Health

Black Lives Matter Protests Continue as Legislation Passes and NYPD Disbands Anti-Crime Unit

By David Greene
As the Black Lives Matter movement continues with protests entering a fourth week in cities across America in response to the May 25th death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, individual cities are looking into their own practices and policies regarding the use of force, and are coming to grips with racial disparities within their own units.   On Friday, Jun. 5, 2020, nearly 300 demonstrators gathered at Poe Park in Kingsbridge and marched to the Bronx County Courthouse where several speakers described what they said was a peaceful protest the previous night along Third Avenue in the South Bronx.  


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Bronx CB8: Meeting June 18 to Discuss Permit for Farmer’s Market Near Dewitt Clinton H.S.

By Síle Moloney
Bronx Community Board 8 will be holding its virtual Traffic and Transportation Committee meeting tonight, Thursday, Jun. 18, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom, during which a request for a permit for a new farmer’s market will be presented and discussed.   The sponsor of the proposed JBOLC Garden Community Farmer’s Market is James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center, Inc, and the entity plans to apply to the Street Activity Permit Office for a permit to operate a farmer’s market each Saturday from Aug. 8, 2020 through Oct. 31, 2020 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.   The applicant is requesting


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Jacobi Organizes Candlelit Vigil for All Those Lost To COVID-19, as Bronx Deaths Reach 3,292

By Síle Moloney
NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi announced that a candlelit vigil to commemorate all lives lost to COVID-19 will be held on Wednesday, June 17 at 7 pm at Jacobi Pedestrian Mall (adjacent to Pelham Parkway).   As of Jun. 16, 2020, according to the City’s department of health, total confirmed deaths (deaths following a positive COVID-19 laboratory test) in New York City amounted to 17,455, while probable deaths (cause of death reported as COVID-19 or equivalent, but no positive laboratory test) totaled 4,690.   The number of deaths in the City and State peaked in early May. While New York State,


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Bronx Arts & Culture Groups Unite to Form Latinx / POC Arts Legacy Consortium

By Síle Moloney
Spurred by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, eight esteemed arts organizations with deep roots in local communities of color have announced the formation of the Latinx / POC Arts Legacy Consortium.   Partners seek to pool experiences, resources, and shared history in order to better prepare diverse populations for reopening, as well as to ideate new ways of overcoming historic undercapitalization well past the pandemic.   The organizations are Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance, Bronx Documentary Center, Caribbean Cultural Center and African Diaspora Institute, El Museo del Barrio, Pregones / Puerto Rican Traveling Theater,


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Health Check: Addressing Increased Food Insecurity During the Pandemic

By Chelsea Andrews
Montefiore Health System’s Project Bravo Food Pantry, a community-based, hospital-driven initiative designed to combat food insecurity for high-risk individuals and families, serves thousands of Bronx residents nutritious meals each week.   During these unprecedented times, many in our community have faced additional challenges accessing nutritious meals due to school closures. Food insecurity has grown for so many and Project Bravo has seen a wave of new clients.   To ensure everyone still has access to food in as safe an environment as possible, we have adapted the food pantry to the new normal by implementing social distancing rules. With the


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Norah Jones & Suzanne Vega Perform “Music for the Soul” Series for Hospital Heroes

By Síle Moloney
Award-winning New York City musicians Norah Jones and Suzanne Vega will perform on Jun. 22 as part of “Music for the Soul of NYC Health + Hospital Heroes,” a series created by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, NYC Health + Hospitals and AFM Local 802.     The event will be streamed live on NYC Health + Hospital’s Facebook page on Jun. 22, 2020 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. ET.    The “Music for the Soul” series was created to inspire our heroic medical community, especially the 43,000-member staff of NYC’s public hospital system, connect isolated patients to the


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South Bronx: Housing Lottery Opens for 494 Affordable Apartments at La Central Buildings A & B

By Síle Moloney
The housing lottery is open for 494 affordable units in Buildings A & B of La Central in The Bronx. The Hudson Companies, BRP Companies, Kretchmer Companies, ELH-TKC LLC, Comunilife, and Breaking Ground together with the City’s departments of housing preservation & development, housing development corporation and local leaders made the announcement on Monday, Jun. 15, 2020.   Located at 556 and 600 Bergen Avenue, the two buildings will bring 494 units of affordable housing to the Melrose section of the borough, all of which are available for lease through this lottery. Apartments at La Central range from studios to


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BP Diaz Launches COVID-19 Virtual Memorial

By Síle Moloney
On Friday, June 12, 2020, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. launched a virtual tribute to remember and celebrate the lives of Bronxites lost during the coronavirus pandemic.   The virtual memorial went live on the Bronx Borough President’s website bronxboropres.nyc.gov/covidmemorial and honors borough residents who lost loved ones to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those wishing to submit the name of a Bronxite to be included on the page can do so at bit.ly/bxcovidmemorial.   “The COVID-19 pandemic hit our borough very hard, affecting us all as a community,” said Diaz Jr. “This virtual memorial allows us the opportunity to mourn


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Dinowitz, Bailey Invite Public to Open Discussion on Recent Police Reform Bills

By Síle Moloney
An informal discussion on the recent package of policing reforms, including the repeal of Civil Rights Law Section 50-a (which was used to block the disclosure of disciplinary records), as well as the next steps to be taken going forward with regard to this topic will be held on Thursday, Jun. 18, 2020 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.   Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and State Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey, Chair of the State Senate Codes Committee, author of the CRL 50-a Repeal Bill, and leading advocate in the legislature on policing and criminal justice reforms will be available to answer questions from


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