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FEBRUARY 16 - FEBRUARY 22, 2011 • VolUmE 2 - No. 7
The
the community’s bilingual newspaper
el periódico bilingüe de la comunidad BRONX
FREE PRESS
Target: MEDICAID
The Bronx Braces for Cuts
Objetivo: MEDICAID
El Bronx se prepara para los recortes
p3
p5
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Story by Debralee Santos
A
s part of his cost-cutting initiatives
to deal with the state’s substantial
budget gap, Governor Andrew Cuomo
has empanelled a 27-member Medicaid
Redesign Team (MRT) charged
with finding ways to save money by
specifically cutting $2.85 billion from
Medicaid spending for the upcoming
state budget for the 2011-12 Fiscal Year.
New York is well above the national
average in Medicaid spending, spending
$1 billion a week on the program.
“We need to come together to find
solutions to bring costs down without
compromising care for New Yorkers,”
said Gov. Cuomo on Jan. 7th in his
announcement on the MRT. “That is
exactly what this team is going to do.”
The 27 members of the panel are a
broad cross-section of policy-makers.
Among them are leaders from all areas
of health care, including hospitals, labor
councils, public policy groups, and state
commissions.
But some Bronx observers of the
MRT’s work wonder why the panel does
not include more representation of the
people who stand to be most affected by
its findings: the consumers.
“We’re extremely troubled by the
imbalance,” says Robert Lederer,
Research and Policy Analyst for The
Bronx Health Link, an educational
clearinghouse for consumers and health
and human service providers on health
care issues in the Bronx.
This is but one of the many issues
raised by Bronx health care groups
and organizations that have grown
increasingly concerned about the process
undertaken by the MRT to conduct its
comprehensive evaluation.
With the exception of one representative,
Lara Kassel of Medicaid Matters, an
advocacy group for consumers, there is
no other consumer advocate on the panel
deliberating on the wide-ranging changes
to the Medicaid system that Gov. Cuomo
has said would reverse the decades-long
crisis of overspending and waste.
“There are 3 million residents on
Medicaid. There are sub-populations
with special needs. There is simply not
a dearth of knowledgeable consumers [in
New York] on Medicaid.”
To hear from the public, the MRT
had organized and conducted a series of
regional hearings throughout the state in
the past month, including one that had
been scheduled on Jan. 27th at Bronx
Community College.
But snow conditions caused the meeting
to be cancelled. When rescheduled
for Feb. 4th, the Bronx meeting was
consolidated with the Manhattan meeting,
also postponed, into one longer session
from 12 pm – 5 pm at Baruch College.
The original Bronx meeting had been
scheduled from 3 pm – 6 pm.
Lederer believes the new hearing time
deterred participants.
“Contrary to popular mythology, people
Medicaid gets a redesign, with many in the
Bronx feeling left out and behind
[on Medicaid] work. Even an hour after 5
pm makes a difference,” he says.
The Bronx Health Link and other Bronx
community groups such as Housing
Works had actively helped organize a
number of speakers to present testimony.
They also directed those who could not
attend to submit online input forms, using
the web site provided by the State Health
Department as a guide.
But there was no Spanish language
version of the form, and despite the
Health Department’s insistence it would
post one, it never did.
The Bronx Health Link voluntarily
created its own Spanish language form
based on the original that the Health
Department agreed to accept.
“We had to create our own form in
Spanish?” asks Lederer, incredulously.
“I think it shows contempt for Spanish-
speaking consumers and their rights.”
M
oreover, upon arrival, Lederer was
dismayed to find a disorganized
hearing that shunted an overflow of
approximately 100 participants to a
separate room on the first floor, while
the hearing was held on the fourteenth.
He says that there was no clear process
indicated, no sound provided, and no
sign-up sheet, until someone in that first
floor room spontaneously created one.
“This process continues to be presented
as an input-driven one, but no one seemed
clear about the real value of consumer
and advocacy groups,” says Lederer.
Still, despite the many snafus, Lederer
said he came away impressed by the
diverse and strong showing presented
at the hearings, with approximately
300 people present and over 120 people
testifying.
He notes that while much of the
discussion on what cost-cutting measures
the panel will recommend and what
the State will ultimately implement is
speculative, it is logical that the more
expensive programs and services will be
first to be reduced or cut. These include
long term and chronic care, and patients
with multiple illnesses.
Of greatest concern to Lederer and
others is the probable reduction of the
Medicaid reimbursement rate of up to 7%
for providers. For some Bronx hospitals
that are considered safety nets for their
patients, such as St. Barnabas and North
Central Hospitals, and where more than
80% of its users are either on Medicaid or
uninsured, the reduction in reimbursement
could be devastating, both to its patients
and to the hospitals, who might simply
not have enough revenue to keep their
doors open.
“If we don’t speak up now, before these
changes are implemented, then we’ll
have a different, and harder, fight on our
hands,” says Lederer.
Pamela Mattel, Chief Operation
Officer of Promesa/BASICS Systems,
which serves a number of Bronx families
with support services such as transitional
housing, child care and substance abuse
counseling, agrees that the Medicaid
system needs, as she puts it, “massive
transformation.”
But the process as put forth by MRT
strikes her as a far cry from the careful
course of action required, but more one
that satisfies a short-term budget measure
without due consideration for possible
long term damage.
“This has been a very good brainstorm,
but not a process,” she says.
Mattel notes that the evaluation tool
based on 4 metrics presently being used
by the MRT to rate the savings proposals
might seem to yield impressive numbers,
but they speak only to facile, short-term
savings and skirt far more complicated
issues.
“On the face of it, the best ideas may
not have the highest numbers,” she says,
“but how much will you really save in the
long run?”
Mattel is concerned as well about the
outcomes of cuts to behavioral health
services, often stigmatized and an area
vulnerable to reductions in times of
budget woes. She worries that cutbacks
would harm the outreach, prevention
and retention services that are so critical
to many of the vulnerable patients who
struggle to conquer addictions or chronic
disease.
“The behavorial health field has
recently achieved parity with primary
care. [Cuts] would cause for those voices
to be drowned out, for the expertise to
be lost.”
She insists that dismantling the kind
of comprehensive care available to many
families at “single-stop” centers like
Promesa would erode many of real gains
in quality care and trust for the same
at-risk communities that Medicaid was
originally created to serve.
“You have to feel wanted, and to have
a sense of belonging, to pursue [health]
care.”
Editor’s Note: On February 14th,
MRT members will receive additional
detail on approximately 30 of the savings
proposals. They will be required to score
these using a web-based evaluation
tool. The MRT’s next full meeting is
scheduled for February 24th, and will
continue into February 25th if need be.
The MRT then heads into an up-or-down
vote on savings proposals on March 1st.
FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • 4 thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
Columbia University
Celebrates
Black History Month
To learn more about some of the great Columbians in our history, visit www.columbia.edu/blackhistory.
P
h
o
t
o
:

T
i
m
o
t
h
y

G
r
e
e
n
f
i
e
l
d
-
S
a
n
d
e
r
s
Lucy Diggs Slowe
Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences 1915
Slowe, one of the original
founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha
sorority, was also a profes-
sional tennis player and the
first African American woman
to win a major sports title. She
became a vocal advocate for
women’s rights and academic
opportunities.
Photo: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
Paul Robeson
Columbia Law School 1923
One of the most prominent
and politically controversial
black Americans of the 1930s
and 1940s, Robeson won
critical and popular acclaim
for his stage and screen roles.
It was as a concert singer,
however, that he earned his
greatest fame, performing a
uniquely broad repertoire of
spirituals, classical music,
world folk songs and politi-
cal songs that reflected the
struggles of the marginalized
and disenfranchised.
Photo: Metropolitan Musical Bureau/
Columbia University Archives
Charles R. Drew
College of Physicians and
Surgeons 1940
Drew’s work as a physician
and researcher led to his
development of the world’s first
blood bank. He also improved
techniques for blood storage
and created large-scale blood
banks early in World War II.
He protested against racial
segregation in the donation
of blood from donors of
different races because it
lacked scientific foundation.
Photo: Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National
Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Kenneth B. Clark
Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences 1940, Columbia Law
School 1970
Mamie Phipps Clark
Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences 1943
The research of Kenneth and
Mamie Phipps Clark chal-
lenged the notion of differ-
ences in the mental abilities
of black and white children
and thus played an important
role in the desegregation of
American schools.
Photo: Columbia University Archives
Beverly L. Greene
Graduate School of Architecture,
Planning and Preservation 1945
Greene is believed to have
been the first African American
woman licensed to practice
architecture in the United
States. In 1936, she became
the first African American
woman to receive a bachelor’s
degree in architectural engi-
neering, from the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
receiving an M.S. in city plan-
ning there a year later.
Photo: University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
President Barack Obama
Columbia College 1983
When he arrived as a
transfer student at Columbia,
President Barack Obama
first lived on 109th Street off
Amsterdam Avenue while
pursuing his degree in political
science. Having won 53%
of the popular vote and an
overwhelming 68% of the
Electoral College, Obama was
inaugurated as the nation’s
first African American president
on Jan. 20, 2009.
Photo: Eileen Barroso/Columbia University
Constance Baker Motley
Law School 1946, 2003
During her 50-plus years as a jurist, Motley had
a major impact on ending racial discrimina-
tion. As NAACP Legal Defense Fund associate
counsel, she participated in writing the briefs
for Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark
1954 U.S. Supreme Court case that ended
school segregation. From October 1961 to the
end of 1964, Motley won nine of the ten civil
rights cases she argued before the court.
5 FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
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Por Debralee Santos
C
omo parte de su plan de recortar costos
para encarar la sustancial brecha
presupuestaria, el gobernador Andrew Cuomo
ha creado el Equipo de Rediseño de Medicaid
(MRT por sus siglas en inglés). El MRT y sus
27 miembros están encargados de encontrar
maneras de ahorrar dinero específcamente
recortando $2.85 billones del gasto de Medicaid
en el presupuesto estatal para el año fscal
2011-12. Nueva York está muy por encima
del promedio nacional de gastos de Medicaid,
gastando $1 billón semanalmente en el
programa de cuidado de salud.
