Montefiore Rolls out First Vaccinations, as City & State Plan Education & Equitable Distribution of Vaccine

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Montefiore Medical Center vaccinated its first Montefiore employee with the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Gina Benvenuto, RN, a 36-year-old patient care coordinator at the neuro-intensive care unit who has been with the hospital for 14 years, was the first employee to receive the vaccine. The vaccination process continued thereafter among other Montefiore employees. At the Bronx Community Board 7 Health committee meeting later that evening, there were plenty of questions about the vaccine roll-out, many on the testing process, with residents looking for reassurances about the robustness of that testing. One resident suggested having representatives from

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Pediatric providers at six Montefiore School Health Program clinics are using new rapid testing to determine if children in school have the flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) or COVID-19. RSV is a common, and very contagious, virus that infects the respiratory tract of most children before their second birthday. For most babies and young children, the infection causes nothing more than a cold. Results of the new test are available within 40 minutes of providing a nasal swab sample. The new Cepheid systems will begin testing in the remaining 25 Montefiore School Health Program clinics in the coming weeks. Thousands of Bronx children in elementary, middle

By Dr. JENNY SEHAM

Shorter and colder days with less sunshine and winter holidays can be stressful any year. If you are feeling increased sadness, depression, anxiety, worry, and frustration right now, you certainly are not alone! These are all normal feelings that, for some, have become heightened due to fears and limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This holiday season, many of us are missing and yearning for the company the holidays usually bring, while also dealing with the stress of canceling in-person gatherings with extended family and friends. There are proven strategies to ease mental stress that you can start

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Sunday, Dec. 20, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, representing New York’s 13th congressional district which covers the north-west Bronx, Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, and Marble Hill, released a statement, in English and in Spanish, after being vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the United States Capitol. “Our nation’s leading scientists and researchers have developed a vaccine that has been tested and produced based on science to meet our highest standards of safety and effectiveness,” said Espaillat. “Today, I was administered the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID19 vaccine to ensure my constituents of its safety and effectiveness.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson formally kicked off her campaign launch for the Bronx borough presidency on Thursday, Dec. 17, issuing a press release in both English and Spanish to confirm the news. The councilwoman for Bronx’s 16th City Council district focused her message on the inequities in healthcare and food security prevalent in the Bronx, in her bid to win the hearts and minds of voters, highlighting that the last year has been especially hard for those at the lower end of the income scale, but offering hope by saying together the community would make it through the crisis and emerge

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

A coalition of local community groups made up of many young volunteers joined forces on Dec. 9 during a “Sticker Shock Campaign,” to alert local alcohol retailers of the dangers underage drinking presents to young people. The groups made in-person visits to various stores in Community Boards 5, 7, and 8 with oral presentations, stickers, and posters reminding both store owners and customers that it is illegal and dangerous to provide alcohol to anyone under the age of 21. The campaign was spearheaded by “We Engage in Prevention Awareness,” (WEPA), a community coalition seeking to eliminate substance abuse,

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers for their thoughts and wishes for the coming year, and whether the events of 2020 have impacted their New Year’s resolutions. “Yeah, oh God! I just want this COVID to disappear, you know what I mean? Maybe some people should stop reading these conspiracy theories and get behind the vaccine. That should be the number one thing, because if people don’t take the vaccines, this thing is not going away. For 2021, I’m wishing myself for some good health. That will be my resolution, to stop smoking and getting myself back into decent health.”

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Dec. 1, Dr. Dave A. Chokshi, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, issued an open letter to all New Yorkers, citing the rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases and calling on all New Yorkers to remain vigilant about adhering to public health guidance. In the letter, he said to further protect people who are most at risk for severe COVID-19, the City’s health department was advising adults over 65 and people with certain underlying health conditions, as well as household members and caregivers of these people, to limit activities outside their

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Nov. 9, the New York Public Library (NYPL) had introduced a Phase 2 opening service, providing desktop computer usage to library users, limited browsing at 14 branch libraries, as well as in-person appointments and grab-and-go pick up at research libraries. However, on Monday, Nov. 16, representatives said that after careful examination of the recent unfavorable trends in COVID-19 cases across New York City, NYPL made the difficult decision to roll back to a Phase 1 opening service, system-wide. On Nov. 25, NYPL closed three libraries on Staten Island, following the State’s designation of the impacted areas as orange

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Health

Montefiore Rolls out First Vaccinations, as City & State Plan Education & Equitable Distribution of Vaccine

Montefiore New Rapid Test Determines if School Children have Flu, RSV or COVID-19

Op-Ed: Pandemic Holiday Blues, Strategies for Good Mental Health!

Espaillat Gets Vaccinated for COVID-19, Will Serve on Influential House Appropriations Committee

Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson Formally Kicks Off Borough Presidency Campaign Launch

Inquiring Photographer: Have the events of 2020 impacted your New Year’s Resolutions?

Health Commissioner Appeals to All New Yorkers to Slow the Spread of COVID-19, Issuing Letter

NYPL Libraries Revert to Phase 1 Operations Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases