim Health Professionals (AMHP) and more than 120 other partner organizations will host a virtual meeting with Dr. Anthony Fauci. Dr. Noor Jihan Abdul-Haqq, Dr. Shereef Elnahaal, and AMHP’s President, Dr. Hasan Shanawani, will join Dr. Fauci to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine and address the pressing questions of the community. Muslim community members are invited to take part in the conversation. The event will include American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and closed captioning will be provided by Muhsen. Dr. Anthony Stephen Fauci is an American physician and immunologist who

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Pediatricians at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) are hosting a series of live read alongs with children during school recess. The initiative started during winter break, and will continue next week with the doctors reading books focused on “healthy, happy hearts” in honor of American Heart Month. Led by the Office of Government & Community Relations at Montefiore, the live story time, carried out by English and Spanish speaking pediatricians, offers an opportunity for community engagement with children and reinforcement of literacy skills during the school break. The program is open to any children. They do not

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