“Necesitamos unirnos para buscar soluciones
para reducir los costos sin comprometer
el cuidado de los neoyorquinos”, dijo el
gobernador Cuomo en su anuncio del MRT el
7 de enero. “”Eso es exactamente lo que este
equipo va a hacer”.
Los 27 miembros del panel incluyen en su
número una amplia muestra de responsables
políticos. Entre ellos hay líderes de todas las
áreas del cuidado de la salud, incluyendo
hospitales, concejos laborales, grupos de
política pública y comisiones estatales.
Pero algunos observadores del trabajo del
MRT en el Bronx se preguntan por qué el
panel no incluye más representación de las
personas que pueden verse más afectadas por
sus resultados: los consumidores. “Estamos
extremadamente molestos por la falta de
balance”, dijo Robert Lederer, Analista de
Investigación y Política para ‘The Bronx
Health Link’, un centro de educación para los
consumidores de salud, y proveedores de
servicio sociales en problemas de cuidado de
salud en el Bronx.
Este es solo uno de los muchos problemas
planteados por los grupos de cuidado de la
salud y organizaciones del Bronx que han
crecido aumentando la preocupación acerca del
proceso tomado por la MRT para conducir su
comprensiva evaluación.
Con la excepción de una representante, Lara
Kassel de ‘Medical Matters’, un grupo defensor
de los consumidores, no hay otro defensor del
consumidor en el panel deliberando sobre los
amplios cambios al sistema de Medicaid que el
gobernador Cuomo ha dicho podría revertir las
largas décadas de excesos de gastos y despilfarro.
“Hay tres millones de residentes con
Medicaid. Hay sub-poblaciones con
necesidades especiales. No es sencillamente
una escasez de consumidores conocedores del
tema de Medicaid en Nueva York”.
Para escuchar la opinión pública, la MRT
ha organizado y llevado a cabo una serie de
audiencias regionales a través del estado en
el pasado mes, incluyendo una que había sido
programada para el 27 de enero en el Bronx
Community College. Pero las condiciones de
nieve causaron que se cancelara la reunión.
Cuando se reprogramó para el 4 de febrero,
la reunión del Bronx fue consolidada con la
reunión de Manhattan—que también había sido
pospuesta—en una sesión más larga de 12
p.m. – 5 p.m. en el Colegio Baruch. La reunión
original en el Bronx fue programada de 3 p.m.
– 6 p.m.
Lederer piensa que el tiempo de espera ha
disuadido a los participantes.
“Contrario a la mitología popular, la gente en
Medicaid trabaja. Aun una hora luego de las 5
p.m. hace una diferencia”, dice él.
‘The Bronx Health Link’ y otros grupos
comunales del Bronx tales como ‘Housing
Works’ han ayudado a organizar un número
de personas para presentar testimonio en las
audiencias públicas. Ellos también dirigieron
aquellos que no podían asistir a la reunión a
someter formas ‘online’, utilizando la página
electrónica provista por el Departamento de
Salud del Estado como guía. Pero no había
una versión en español de la forma y a pesar
de la insistencia del Departamento de Salud de
que colocaría una, nunca se hizo.
‘The Bronx Health Link’ voluntariamente
creó su propia forma en español basada en la
original que el Departamento de Salud estuvo
de acuerdo en aceptar.
¿“Tuvimos que crear nuestra propia forma
en español”? pregunta Lederer incrédulamente.
“Creo que muestra un desprecio hacia los
consumidores que hablan español y sus
derechos”.
P
or otra parte, a su llegado, Lederer
quedó consternado al encontrar una
audiencia desorganizada que desviaba un
exceso de capacidad de aproximadamente
100 participantes a un salón separado en
el primer piso, mientras que la audiencia se
llevaba a cabo en el piso catorce. Dijo que no
había un proceso claro, sin sonido ni hoja para
frmar, hasta que alguien en ese primer piso
espontáneamente creo una.
“Este proceso continua siendo presentado
como uno de intervención, pero nadie parece
claro acerca del valor real del consumidor y los
grupos defensores”, dice Lederer.
Sin embargo, a pesar de las metidas de
pata, Lederer dijo que se impresionó por la
diversidad y fuerte presentación mostrada en
las audiencias, con aproximadamente 300
personas presentes y más de 120 testifcando.
El señala que mientras mucha de la discusión
en cuanto a los recortes que el panel estará
recomendando y lo que fnalmente el estado
implemente es especulativa, es lógico que los
programas y servicios más costosos sean los
primeros en ser reducidos o recortados. Estos
incluyen cuidado a largo plazo y para personas
con enfermedades crónicas, y pacientes con
múltiples enfermedades.
La mayor preocupación de Lederer y otros es
la probable reducción de la tasa de reembolso
de Medicaid de hasta un 7% a los proveedores.
Para algunos hospitales del Bronx que son
considerados redes seguras para sus pacientes,
tal como St. Barnabas y North Central Bronx
Inquietud en el Bronx por posibles cambios en Medicaid
vea MEDICAID p7
FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • 6 thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
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EDITOR
Debralee Santos
EDITORIAL
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PRODUCTION
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New York, NY 10034
T: 212-569-5800 F: 212-544-9545
By Ryan Maye Handy
On Wed., Feb. 9th, Gov. Cuomo’s
Medicaid Redesign panel met for a
public working meeting to discuss
the restructuring of New York State’s
Medicaid program.
The 27-person panel, consisting of
various health experts and directors of
state-funded health care programs, has
looked to find ways to make those cuts,
and has sought public input for their
restructuring plan with public forums
throughout the state.
The Medicaid Redesign Team had also
accepted online suggestions.
State Medicaid Director Jason A.
Helgerson explained that over 2000
suggestions were received online. He
added that his staff members were
rushing to consolidate these suggestions
with those they heard during the regional
meetings.
The current list of suggestions from
the public has 274 points, organized into
7 themes. Using a scoring system where
the public can rate the suggestions, the
team hopes to create a list of 25-30 final
ideas, according to Helgerson.
The public has until Thurs., Feb.17th
to rate the proposals, the results of which
will be reassessed and submitted to Gov.
Cuomo on March 1. The suggestions can be
viewed online along with a webcast of the
panel’s meeting. http://www.health.state.
ny. us/ heal t h_care/ medi cai d/ redesi gn/
docs/ 2011-02-09_meet i ng_
h a n d o u t _ - _ r e d e s i g n _
proposals.pdf
H e l g e r s o n
admitted that
many Medicaid
members were
f r u s t r a t e d
by the short
timeline the
panel had been
given to accept
s u g g e s t i o n s .
This would
limit public
input, he said,
but he welcomed
the public to
continue the
M e d i c a i d
r e d e s i g n
dialogue after the
March 1 deadline.
Hundreds of concerned
Medicaid members turned out for the
regional hearings to help generate
another 600 suggestions, according to
Helgerson.
“We were able to reach out to and
connect with New Yorkers from every
walk of life,” Helgerson said. “Everyone
who registered to speak was given the
chance to speak.”
Many Medicaid members
share similar concerns,
according to
Lara Kassel, a
c o o r d i n a t o r
for Medicaid
Matters who
traveled with
Helgerson to
the regional
meetings.
“We know the
program is far
from perfect,
and reform is
necessary,” she
said. “The work
of this group is
at least supported
in that the work
must be done.”
Helgerson began the meeting
with a summary of the general suggestions
that had been given to the redesign team.
“Members really want to control their
own destiny when it comes to healthcare,”
he said.
“There is concern about across-the-
board cuts. There is concern that, if we
take a sledge hammer to the health care
system, this will adversely affect the 4.7
million New Yorkers on this program,”
Helgerson added.
Another theme of the public’s
suggestions, Helgerson said, was a desire
to have both their social and health needs
met by the Medicaid program.
“We need to think more broadly in
terms of the population, and consider the
social aspect,” Helgerson said.
Helgerson and other panelists agreed
with public suggestion that the Medicaid
process needs to be streamlined.
Another issue the panel addressed
was the need to eliminate misuse of
Medicaid services, such as inappropriate
uses of transportation and unwarranted
emergency room visits.
The panelists spent more than an
hour of their 4-hour meeting discussing
the scoring system that had been
created for public rating of the redesign
Dispatch from the Medicaid Redesign Room:
A First Person Account
see REDESIGN p7
Por Ryan Maye Handy
El miércoles, 9 de febrero, el panel de
Reforma del Medicaid del Gobernador Cuomo
se reunió para discutir la restructuración del
programa de Medicaid del estado de Nueva
York.
El panel de 27 personas, con sus varios
expertos de la salud y directores de programas
del cuidado de la salud fnanciados por el
estado, ha tratado de encontrar maneras para
hacer esos recortes, y ha pedido la intervención
del público para su plan de restructuración con
foros públicos a través del estado.
El Equipo de Reforma de Medicaid también
acepta sugerencias por el internet.
El director estatal de Medicaid, Jason A.
Helgerson, explicó que se recibieron más de
2,000 sugerencias ‘online’. Añadió que los
miembros de su equipo estaban avanzando
para consolidar estas sugerencias con
aquellas que escucharon durante las reuniones
regionales.
La actual lista de sugerencias del público
tiene 274 puntos, organizada en 7 temas.
Utilizando un sistema de puntuación donde
el público puede evaluar las sugerencias, el
equipo espera crear una lista fnal de 25 a 30
ideas, según Helgerson.
El público tiene hasta el jueves, 17 de
febrero para evaluar las propuestas, cuyos
resultados serán reevaluados y sometidos
al gobernador Cuomo el 1ro de marzo. Las
sugerencias pueden ser vistas ‘online’ junto a
una transmisión de la reunión del panel.
http://www.health.state.ny.us/health_care/
medicaid/redesign/docs/2011-02-09_meeting_
handout_-_redesign_proposals.pdf
Helgerson admitió que muchos miembros de
Medicaid estaban frustrados por corto periodo
de tiempo que el panel había dado para aceptar
sugerencias. Esto limitaría la opinión publica,
dijo el, pero le dio la bienvenida al público a
continuar el dialogo de reforma al Medicaid
luego de la fecha limite del 1ro de marzo.
Cientos de preocupados clientes de Medicaid
se presentaron en las audiencias regionales
para ayudar a generar otras 600 sugerencias,
según Helgerson.
“Pudimos tener alcance y conectarnos con
los neoyorquinos de todas las clases sociales”,
dijo Helgerson. “Todo el que se inscribió para
hablar se le dio la oportunidad de hablar”.
