Montefiore Mourns Suicide-Related Deaths

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By DAVID CRUZ

Montefiore Health System was stunned to learn the deaths of two patients who took their own lives a week apart. “We are deeply saddened by these recent events and our hearts go out to the affected families and staff,” a spokesperson for the widely utilized hospital, said. “In the wake of these two unrelated events, staff and family members are being offered grief counseling services. We will continue to monitor and support the families and our associates through this difficult time.” The latest incident happened March 28 at Montefiore’s Moses Campus in Norwood, which admits and releases a whopping 47,000

By DEBORAH CRUZ

Mixed emotions engulfed a recent Community Board 7 Housing/Land Use and Zoning Committee meeting when the Stagg Group, a housing development firm, sat down to present plans for a 13-story building to be built at the crossroads of Norwood and Bedford Park. Mark Stagg, CEO of the Stagg Group, and the firm’s executive vice president, Adolfo Carrion, laid out the plans for the Mosholu Grand, a 153-unit residence to be built at 150 Van Cortlandt Ave. The building gets its name from its proximity to Mosholu Parkway and the Grand Concourse. “We think this is a tremendous opportunity at the

Participatory Budgeting is once again under way in Councilman Andrew Cohen’s 11th Council District, which includes Norwood and Bedford Park, partially shifting a process that’s usually tasked by elected officials in a representative government and placing it into the hands of the electorate. The question posed to the public is simple: If you had $1 million to put towards physical improvements in your neighborhood, what would they be? For the past six months, a handful of residents have bounced that question around, coming up with a list of projects that can benefit their communities. During the last week of March,

By DAVID CRUZ

A major sewer project in Norwood is slated to have round the clock work taking place to speed up the process, which could be disruptive to residents’ sleep and their drinking water. Community Board 7 members approved the idea by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, where crews from the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) have spent seven months excavating roads to replace century-old sewer pipes along Bainbridge Avenue. The approval clears DDC to obtain a nighttime work permit from the New York City Department of Transportation, which holds oversight on any work happening

With 23,800 residents relying on healthcare through the Affordable Care Act within his 13th Congressional district, Congressman Adriano Espaillat blasted the so-called “Empire State Kickback” provision, the Republican-led provision that cuts off billions of dollars of Medicaid to New York State. Attached to the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the stipulation could see low-income residents thinking twice about seeing the doctor. “This provision is a shameful political ploy dressed as an attempt to lower local property taxes,” Espaillat, whose comments came on the heels of Congress voting on the AHCA, said in a statement. For weeks, the Republican-led Congress has attempted

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering the northwest Bronx, with dropoff locations at 300 places, is out with plenty of community news you can use. We begin, of course, with page one, and some mea culpas. The front page story focuses on West Bronx Housing’s attempt to shed light on what they believe is a nagging issue across the Bronx–landlords using deceptive tactics to pump up rents on unsuspecting new tenants. Read why the group’s executive director take on these rent registration forms and the state agency tasked to keep track of them. Before going

By DEBORAH CRUZ

There is a new fight against obesity and it is not against food itself. While fast food may be the main culprit behind poor health, a recent study published by Montefiore Health System found unhealthy food ads are placed in low-income communities where nutritional challenges abound. The Bronx has brought in the wrong kind of attention from advertisers, according to the study conducted by Sean Lucan, M.D., M.P.H., attending physician, for Montefiore Health System’s Family and Social Medicine Department. He and colleagues from Albert Einstein College of Medicine found ads promoting candy, chips, sugary cereals and frozen pizza ads on display

By Dr. HERMINIA PALACIO

As a doctor, I learned to be relentless when treating my patients. So, I am proud of the relentless effort the de Blasio administration has put into taking on the homelessness crisis. As a New Yorker, I share the frustration of many that we haven’t made enough progress. We have already stopped the decades-long rise of people coming into shelters with an aggressive set of programs, including rental assistance, street outreach, affordable housing, and expanded legal services for those facing eviction. But we must do more. Now, we will create a more rational and effective shelter system that responds to homelessness borough

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, publishing Bronx community news you can use, is out at 300 stands across the northwest Bronx. We begin, as usual, with page one and a proposal to downzone Mosholu Parkway, the green pasture that doubles as a roadway. Read what Mayor Bill de Blasio had to say about development in the borough, and get a full picture of his recent town hall powwow from reporter Wendy Joan Biddlecombe. Inside the cover you’ll find stories on Norwood’s CVS pharmacy primed to closed, according to the big chain pharmacy, an investigation into