Firefighters Scorch City for Shortchanging Disability Coverage for New Recruits

By DAVID CRUZ Last week’s building fire at Jerome and Sedgwick avenues renewed calls from the FDNY to increase disability payments to new firefighters should they be injured on the job. The rallying cry from the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA), the union representing firefighters, was amplified by Bronx elected officials who have joined a fight to increase disability benefits to injured firefighters. Currently, firefighters hired after 2009 can only qualify for $10,000 in disability benefits, which ranks to $27 a day. Coverage went into effect after then Governor David Paterson vetoed a yearly bill that allows new firefighters to be covered as

No Insurance? No Problem, with Oval Pharmacy’s Prescription Club

Oval Pharmacy, located at 255 E. Gun Hill Rd., is Norwood’s one-stop destination for all your medical needs, like prescription drugs, specialty medications for HIV, hepatitis, transplants, OTC medications, herbal supplements, immunizations for influenza, pneumonia and shingles. They also carry incontinence products, ostomy supplies, wheelchairs, walkers, bath benches, blood pressure monitors, glucose testing supplies, nebulizers, aero chambers, and other products. Medications can be confusing, especially if you are taking multiple medications at different times. It is very common for people to forget which medication they took in the morning or which one they skipped. Oval Pharmacy can help, by offering

By VIVIAN CARTER For the fourth year in a row, Fordham Bedford Community Services (FBCS) celebrated another class of new U.S. citizens, who achieved this milestone, passing the citizenship test, with the expert assistance of FBCS.

Be Healthy – Warding Off Shingles Takes a Shot in the Arm

By KIMBERLY JACOBS Vital Signs: 80 – Percentage of Americans over 60 years old that have not received the shingles shot. (Source: Centers for Disease Control) After getting over the chickenpox, don’t be relieved just yet. The chickenpox virus, varicella zoster, lies dormant in the body, leaving us vulnerable to getting shingles as people get older and the immune system becomes weaker after age 60.

Extended Enrollment Period for Affordable Care Now in Effect

New York State of Health, the State’s official health plan marketplace, announced a special enrollment period (SEP) for uninsured individuals and families who can attest that they were unaware of the tax penalty for being uninsured when they filed their 2014 tax returns. This extended enrollment period started on March 1 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on April 30.

Neighborhood Notes

MMCC Pre-K Applications The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center is accepting applications for its Pre-K, Head Start and child care programs at the Van Cortlandt Village Child Development Center, located inside the VC Jewish Center, 3880 Sedgwick Ave. For more information, call (718) 543-0231 or (718) 882-4000.

New Bus Schedules for BxM4 Riders to Manhattan

The stress of the morning rush, where minutes matter and a mad dash to the bus is the norm, might become a bit easier for some north Bronx commuters. This comes after the MTA agreed to reschedule BxM4 buses a cool 10 minutes earlier. The buses take riders from Woodlawn to midtown Manhattan in just over an hour. The goal was to resolve a tardiness issue for passengers slated for work at 7 a.m. For afternoon rush commuters taking the BxM4 back to the Bronx, departure times will also be 10 minutes earlier. The changes, set to take effect April

Letters to the Editor

Criticizing West Bx Housing Although I agree that Ms. [Sally] Dunford [executive director of West Bronx Housing] is “on the ball,” there are many factors that disagree with my experiences recently. The first is that Ms. Dunford or the Mosholu Preservation Corp., did not tell the people of Norwood that they were moving their office to Bedford Park. The new location is also difficult to get to. Having been healing from severe injuries does not make this trek any easier nor were maps indicated in your paper.