Muchos benefciarios de Medicaid compartieron
preocupaciones similares, según Lara Kassel,
coordinadora de “Medicaid Matters’ quien viajó
con Helgerson a las reuniones regionales.
“Sabemos que el programa está lejos de ser
perfecto y la reforma es necesaria” dijo ella.
Helgerson comenzó la reunión con un
resumen de las sugerencias generales que se
habían dado al equipo de reforma.
“Los miembros realmente desean controlar
su propio destino cuando se trata del cuidado
de su salud”, dijo él. “Hay preocupación con
los recortes. Hay preocupación de que si
cortamos el sistema del cuidado de la salud,
esto afectaría adversamente los 4.7 millones
de neoyorquinos en este programa”, añadió
Helgerson.
Otro tema de las sugerencias del público, dijo
Helgerson, fue el deseo de tener ambas de sus
necesidades sociales y de salud juntas en el
programa de Medicaid.
“Tenemos que pensar más ampliamente en
términos de población, y considerar el aspecto
social”, dijo Helgerson.
Helgerson y otros panelistas estuvieron de
acuerdo con la sugerencia del público de que el
proceso de Medicaid necesita ser racionalizado.
Otro asunto que el panel tocó fue la
necesidad de eliminar el mal uso de los
servicios de Medicaid, tales como el uso
inapropiado de transportación e injustifcadas
visitas a las salas de emergencia.
Los panelistas pasaron más de una hora
de su reunión de cuatro horas discutiendo el
sistema de puntaje que había sido creado para
la evaluación pública de las sugerencias de la
reforma.
El Dr. Nivah Shah, nuevo comisionado del
Departamento de Salud, se unió al panel por
teléfono e intento de explicar el sistema de
evaluación ‘online’. Los participantes, dijo él,
Reformando Medicaid: Un relato personal
vea REFORMANDO p7
7 FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
Subway: A-train to 190 St. or 1-train to Dyckman St. Bus: M7 or M100 to Nagle Ave.
54 Nagle Ave.
(Broadway and W. 195th St.)
www.ywashhts.org
Let’s Dance:
Celebrating the Art of Dance!
February 27, 2011 (12 - 4 PM)
sponsored in collaboration with Delta
Sigma Theta Sorority,
FREE DAY of participatory workshops,
performances, for adults and children.
Refreshments served.
For further information please call
Deborah at 212 569-6200 ext. 219.
Salsa Blues & Shamrocks Race
We would like to invite your child
to participate in the Salsa Blues &
Shamrocks Race that will take place
on Sunday, March 6, 2011 at 9
AM. Register for the race at the Y
and receive a T-shirt, breakfast and
transportation to the event.
Nursery School
The Nursery School at the Y is
accepting students for the 2011-2012
school year. Enroll your 2 – 5 year
old for a project-based interactive
preschool program infused with the
arts. Call the nursery offce at 212-
569-6200, ext 224 to schedule a tour
or for further information.
*New this year: we are putting together
a Y running team for adults! Proceeds
from being apart of this team will help
provide scholarships for families who
are in need of fnancial assistance
towards Y programs.
For further information, please call
Laura at 212-569-6200, ext 220.
Women’s Discussion Group
Next meeting 2/22 at 6:30PM
Topic: Doing New York Culture for
Less!
CSA at the Y!
Buy a “share” and receive fresh veg-
etables from Mimomex, a local NY farm.
Your share will be delivered weekly from
June 16th-November 11th. For more
information, contact Mallory Nugent
212 569 6200 x 228 or mnugent@
ywashhts.org
y donde más del 80% de sus usuarios tienen
Medicaid o no tienen seguro, la reducción en el
reembolso podría ser devastadora, tanto para
sus pacientes y los hospitales, que sencillamente
no tienen la sufciente ganancia para mantener
sus puertas abiertas.
“Si no hablamos ahora, antes de que estos
cambios sean implementados, entonces
tendremos una lucha diferente y más fuerte en
nuestras manos”, dijo Lederer.
Pamela Mattel, Ofcial de Operaciones de
Promesa/BASICS Systems, la cual sirve un
número de familias del Bronx con servicios
de apoyo tales como viviendas de transición,
cuidado infantil y consejería de abuso de
sustancias, está de acuerdo de que el sistema
de Medicaid necesita, como ella lo pone, “una
transformación masiva”.
Pero el proceso como lo plantea la MRT le
parece muy lejos del curso de acción requerido,
pero más uno que satisface una medida
presupuestaria a corto plazo sin la debida
consideración de posibles danos a largo plazo.
“Esto ha sido una lluvia de ideas muy
buenas, pero no un proceso”, dijo ella.
Mattel señala que el instrumento de
evaluación actualmente siendo utilizados
por la MRT para evaluar las propuestas de
ahorros, podrían presentar impresionantes
números de rendimiento, pero solo tocan temas
superfcialmente, ahorros a corto plazo y dejan
fuera problemas mucho más complicados.
“En vista de ellos, las mejores ideas a lo
mejor no tienen los números más altos”, dijo
ella, “¿pero realmente cuanto vas a ahorrar a
largo plazo?”.
Mattel también está preocupada acerca de
los resultados de los recortes a los servicios
de salud para los adictos a drogas y alcohol, a
menudo estigmatizados y un área vulnerable
a reducciones en tiempo de problemas
presupuestarios. Se preocupa de que los
recortes podrían dañar el alcance, prevención
y retención de servicios que son tan críticos
para muchos de los pacientes vulnerables
que luchan para conquistar adiciones y
enfermedades crónicas.
“El campo de la salud para los adictos
recientemente logró igualdad con el cuidado
principal. Los recortes podrían causar que esas
voces fueran ahogadas, que se perdiera la
experiencia”.
Ella insiste en que desmantelar la clase de
cuidado disponible a muchas familias a centros
de “solo una parada” como Promesa erosionaría
muchas de las ganancias reales en la calidad
del cuidado y confanza para las mismas
comunidades en riesgo que originalmente fueron
los benefciarios del Medicaid.
“Tienes que sentirte deseado, y el tener
un sentimiento de pertenencia, para buscar
cuidado de salud”.
Nota del Editor: El 14 de febrero,
miembros de MRT recibirán detalles
adicionales en aproximadamente 30
de las propuestas de ahorro. Se les
requerirá que le den una puntuación
a estos utilizando una evaluación
basada en la página electrónica. La
reunión en su totalidad de la MRT
está programada para el 24 de febrero
y continuara hasta el 25 de febrero
de ser necesario. La MRT entonces
se dirige hacia una votación en las
propuestas de ahorro el 1 de marzo.
MEDICAID de p5
suggestions.
Dr. Nivah Shah, the new commissioner
of Health, joined the panel by phone and
attempted to explain the online rating
system. Participants, he said, would rate
suggestions based on 4 criteria: cost,
quality, efficiency, and overall impact.
Max Chmura, acting Commissioner of
the Office for People with Developmental
Disabilities, stated that he was not
comfortable with this tool. Kassel agreed,
and she complained that the rating
criteria were “extraordinarily vague.”
She was particularly concerned about the
cost criteria, which requires participants
to rate how cost effective a particular
suggestion will be.
“The cost tool, how will we use that?
I’m not an economist, how will I know
how much money will be saved? I’m
worried that I won’t be able to use that at
all,” Kassel said.
Dr. Shah agreed that the ambiguity of
the criteria could present a problem.
“These are very hard to define. On the
other hand, we have to start somewhere,”
he added.
After discussing the issues with scoring,
the panel spent the next hour discussing
various problems with the New York
state healthcare system. They discussed
concerns with medical malpractice suits,
mental health caretakers, and hospital-
acquired infections.
Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, co-chair of the JFK
Jr. Institute for Work Education at City
University of New York, pointed out
the panel had strayed from its goal of
Medicaid redesign.
“We’re not really talking about
Medicaid, we are talking about the health
care system,” he said. “This table is an
opportunity to have a conversation. We
know about these inefficiencies, and
we have an opportunity to really do
something it. We have this list of esoteric
items and we have an opportunity to turn
it into real stuff,” he added.
During the rest of the panel’s meeting,
health experts read aloud from Power
Point slides that explained the seven
themes of Medicaid resign.
Toward the end of the meeting,Robert
Megna, Gov. Cuomo’s budget director,
spoke to the panel about the governor’s
budget concerns and plan.
“How do we close the $10 billion
dollar gap? By reducing the most money
spent—-Medicaid and school aid,” he
said.
“What’s driving spending?” he
continued. “If we did nothing this year,
spending will increase by 11%. If we
follow governor’s suggestions spending
will increase by only 1%.”
REDESIGN from p6
evaluaran las sugerencias basados en cuatro
criterios: costo, calidad, efciencia e impacto.
Max Chmura, en calidad de Comisionado de
la Ofcina para Personas con Incapacidades de
Desarrollo, declaró que no estaba a gusto con
esta herramienta. Kassel estuvo de acuerdo,
y se quejó de que los criterios de califcación
eran “extraordinariamente ambiguos”. Estaba
particularmente preocupado acerca de los
costos de criterio, los cuales requieren que los
integrantes evalúen cuan económico sería una
sugerencia en particular.
“La herramienta de costo, ¿Cómo utilizamos
eso? No soy un economista, ¿Cómo yo sabría
cuanto dinero ahorraríamos? Estoy preocupado
de que no podré utilizar nada en absoluto”, dijo
Kassel. El Dr. Shah estuvo de acuerdo de que
la ambigüedad del criterio podría presentar un
problema.
“Estos son bien difíciles de defnir. Por otro
lado, tenemos que comenzar en algún lado”,
añadió.
Luego de discutir los problemas con
el puntaje, el panel pasó la próxima hora
discutiendo varios problemas con el sistema de
salud del estado de Nueva York. Discutieron
preocupaciones acerca de las demandas de
negligencia médica, cuidadores de salud mental
e infecciones adquiridas en hospitales.
El Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, copresidente de ‘JFK Jr.
Institute for Work Education’ en la Universidad
de la ciudad de Nueva York, señaló que el panel
se había desviado de su objetivo de reformar el
Medicaid.
“Realmente no estamos hablando acerca de
Medicaid, estamos hablando acerca del sistema
de salud”, dijo él. “Esta es una oportunidad
para tener una conversación. Sabemos de
estas inefciencias, y tenemos una oportunidad
para realmente hacer algo. Tenemos esta
lista de elementos esotéricos y tenemos una
oportunidad de convertirlas en realidad”, añadió
él.
Durante el resto de la reunión del panel,
expertos de la salud leyeron en voz alta de
diapositivas de PowerPoint que explicaban los
siete temas de la reforma de Medicaid.
Hacia el fnal de la reunión, Robert Megna,
director de presupuesto del gobernador Cuomo,
habló al panel acerca de las preocupaciones de
presupuesto del gobernador y el plan.
“¿Cómo cerramos la brecha de $10 millones
de dólares? Reduciendo la mayor cantidad
de dinero que se gasta – Medicaid y ayuda
escolar”, dijo el.
“¿Qué está impulsando el gasto?”,
continuo. “Si no hacemos algo este año, los
gastos aumentaran un 11%. Si seguimos
las sugerencias del gobernador los gastos
aumentaran solo un 1%.
REFORMANDO de p6
FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • 8 thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
We’re Talking
the Bronx - see page 9
We’re
Talking
the
Bronx
Susan Band Horwirz, PH.D.,
of Albert Einstein College of
Medicine, receives lifetime
achievement award for cancer
research
On Thurs., Feb.10th, the American
Association for Cancer Research (AACR),
the world’s largest organization dedicated
to cancer research, announced it has
awarded Susan Band Horwitz, Ph.D., the
Rose C. Falkenstein Professor of Cancer
Research and co-chair of molecular
pharmacology at Albert Einstein College
of Medicine of Yeshiva University, its
Eighth Award for Lifetime Achievement
in Cancer Research.
Dr. Horwitz, who is also the associate
director for experimental therapeutics
at the Albert Einstein Cancer Center,
is being honored for her pioneering
research that established the mechanism
of action of the cancer chemotherapeutic
drug Taxol, also known as paclitaxel,
which prompted the development of this
drug as an important therapy for many
common solid tumors. Taxol has been
used by more than one million patients
worldwide to treat cancers of the ovary,
breast and lung.
“Dr. Horwitz has had a direct impact
on millions of cancer patients around the
world through her work in understanding
the mechanisms of action of paclitaxel
and other cytotoxic drugs,” said Margaret
Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive
officer of the AACR. “Her remarkable
career and pivotal scientific contributions
have influenced our understanding of how
cancer drugs work and how to translate
that knowledge into improved strategic
treatments.”
“This award has great meaning for me
because it results from a decision made
by my peers,” said Dr. Horwitz. “This
honor recognizes my laboratory and
all of the students, fellows and visiting
scientists, who have contributed so much
to my research program.”
Dr. Horwitz will receive the Eighth
AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement
in Cancer Research at the opening
ceremony of the AACR 102nd Annual
Meeting on April 3, 2011 in Orlando,
Florida.
Borough President Ruben
Diaz, Jr. calls for urgent action
on PCB contamination in
Bronx schools
On Tues., Feb. 8th, Borough President
Ruben Diaz issued a call for urgent action
on PCB contamination, announcing
release of a letter he had written to
Dennis Walcott, Deputy Mayor for
Education and Community Development,
concerning the results of recent testing
for PCB contamination at P.S. 68 in the
northeast Bronx.
PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) are
extremely toxic chemicals that, for many
years were unwittingly put in building
materials and lighting fixtures used in
school buildings. Studies have shown
associations between children’s exposure
to low levels of PCBs and leukemia,
disturbance of immune function, and
reduced IQ. Such studies have also
linked low exposure levels in adults with
attention deficiencies, cardiovascular
disease, diabetes, and hypertension.
Testing at P.S. 68 was conducted by
the Environmental Protection Agency in
January. A total of thirteen samples from
lighting fixtures were taken from eleven
rooms at the school. Ten samples showed
results above the regulatory limit of 50
parts per million. In nine of the 11 rooms
where samples were taken, the EPA found
results that were above the regulatory
limit.
In his letter to Deputy Mayor Walcott,
Borough President Diaz demands that
the issues at P.S. 68 be remediated
immediately. In addition, the borough
president called on the Department of
Education to remove the lighting fixtures
at all public schools that may be at risk
for PCB contamination. In addition,
the letter demands that the City test all
public schools that may be contaminated
by PCBs within the next 18 months.
“PCBs are a serious threat to the health
of both our children and the teachers,
custodians and other staff that go to
work every day in our public schools.
The City must protect the health of these
individuals, children and adults alike,
and begin the immediate testing of all
school buildings that may be at risk of
PCB contamination. We cannot tolerate
any further delays, too much is at stake,”
said Bronx Borough President Ruben
Diaz Jr.
It is estimated that roughly 800 of the
City’s 1,200 public school buildings may
be at-risk of PCB contamination.
Healthy Living program for
Bronx families shows positive
results on weight loss and
increased endurance
Findings released on Thurs., Feb.
10th by The Committee for Hispanic
Children and Families, Inc. indicate that
community-based approaches to reducing
the rate of obesity among Latino families
can be effective.
Showing positive results, the
organization’s Healthy Living Program,
funded by Empire BlueCross BlueShield
Foundation and Unilever United States
Foundation, offered a free culturally-
based nutrition and fitness program to
families in the Central Bronx, where
60 percent of adults are overweight or
obese (NYC Dept. of Health and Mental
Hygiene). In addition, Bronx residents
are approximately 85 percent more likely
to be obese than Manhattan residents
BP Diaz has called for urgent action in a letter to Deputy Mayor
Walcott on PCB contamination in Bronx schools after P.S. 68
in the northeast Bronx tested “above the regulatory limit”
for PCB’s, toxic chemicals that were inadvertently placed in
building materials
The Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, Inc. recently released fndings
that showed its Healthy Living Summer Program had proven effective for its
participants in losing weight and adopting healthier living habits
9 FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
We’re Talking
the Bronx - cont. from 8
(New York Times, March 14, 2010).
Designed to combat obesity, a major
problem for Latinos, and show families
that eating healthy foods and engaging
in physical activity can be enjoyable and
can fit in their lifestyles, the Healthy
Living Summer Program works with
whole families, creating opportunities
for families to bond and strengthen
relationships, while also creating a shared
understanding of nutrition and fitness
in the family that will reinforce healthy
choices.
Participants from the community were
enrolled in the program throughout the
summer and engaged in a variety of
activities, including nutrition instruction,
fitness instruction, walks in a local park
and a periodic weight check. Some
participants indicated that exercise and
nutrition were not a part of their lives
when they began the program.
Results included:
• Weight loss: Of the 30
participants who were weighed at the
beginning and end of the program, 80
percent lost weight.
• An increase in the number of
steps participants took each day/week:
Participant median for daily steps
increased from 7,642 to 10,466
• An increase in the number of
minutes that participants spent exercising
outside of the program: At the beginning
of the program participants reported
exercising and average of 305.38 minutes
a week outside of program time. At the
end of the program that number had
increased to 731.59 minutes.
“Programs like our Healthy Living
Program provide our Latino community
with the information they need to work
together as a family to build a healthy
lifestyle, while not only respecting their
cultures and traditions, but building upon
them,” said Elba Montalvo, Executive
Former NYC Council Speaker Gifford
Miller leads Signature Urban Properties,
a development group that seeks to
convert area on West Farms Road
into a newly rezoned $400 million
development
The The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo has adopted two rescued bald eagles found injured in Wyoming
Director of The Committee for Hispanic
Children and Families, Inc.
New development proposed
for West Farms Road might
yield 10 high-rise buildings
Signature Urban Properties, a new
development group led by former City
Council Speaker Gifford Miller, has
asked the city to rezone a swath of blocks
on West Farms Road that would turn it
into a largest private rezone since Co-op
City.
The group estimates the project will
cost $400 million.
It claims to see public funds to make
the apartments affordable, while charging
market rate for the other half.
More details are pending at imminent
Community Board meetings.
Two rescued bald eagles get a
second chance at the Wildlife
Conservation Society’s Bronx
Zoo
The Wildlife Conservation Society’s
Bronx Zoo has adopted two rescued bald
eagles found injured in Wyoming.
Both eagles had sustained injuries
making them unable to fly and survive
in the wild. They were taken by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service and relocated
to the Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife
Refuge in the New Jersey Pine Barrens
for rehabilitation before being transferred
to the Bronx Zoo.
The eagles are juveniles; the male
is estimated to be 5 years old, and the
female is almost 4 years old.
“The graceful bald eagle is an important
symbol of power and strength,” said Jim
Breheny, WCS Senior Vice President
of Living Institutions and Bronx Zoo
Director. “Throughout its history,
WCS has played a pivotal role in the
conservation of eagles by helping to bring
about a change in public attitudes toward
the once heavily hunted birds.”
Bald eagles are the national bird of the
United States and one of the country’s
most notable conservation success
stories. Because of protection under
the Endangered Species Act, bald eagle
populations have recovered and they are
beginning to again populate large areas.
Public Hearing on the Mayor’s
FY 2012 Preliminary Budget
The Bronx Borough Board and Bronx
Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. invites
residents to attend and speak at the Bronx
Borough Board Public Hearing on the
Mayor’s preliminary budget for Fiscal
Year 2012 and the capital and service
needs of the Borough this coming Thurs.,
Feb. 17th, 2011 from 10:00 am to 12:00
pm on the 3rd Floor Litigation Room at
198 East 161st Street.
“Love is in the Air” Writing
Workshop
The Bronx Council on the Arts’ Bronx
Writers Center presents “Love is in the
Air” as one in a series of free writing
workshops for aspiring writers at Barnes
& Noble Bay Plaza.
The Bronx Writers Center presents
this free hands-on workshop for writers
who are interested in writing a romance
novel. Learn techniques for creating
intriguing heroes and heroines, building
tension and starting a career as a romance
writer.
Q & A follows. Bring a notebook, a pen
and your ideas for this hands-on session
This workshop is brought to you by the
Bronx Writers Center, a program of the
Bronx Council on the Arts, and Barnes
and Noble Bay Plaza.
The workshop will be held at Barnes
& Noble at Bay Plaza on Fri., Feb. 18th
from 7:00-9:00 pm. Admission is free
and all are welcome.
Awaiting Spring Eco Art
Workshop
The Huntington Free Library presents
a workshop for families to help them
Go Green! and create a nature-based
art collage with artist Star Nigro. The
Huntington Library is located at 9
Westchester Square. The Workshop will
take place on Sat., Feb. 19th from 12:30
– 3:00 pm.
FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • 10 thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
Story by Toni-Ann Martin
Photos by Osjua Newton
Social Media Week started on Mon.,
Feb. 7th in San Francisco, New York,
Paris, London, Hong Kong and other
major cities worldwide.
The Bronx Bloggers’ Network and
the Bronx Entrepreneurs and Business
Network collaborated to bring the
concept home on Tues., Feb. 8th , hosting
a local panel discussion about this unique
approach to obtaining and sharing news.
Escaping the brisk winds outside,
guests entered the warm PeaceLove Cafe
on 151st Street and Melrose Avenue. Each
paused a moment in the small entryway to
take in the aroma of organic baked goods
and freshly brewed coffee.
In a room of about 25 prospective
and established journalists, bloggers
and business owners, nearly all from
the Bronx, milled about as the smooth
sounds of jazz blended with small-talk
and introductions and handshakes were
exchanged.
Clarisel Gonzalez of Puerto Rico
SUN Communications mediated the
talk between panelists Gary Axelbank
from BronxTalk, Mike Callender from
Bronxmedia, Nicole Perrino from
BronxMama.com and Ed Garcia Conde
from Welcome to Melrose.
The panelists started by introducing
their individual projects and speaking
on their commitment to serving the
community.
Gary Axelbank spoke of his work
hosting BronxTalk, a local talk show
about community issues on the Bronx
News Network. Axelbank was born and
raised in the Bronx, where he lives, still,
in the same building of his childhood.
A common utility of social media is
participation, and Axelbank lamented
how few people in the borough seem to
leave comment on blogs, and how few
people call into his show.
For Bronx Media founder Mike
Callender, it was a desire to to change
the perception of the Bronx. Given the
negative reactions he often encountered
when mentioning his hometown.
“It’s not easy starting a Web site,” he
said. “It’s not easy starting anything with
the name “Bronx” in front of it.
Ed Garcia Conde felt the same way
when looked at the Wikipedia page for
Melrose and all he saw were outdated
photographs of burned buildings and high
crime statistics. Conde developed the
blog “Welcome to Melrose” to showcase
the positive side of the neighborhood,
and later started “Welcome to the Bronx”
to serve the same purpose throughout the
borough.
Nicole Perrino moved from Queens
to the Bronx in 2005, and as a first-time
mother she could not find information on
things to do with her daughter in her new
neighborhood.
“When you Google something from
another borough it comes up right away,”
The “Social”-ites of the Bronx meet
to talk, and tweet
she said. “For the Bronx, you have to sift
through pages until you see anything.”
Her web-browsing frustration led to
starting BronxMama.com, which she
wanted to become a one-stop shop of
parenting resources for Bronx residents.
All panelists discussed their use of
social networks, such as Facebook or
Twitter, to promote their blogs and
shows. Conde said whenever he publishes
anything on his blogs, it automatically
post to Facebook and Twitter.
Callender suggested for bloggers who
are interested in using social media to
embed it into their sites so users don’t
have to leave the blog to access social
networks.
Audience member Adam Tang, who
works in finance, said he usedTwitter for
the instant updates. “If it’s 10 minutes
old, it’s old news,” he said. Tang said he
was curious to see how other people were
using social media for others means.
“It’s interesting to see it’s creating
resources for the community,” Tang said.
Fausto Pinto, 23, heard about the
event on the Bronx News Network and
saw Twitter and Facebook updates for
it as well. It seemed like a place where
forward-thinking Bronx people would be,
he said. Pinto was hoping to learn better
ways to promote himself by using social
media from the panelists. Although the
event did not focus self-promotion, the
political discussion that emerged was
of interest to the young, Bronx-bred
journalist.
He could relate to Axelbank’s thoughts
on lack of participation from the
community on blogs and shows. “You
know how you go to a party and no one
is dancing? Nobody wants to be the first
one to dance,” said Pinto, in an attempt to
explain why he and others do not comment
on blogs. Perrino said she sees tons of
comments when she posts a giveaway
on BronxMama.com, but on regular
posts the comments are sparse. She also
urged local bloggers and business owners
to take advantage of whatever social
networks are popular right now to build
a following.
When the audience asked questions
about the issues of social media in the
Bronx, the discussion became one of
politics. Panelists brought forth computer
literacy as a problem and the fact that not
all residents have access to a computer or
the Internet.
Host and PeaceLove Cafe owner
Darada Davis reacted quickly, as one
might expect from a social maven, and
made a call to action for all guests in the
cafe to meet again on Tues., Mar. 8 to
discuss these very issues, long after the
social media week ends.
(From left to right) Mike Callender (Bronxmedia), Gary Axelbank (BronxTalk), Nicole
Perrino (Bronxmama.com), and Ed Garcia Conde (Welcome to Melrose) discuss
the power internet social media can have on connecting citizens of the Bronx to
the important stories that occurs in their community in panel discussion at the
LovePeace Cate on Melrose Ave Tuesday, February 8.
Clarisel Gonzalez, panel moderator and organizer from the Bronx Bloggers’ Network, introduces the panelists Mike Callender
(Bronxmedia), Gary Axelbank (Bronxtalk), Nicole Perrinio (Bronxmama), and Ed Garcia Conde (Welcome to Melrose) at the
PeaceLove Café on a discussion about the development of social media and news coverage in the Bronx.
11 FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
Por Toni-Ann Martin
La semana de los Medios de Comunicación
Social comenzó el lunes, 7 de febrero en
San Francisco, Nueva York, Paris, Londres,
Hong Kong y otras importantes ciudades en el
mundo.
‘The Bronx Blogger’s Network’ y el ‘Bronx
Entrepreneur’s and Business Network’
colaboraron para traer el concepto al
Condado de la Salsa el martes, 8 de febrero,
patrocinando un panel de discusión local acerca
de este diferente enfoque de obtener y difundir
la noticias.
Escapando de los rápidos vientos afuera, los
invitados entraban a un cálido PeaceLove Café
en la Calle 151 y la Avenida Melrose. Todos
pausando un momento en la pequeña entrada
para respirar el aroma de dulces orgánicos y
café recién colado.
En un salón con cerca de 25 prospectos
y periodistas establecidos, blogueros y
dueños de negocio, casi todos del Bronx, se
arremolinaban mientras los suaves sonidos de
jazz se mezclaban con una pequeña charla, y
presentaciones y apretones de manos fueron
intercambiados.
Clarisel González de ‘Puerto Rico SUN
Communications’ mediaba la charla entre los
panelistas Gary Axelbank de BronxTalk, Mike
Callender de BronxMedia, Nicole Perriono
de BronxMama.com y Ed Garcia Conde de
‘Welcome to Melrose’.
Los panelistas comenzaron introduciendo
sus proyectos individuales y hablando de su
compromiso de servirle a la comunidad.
Debaten importancia de redes del Internet en el Bronx
Gary Axelbank habló de su trabajo como
presentador de BronxTalk, un programa
de entrevistas sobre temas locales de la
comunidad en el ‘Bronx News Network’.
Axelbank nació y se crió en el Bronx, donde
vive, en el mismo edifcio de su infancia.
Una utilidad común en los medios sociales
es la participación y Axelbank lamentó como
pocas personas en el condado parecen dejar
comentarios en los ‘blogs’ y como pocas
personas llaman a su programa.
Para el fundado de ‘Bronx Media’, Mike
Callender, era un deseo de cambiar la
percepción del Bronx. Dado a las reacciones
negativas que a menudo encontraba cuando
mencionaba su ciudad natal. “No es fácil
comenzar una página electrónica”, dijo él.
“No es fácil comenzar nada con el nombre del
‘Bronx’ al frente de ello”.
Ed García Conde sintió lo mismo cuando
miró la página de Wikipedia para Melrose y
todo lo que vio fueron fotos viejas de edifcios
quemados y altas estadísticas de crímenes.
Conde desarrolló el ‘blog’ “Welcome to Melrose”
para presentar el lado positivo del vecindario
y más tarde comenzó “Welcome to the Bronx”
para servir con el mismo propósito a través del
condado.
Nicole Perrino se mudó de Queens al Bronx
en el 2005, y como madre primeriza no podía
encontrar información en cosas que hacer con
su hija en su nuevo vecindario.
“Cuando vas a ‘Google’ algo de otro condado
rápido sale”, dijo ella. “Para el Bronx, tienes
que buscar a través de páginas hasta que
ves algo”. Su frustración de buscar la llevó a
comenzar ‘BronxMama.com’, la cual deseaba
se convirtiera en una fuente para los padres de
una sola parada para los residentes del Bronx.
Todos los panelistas discutieron su uso de
redes sociales, tales como Facebook o Twitter,
para promover sus blogs y programas. Conde
dijo que siempre que publica algo en sus blogs,
automáticamente lo colocaba en Facebook y
Twitter.
Callender sugirió a los blogueros que estén
interesados en utilizar medios sociales el
integrarlos a sus páginas para que los usuarios
no tengan que dejar el blog para acceder a
redes sociales.
Adam Tang, miembro de la audiencia, quien
trabaja en fnanzas, dijo que él utiliza Twitter
por las actualizaciones al instante. “Si la noticia
tiene 10 minutos de haberse colocado en el
internet, es una noticia vieja”, dijo él. Tang
dijo que tenía curiosidad de ver como otras
personas estaban utilizando los medios de
comunicación para otras cosas.
“Es interesante ver que está creando fuentes
para la comunidad”, dijo Tang.
Fausto Pinto, de 23 años, supo acerca del
evento del ‘Bronx News Network’ y vio las
actualizaciones en Twitter y Facebook. Pareció
un lugar donde la gente pensante del Bronx
podría estar, dijo él. Pinto esperaba aprender
mejor maneras de promoverse utilizando la red
social de los panelistas. Aunque la actividad no
enfoco auto promoción, la discusión política que
surgía fue de interés para el joven periodista
del Bronx.
Puede relacionarse con los pensamientos de
Axelbank en la falta de participación por parte
de la comunidad en los blogs y los programas.
“¿Tu sabes cuando vas a una festa y nadie
baila?” Nadie quiere ser el primero en bailar”,
dijo Pinto, en un intento de explicar el porque el
y otros no comentan en los blogs.
Perrino dijo que ella ve muchos comentarios
cuando coloca un regalo en BronxMama.
com, pero en cosas regulares los comentarios
son pocos. Ella también urge a los blogueros
locales y a los dueños de comercios a tomar
ventaja de cualquier red social que sea popular
ahora mismo para construir un seguimiento.
Cuando la audiencia hizo preguntas
acerca de los problemas de los medios de
comunicación social en el Bronx, la discusión
paso a ser política. Los panelistas sacaron a
la luz el conocimiento de la informática como
un problema y el hecho de que no todos los
residentes tienen acceso a una computadora o
el Internet.
La anftriona y dueña de PeaceLove Café,
Darada Davis, reaccionó rápidamente, como
se podría esperar de una experta social, e hizo
un llamado de acción a todos los invitados en
el café para reunirse nuevamente el martes, 8
de marzo para discutir estos asuntos, mucho
después de que la semana de los medios de
comunicación termina.
‘The Bronx Blogger’s Network’ y el ‘Bronx Entrepreneur’s and Business Network’ colaboraron para traer
el concepto de la semana de los Medios de Comunicación Social al Condado de la Salsa el martes, 8 de
febrero, patrocinando un panel de discusión local en el PeaceLove Café.
La audiencia escucho atentamente a los miembros del panel discutir sus experiencias con medios sociales.
FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • 12 thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
by Laura Gabby
“At the start of the class, two peo-
ple, just me and one other person, had
ideas about being an entrepreneur,
but by the end, many people were
talking about making a difference
in their community, talking about
environmental justice, and making
better decisions for themselves as far
as their environmental footprint and
their lives,” said Rashard Dyess-Lane,
a BEST Academy graduate, to Rebecca
Manski, Communications Consultant,
in an interview.
On February 2, another 20 students
graduated from the Bronx Environ-
mental Stewardship Training (BEST)
Academy, run out of Sustainable
South Bronx (SSBx).
The program gives instruction in
areas ranging from wetland restoration
to ecology, from green roof installation
to asbestos handling, from job readi-
ness to dance. Yes, that’s right: dance.
According to Dyess-Lane, dance
class was the most memorable ele-
ment of the program.
“We did salsa, merengue, jazz, we
did ballet,” said Dyess-Lane. “[It was
memorable] watching people who
you would never expect in a million
years to dance, forcing themselves to
both work out and dance. It was really
good for building camaraderie.”
The Academy was started by An-
nette Williams in 2003, and was far-
sighted: few other programs like this
existed at the time, and few people
were talking about “green collar” jobs
at the time.
Since then, the BEST Academy has
Graduating the BEST in environmental stewardship
graduated over 20 classes and adapted
to changes in the economy. The BEST
Academy tracks its graduates for three
years following graduation. So far 82
percent of their graduates are currently
employed.
According to Manski, there was a
special emphasis placed on entrepre-
neurship in the past year. Dyess-Lane is
one graduate who appeared to embrace
that emphasis. He is proposing the
development of an energy management
system that would allow business own-
ers to monitor, control, and automate
their energy consumption. His business
is called AdvancedParadigms.com.
While entrepreneurship has recently
received extra attention, the program
has had graduates go on to work for
organizations and city agencies like
the Central Park Conservancy, Mil-
lionTrees NYC, the Parks Depart-
ment, Green Apple Corp., Woodlawn
Cemetery, the EPA, OnSolar, Natural
Resource Group, the Bronx River Alli-
ance, the Bronx Zoo, and the Brooklyn
Botanical Gardens. Upon graduation,
BEST helps its graduates fnd job
placements. According to Miquela
Craytor, SSBX Executive Director,
BEST is planning its frst “employer
breakfast,” another initiative to link
potential employers to their graduates.
The program itself is 17 weeks long,
and essentially a full-time commit-
ment. Students may come from any
borough, but the training takes place
in the South Bronx, and the majority of
students come from the South Bronx.
Most of the students are low-income.
While the program graduates many
more men than women, BEST Acad-
emy highly encourages women to
apply. In the last graduating class,
three of the 20 graduates were women.
Manski said that these numbers are
typical. In the blue collar industries,
the percentage of women is even
lower.
The program’s local focus on the
South Bronx meshes well with SSBx’s
mission of bringing “issues of envi-
ronmental justice to the forefront of
community consciousness, and to
begin to repair and reverse decades of
environmental degradation.” The idea
is that residents are trained in econom-
ically sustainable practices, and can
contribute to the revitalization of their
own neighborhood, which they have a
vested interest in improving.
At the beginning of the program,
students take a “Toxic Tour” with
BEST Academy Administrator Marta
Rodriguez. The tour highlights envi-
ronmental hazards within the South
Bronx.
Rodriguez addressed the gradu-
ates at their graduation ceremony:
“Like I said on the Toxic Tour from
the beginning – for me you all are
heroes, you’re the ones who improve
my neighborhood, make a difference
for everyone else who lives here, and
you show you don’t have to move
out of your neighborhood to make a
change.”
For more information, visit www.
ssbx.org/index.php?link=33#best.
The Sustainable South Bronx held a ceremony for 20
students graduating from its Bronx Environmental Stew-
ardship Training (BEST) Academy on Feb. 2. The program
prepares students for “Green collar” jobs.
GreenTimes
Grown in Washington Heights, Inwood and the Bronx by the the Manhattan Times, the Bronx Free Press and their partners.

B
r
o
adway’s Best

Since 1908
Ernest
Winzer Cleaners
1828 Cedar Avenue, New York, NY10453
718-294-2400 www.winzercleaners.com
exquisite Care for exquisite things
Free Pick-up & Delivery
www.weact.org
Bring any clean and dry textiles like clothing, shoes, towels, sheets,
scarves, hats, bags and belts for reuse or recycling.
Recycle Unwanted Clothing Recycle Unwanted Clothing
www.grownyc.org/clothing. 212.788.7964.
Bring textiles to the
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13 FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
Story and photo essay by Osjua Newton
At Select Roses, a flower wholesaler
and distributor on Bruckner Boulevard,
Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest days
of the year, and their workers are primed
for a day that starts early (7 am) and goes
late. They sift, cut, wrap and arrange
bright flowers by the thousands with ease
and care.
Ordered from farms in South America,
usually 2 to 3 weeks in advance, each box
contains 200 roses with nearly 16,000 of
them are being shipped in.
Elizabeth Hernandez, a florist there
for seven years, wraps bouquets for
costumers, adorning heart shaped earnings
for the Valentine’s Day occasion. “You
know it’s a special day for lovers all over
the world,” she says.
Jorge E. Zambrano, owner of Select
Roses, is glad to see the customers.
“Last year was tough, but now people
are coming back and are willing to buy
luxuries such as roses,” he says.
“You can take a girl out of the Bronx,
but you can’t take the Bronx out of the
girl,” says Yoli La Guerre, an owner of
a floral services shop in Rye, NY, but
was born and raised in the Bronx and
frequently comes to Select Roses for her
floral supplies.
They even offer helpful color guides
on their business cards:
The Language of Roses:
Red - Love, Respect or Courage
White - Innocence, Purity and
Humility; I’m worthy of you
Red & White - Unity
Yellow - Joy and Friendship
Coral - Desire
Light Pink - Grace and Gentility
Dark Pink - Thank You
Lavender - Secret Love, You’re
Lovely
Salmon - Just Because…
“It isn’t just about red roses anymore, its
all colors,” says Zambrano.
Lovers and friends,you’ve been warned.









Roses by the Bushel:
Wholesale Love in the Bronx
FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • 14 thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
Story and photos by Debralee Santos
Whether you prefer rich dark or sweet
milk chocolate, if you like your sweets
with the true taste of serendipity, and not
the manufactured kind, find your way to
Leila’s Hand Dipped Chocolate Shop off
Broadway.
There, in the neatly appointed space
run by Keith Mitchell and his family and
friends, you will find confections that
delight and a story of fortune far richer
than even Leila’s famed hot chocolate.
Twenty years ago, a young Mitchell
worked at Evelyn’s Chocolates, a small
mom-and-pop shop on John Street in the
Financial District. The young kid from
the South Bronx so loved the work that
he swore that one day, he too would have
his own chocolate shop.
“It was like a bar without the alcohol.
There was always a story behind the
chocolate. People wanted to talk, tell you
why they were buying it, for who. I loved
it.”
He tucked his dream in his pocket,
working hard and saving in far less sweet
industries like accounting, but never let
the ambition melt away altogether.
And as Mitchell explains it, when the
time came, destiny played its role.
“It came together pretty perfectly,” he
says.
The prospective chocolatier had
been looking for a storefront on or near
Broadway, near the buses and the train,
and with enough foot traffic to drive
passerby into a sweets shop. He spotted a
FOR RENT sign at this location, a former
Baskin Robbins ice cream store, and
called immediately, only to find that it
was already under contract. Disappointed
but undaunted, he continued to look for a
locale, and months later, spotted another
shuttered location on Broadway. He
quickly saved the number as “231” on his
phone as he drove past. But later when
he called, he mistook one number for the
other, calling the Baskin Robbins realtor
in error. He soon realized his mistake,
and prepared to hang up. But the broker
on the other end kept talking.
The deal that had been under contract?
It had fallen through.
The place was his, if he still wanted to
take a look.
Take a look he did, and after an
extensive renovation that gutted the
original refrigeration, rotting ceiling and
swollen floors, Mitchell opened Leila’s
in April of last year.
There too, he had a bit of providential
help.
While Mitchell rarely leaves the store,
his family and friends all pitched in to
help with the renovations, working long
hours to restore luster to the abandoned
storefront. They also showed up to man
the store, keep inventory and help make
the custom chocolates.
His chief baker is Jose Centeno, a
UptowN diNiNg comida
Destination: Chocolate, by way
of Sweet Providence
childhood friend of over 20 years with
whom he’d lost contact. Centeno’s
wife was running errands nearby and
wandered in to Leila’s. Her husband
followed, only to find his long lost friend
running a sweets shop. He hasn’t left his
side yet, and brings over 35 years baking
experience to every sheet cake and cup
cake he bakes and decorates. On a recent
visit to the store’s tiny but efficiently
organized kitchen, Centeno expertly
whipped through pink frosting rose buds
for a tray of cupcakes and applied tiny
green leaves to a princess-themed cake
for one very lucky Isabella.
The store is lined with perfectly
arranged chocolate candy and sweets,
from colorful, lightweight non pareils
Historia y fotos por Debralee Santos
Ya sea que prefera su chocolate rico y
oscuro o dulce y de leche, si le gustan sus
dulces con auténtico sabor, lléguese a la
Chocolatería de Leila, cerca de Broadway.
Allí, en el espacio designado por Keith
Mitchell y su familia y amigos, usted encontrará
confecciones que deleitan, y una historia
de fortuna mucho más rica que el famoso
chocolate caliente de Leila.
Hace veinte años, un joven Mitchell trabajó
en Chocolates de Evelyn, una pequeña tienda
ubicada en John Street, en el distrito fnanciero.
El joven del sur del Bronx tanto amó ese trabajo
que juró que un día, él también tendría su
propia tienda de chocolate.
“Era como una barra sin el alcohol. Siempre
hubo una historia detrás del chocolate. La
gente quería hablar, decir por qué que estaban
comprando, para quien. Me encantó.” Aunque
escondió su sueño en el bolsillo, trabajando
duro y ahorrando en muchas menos dulces
industrias como contabilidad, nunca permitió
que la ambición se le derritiera por completo.
Mitchell explica cuando llegó el momento, el
destino jugó su papel.
“Todo sucedió casi perfectamente,” dice.
El futuro chocolatero había estado buscando
una tienda en o cerca de Broadway, cerca de
los autobuses y el tren y con sufciente tráfco
que dirigiera clientes a una tienda de dulces.
Él vio un letrero de SE ALQUILA en esta
ubicación, una ex tienda de helados Baskin
Robbins y llamó inmediatamente, sólo para
descubrir que estaba ya bajo contrato.
Decepcionado pero impávido, continuó en
busca de otro local y meses más tarde, vio otra
ubicación en Broadway. Rápidamente grabó el
número telefónico como “231” en su teléfono
mientras conducía.
Pero más tarde cuando llamo, él confundió
un número por el otro, llamando al local de
Baskin Robbins por equivocación. Pronto se
dio cuenta de su error e intento colgar. Pero el
agente de bienes raíces seguía hablando.
¿Y ese trato que había estado bajo contrato?
Nunca se realizó.
El lugar era suyo, si quería echarle un
vistazo.
Echarle un vistazo fue precisamente
lo que hizo Mitchell, y después de una
extensa renovación que destrozó la
refrigeración original, y rehabilitó un techo en
descomposición y pisos desnivelados, Mitchell
abrió Leila’s en abril del año pasado.
Allí también, tuvo un poco de ayuda
providencial.
Mientras que Mitchell rara vez deja la tienda,
su familia y sus amigos todos les echaron una
mano para ayudar con las renovaciones, y
trabajaron largas horas para restaurar el lustre
a la tienda abandonada. También han ayudado
a mantener el inventario y a fabricar delicados
chocolates.
Su panadero principal es José Centeno, un
amigo de la infancia con quien había perdido
contacto. La esposa de Centeno andaba de
diligencias una tarde y se le ocurrió entrar a
Leila’s. Luego la siguió su marido, sólo para
encontrar a su amigo de mucho tiempo en una
tienda de dulces. No ha dejado su lado todavía,
trayendo más de 35 años de experiencia a la
cocina de Leila’s.
En una reciente visita a la pequeña
cocina efcientemente organizada, Centeno
expertamente le aplicó a una bandeja de
pastelitos capullos de rosa de azúcar glaseadas
y pequeñas hojas verdes a un pastel con
temática de princesa.
La tienda está llena de dulces de chocolate
perfectamente arreglado y dulces, con non-
pareils coloridos y con tortuguitas de chocolate
densas. Hay galletas bañadas en chocolate, y
tacitas de mantequilla de maní cubiertas por
chocolate.
Cada pieza es detallada y hecha a medida, lo
cual nota Mitchell con orgullo.
“Yo mismo hago la mayoría de los
chocolates,” dice, explicando que la naturaleza
temperamental del chocolate requiere una
vigilancia atenta.
“Tienes que ser muy cuidadoso, no puedes
dejarlo [desatendido]. Hay que mantenerlo.”
También hay grandes magdalenas para cada
impulso dulce, incluyendo terciopelo rojo,
zanahoria y strawberry shortcake.
Y ay, los cakeballs.
Confecciones pequeñas de bocadito, son
bollitas redondas de pastel mantecoso (tu
elección de pastel) cada uno envuelto en una
capa de chocolate rico de su selección.
“No puedo dejar de venir,” dice con
entusiasmo Albalisa González, quien celebró
el cumpleaños de su hijo de dos años con
un pastel de terciopelo rojo y chocolate con
tema de león (que se publica en Facebook,
naturalmente).
“Todo lo que he probado, me gusta mucho.
Y el servicio es buenísimo,” agrega Alpha Díaz,
quien vive y trabaja cerca.
Mitchell ha sido igualmente impresionado
con la cálida recepción que él y su tienda han
recibido de los compradores locales. Una
mujer le había dotado una reliquia vieja, una
herradura maltratada que dijo había traído a su
propia familias generaciones de buena fortuna.
Otro tiene sólo unos pocos dólares para gastar
Destino: Chocolate, por vía de la Dulce Providencia
see CHOCOLATE p21
vea CHOCOLATE p21
Keith Mitchell, Bronx chocolatier
and owner of Leila’s Hand Dipped
Chocolates, with his own favorite sweet,
his daughter Leila, age 5.
Keith Mitchell, el chocolatero del Bronx y propietario
de Leila’s, con su propio dulce preferido, su hija
Leila, edad 5.
15 FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
El PrEsidEntE
Dominican-Caribbean
3938 Broadway
near W. 165th St.
212-927-7011
Open 24 hours, 7 days
Mon.-Fri: Lunch special
$4.99. 11am-4pm. Buffet:
4.99 a pound. 11am-6pm
Live Music, see Stuff to
do
Café tabaCo
& ron
Italian
501 W. 214th St.
and 10th Ave.
212-567-7170
Kitchen open every day
from 5 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Happy Hour: Weekdays
5 pm -11 pm.
BruncH: Sun 11am-4pm
See our nightly events in
Uptown Nightlife
Coogan’s
American-Casual
4015 Broadway
at W. 169th St.
212-928-1234
www.coogans.com
Daily: 11am-midnight
DaiLy: $5 cocktails all
day. $3 pints all day.
WeekLy: New
seasonally-themed food
specials.
Big BruncH:
Sat, Sun, Mon $11.95.
loCksmith WinE
& burgEr bar
American
4463 Broadway (b/w 191st &
192nd Streets)
212-304-9463
Daily: Noon – 3am
TequiLa & Taco Tue.:
Mexican Food Menu w/ $3
drink specials
Happy Hour: Noon-8pm $3
beers + mixed drinks
BruncH: 12-4pm Sat-Sun
$18 w/ unlimited Mimosas &
Bloody Mary’s
indian road
Café
Eclectic American
600 W. 218th St.
at Indian Rd.
212-942-7451
www.indianroadcafe.com
Mon-Thu: 7am-10pm
Fri-Sat: 7am-11pm
Sun: 8am-9:30pm
LocaL oWnerS, LocaL
eMpLoyeeS, LocaL FooD
With curated coffee, wine, & beer
lists and locally sourced eclectic
American comfort food. Free Wi-Fi
taCoCina
Mexican
591 Ft. Washington Ave. @
W. 187th St.
212-568-2299
Daily: 11am-11pm
Brunch: 11am-4pm Sat-Sun
tacocinaintheheights.com
LuncH SpeciaL: Combo
special with rice and beans:
$7.95. 11am-4pm.
kiDS Menu: $4.95-5.95
2 For 1 MargariTaS:
Daily 4-7pm
Carrot toP
PastriEs
American
3931 Broadway
near W. 165th St.
212 927-4800
Mon-Sat: 6am to 9pm
Sun: 7am to 6pm
5025 Broadway near
W.215th St.
212 569-1532
Mon-Fri: 7am to 8pm
Sat: 7am to 7pm,
Sun: 9am to 6pm
www.carrottoppastries.com
manolo taPas
Cuisine from Spain
4165 Broadway
between 176th &177th
Streets
by La Rosa Fine Foods
212-923-9100
www.manolotapas.net
Mon-Thu: 12pm - 1am
Fri-Sun: 12pm -2am
Flamenco LiVe! on
Wednesdays
CaChaPas y
mas
Venezuelan
107B Dyckman St.
near Post Ave.
212-304 2224
Daily: 10am-5am
We Do caTering.
VenezueLan
FaST
FooD
bangkok
hEights
Thai & Japanese
812 W. 181st Street
near Pinehurst Ave.
212-568-2630
bangkokheightsnyc.com
7 days a week
Sun-Thu: noon-11pm
Fri-Sat: noon-midnight
LuncH SpeciaL: $6.95
Mon- Fri, 11:30-4pm
We can cater your event!
marisCo
CEntro
Seafood
1490 St. Nicholas Ave.
@ W. 185th St.
212-740-2000
www.mariscocentro.com
Daily: 10am-3am
Free valet parking
2 For 1 Dinner:
Mon- Thu, 6pm-10pm
From the sea to your plate
Del mar a tu boca
American Fusion
4325 Broadway
Off 184th Street
www.altuscafe.com
Daily: 5pm-2am
Kitchen open until 12am
Happy Hour: 5-8pm
LaDieS nigHT: Tues 9pm-
12am
open Bar: Thu 6-8pm,
$5 after
BruncH: Sat & Sun
11am-4pm
Uptown knows
dining.
Try one of these
eateries for your next meal or party.
altus CafE
Modern American
Espresso/Wine bar
854 W. 181st Street (off
Cabrini Blvd)
212-923-2233
www.181cabrini.com
Kitchen now open
Mondays
WeekDayS
8am - 11pm
SaT & Sun BruncH:
8am – 4:30pm
Happy Hour: 5-8pm
181 Cabrini
Columbia
soCial
Bistro
4009 Broadway
near W. 168th St.
212-781-3333
Sun-Fri: 11:30am - 10pm
SaT: 5pm – 10pm
cHaMpagne BruncH:
11.95 Sun 11am-4pm
LiVe reSiDenT DJ:
Thu, Fri, 5pm-11pm
***
UPTOWN DINING
***
FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • 16 thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
17 FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
Compiled by Debralee Santos
In 2007, 68% of women Bronx residents
who gave birth were on Medicaid.
New York City Health Department,
2007
The lowest birth-weights in the country
are found in the South Bronx.
New York City Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene, Asthma Facts,
Second Edition, 2005
21.3% of respondents in the South
Bronx reported that they did not have
a personal physician, higher than the
percentage for New York City as a whole
(18.1%).
1 in every 5 respondent in the South
Bronx reported in 2009 that they were
uninsured.
29.6% of respondents who were insured
reported they were covered by Medicaid.
Only 67.8% of Bronx residents reported
that they were continuously insured
in 2009, less than the citywide rate of
74.8%.
New York State Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)
Community Health Survey (CHS) of
South Bronx residents, 2009
The Bronx is the least healthy county
in New York State, ranking last in “health
outcomes” including length of life and
quality of life, as well as “health factors”
such as environmental quality, social
status, education, income, and access to
care.
University of Wisconsin Population
Health Institute study, February 2010
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
had a $333 million budget for nutrition
education, evaluation, and demonstrations;
five of the top U.S. fast-food chains
alone had combined advertising budgets
of nearly $1.5 billion in 2001.
“Food Advertising and Marketing
Directed at Children and Adolescents
in the U.S.,” International Journal
of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical
Activity, 2001
The South Bronx has a 34% obesity
rate, and 8 schools within 0.1 miles of 1
fast food restaurant, and 1 school within
0.1 miles of 2 fast food restaurants.
Columbia University study, The Effect
of Fast Food Restaurants on Obesity,
2009
Bronx women in the Southwest Bronx
are twenty times more likely to die from
diabetes than women living on the Upper
East Side of Manhattan.
Neighborhood residents are twice as
likely as nonresidents to have diabetes or
hypertension and to die of heart disease.
Although there are fewer new HIV
diagnoses per capita in South Bronx than
in the Chelsea and Clinton neighborhoods
in Manhattan, the mortality rate from
HIV/AIDS in the South Bronx is almost
twice as high.
New York City Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene, Health Disparities
in New York City, 2004 – provided by
Bronx HEALTH REACH
The South Bronx houses eighteen
waste transfer stations and other waste
facilities, a New York City Department
of Environmental Protection sewage
treatment plant processing all of the
Bronx’s sewage (some of which is
discharged into local waters), and the
New York Organic Fertilizer Company,
which processes at least half of New York
City’s “treated” sludge.
There are scores of brownfields, and
more than 403,000 vehicles, including
tens of thousands of trucks, that use local
Bronx highways daily.
The South Bronx has the third highest
asthma rate in New York City, with Hunts
Point children suffering twelve times the
national average.
Data compiled by New York Lawyers
for the Public Interest from New York
City Department of Sanitation - provided
by Bronx HEALTH REACH
New York is the only state that does
not pay doctors more for complex
examinations than for simple ones, or pay
specialists more than internists.
For a moderately complex office
consultation with a specialist, Medicaid
in New York pays $24, the lowest of any
state, compared with a national Medicaid
average of more than $91.
The Urban Institute and the
Center for Studying Health
System Change Report, 2004
Medicaid currently consumes 26% of
the state’s operating budget.
The Medicaid Redesign Team, 2011
Children and able-bodied adults -
mostly women - are about three-quarters
of New York’s Medicaid patients but
account for about one-quarter of the
expenses.
R. Pérez-Pena, “At Clinic, Hurdles to
Clear Before Medicaid Care,” New York
Times, October 17, 2005
Life and Death, by the Numbers
CRISIS: The State of Health and Medicaid in the Bronx
FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • 18 thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
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Story and photos by Brendaliss Gonzalez
More than 30 bachelors and
bachelorettes offered themselves as dates
to the highest bidder at Beso Lounges’
first Valentine’s date auction this past
Fri., Feb. 11th. However, romance
wasn’t the greatest cause for the nearly
100 attendees, autism was.
Proceeds from the event went to support
Autism Speaks, one of the nation’s largest
organizations dedicated toward autism
research.
For Gino Pacheco and Eli Garcia,
owners of Beso Lounge, located on E.
204th St., it meant more than just bringing
awareness; it was helping out their friend
Justin, a six-year-old boy who suffers
from autism. They’d seen up close
the struggles of Justin’s mom, Shakira
Calderon, and decided the auction was a
great way to support research to find the
cause for this condition that affects 1 out
of 110 children nationwide.
“The idea came as a result of our time in
the bar business,” said Pacheco. “You see a
lot of people complaining about being single
and we decided to incorporate it into a fun
event to raise funds for a good cause.”
Pacheco and Garcia promoted the event to
the community via Facebook and word of
mouth and were excited to see the turnout of
more than 40 singles eager to provide a date
to anyone willing to bid. The participants
ranged from 21-40 years of age. Justin’s
mom, Calderon, attended the event and was
grateful to see the large turnout.
“This means a lot because it’s for
not only my son, but my nephew (close
friend) as well,” she said. “We (Gino and
I) had spoken about doing something like
this 2 years ago and now it finally came
through.”
Calderon admits that having a child
with autism is a daily challenge. A
single mom, she has to make sure they
stick to a precise daily routine, since the
condition affects his social skills, making
it hard to function in noisy or changing
environments. She has had to send Justin
to a private school in Manhattan that
specializes in working with children with
autism, a choice that is both costly and
time consuming.
Each year she has to present a suit
against the Department of Education to
prove that the public schools in the Bronx
are not adequate to provide the care he
needs, and to receive aid in paying the
school’s $72,500 tuition.
“It’s been hard,” she said. “I won last
year, but this year’s case is still pending,
I hope they’ll settle and we won’t have to
Love, and altruism, for the bidding
at Besos auction
see BESOS p20
Participants of the Valentine’s Day Auction at Beso Lounge were presented with
nametags and had pictures taken before heading off to be auctioned.
FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • 20 thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
El Beso Lounge Auspicia Subasta
Por Una Gran Causa
Historia y fotos por Brendaliss Gonzalez
Más de 30 solteros y solteras ofrecieron
someterse el pasado viernes a una subasta
del día de los enamorados y salir en una cita
con la persona ganadora. Sin embargo, en
esta actividad auspiciada por el Beso Lounge,
el motivo de la misma no fue el amor sino el
autismo.
Las ganancias de la actividad fueron a
Autism Speaks, una de las organizaciones
más grandes en la nación dedicada a la
investigación sobre el autismo. Para Gino
Pacheco y Eli García, dueños del Beso Lounge,
ubicado en la Calle E. 204th St., la actividad
signifcó mucho más que concientizar porque
pudieron ayudar a su amigo Justin, niño de seis
años que sufre de la condición mental conocida
como autismo. Gino y Eli habían observado
el sufrimiento de Shakira Calderón, la madre
de Justin, y decidieron que la subasta era una
gran manera de apoyar la investigación de la
causa para combatir esta condición que afecta
a 1 de cada 110 niños en la nación.
“La idea vino como resultado de una
observación durante el tiempo que hemos estado
en el negocio de las barras,” dijo Pacheco. “Uno
ve a muchas personas quejándose de ser soltero
y decidimos convertir la idea en un evento de
recaudar fondos para una buena causa.”
Pacheco y García promovieron el evento
a la comunidad regando la voz y a través
de “Facebook”, y se sorprendieron por la
respuesta de más de 40 personas listas a
ofrecer una cita a la persona dispuesta a
participar en la subasta. Los participantes
variaban entre las edades de 21 a 40 a quienes
se le requería tener algún tipo de empleo.
Calderón, la mama de Justin, asistió al evento y
estuvo agradecida al ver el resultado.
“Esto signifca mucho para mi porque no es
solo para mi hijo, sino también para mi sobrino
(amigo),” comentó Calderón. “Hace dos años
que nosotros (Gino y yo) habíamos hablado de
hacer una actividad como esta y por fn se ha
convertido en una realidad.”
Calderón admite que el tener un hijo con
autismo es una lucha diaria. La madre soltera
tiene que asegurarse de mantener una rutina
fja ya que la condición afecta las destrezas
sociales de su hijo haciéndole difícil funcionar
en ambientes variados o llenos de mucho ruido.
Ha tenido que enviar a Justin a una escuela
privada en Manhattan que se especializa en
trabajar específcamente con niños de autismo,
lo cual ha sido costoso y le demanda mucho
tiempo. Tiene que someter anualmente una
querella al Departamento de Educación para
probar que las escuelas públicas ubicadas en
el Bronx no son adecuadas para satisfacer
las necesidades de su hijo y así poder recibir
ayuda para en pagar la matricula del colegio
que cuesta $72,500.
“Ha sido difícil,” admitió. “El año pasado
gané, pero este año el caso está pendiente y
espero que están dispuestos a pautar para no
tener que ir a la corte.”
Mientras se juntaban en el pequeño espacio
de la barra antes de exponerse al gentío
dispuesto para la subasta, la mayoría de los
participantes se mantuvieron enfocados en
la causa aún más que en la oportunidad de
encontrar amor.
“Tengo muchas amistades que sufren del
autismo, así que esta es una forma de dar
para atrás,” comentó Jackie Rosa, participante
residente del Bronx. “Claro que estoy nerviosa,
estas exponiéndote a ver si alguien se ofrece
por ti pero no estoy buscando un encuentro
amoroso, solamente quiero ayudar.”
Agraciadamente, nadie tuvo que preocuparse
por obtener un ofrecimiento, ya que la subasta
go to court.”
As they gathered around the lounge
before playfully revealing themselves
to an eager crowd of participants with
bid cards in hand, the majority of the
auctionees seemed focused on the cause
rather than on finding true love.
“I have a lot of friends with autism,
so this is my way of giving back,”
said Jackie Rosa, a Bronx resident and
participant. “Of course I’m nervous, it’s
putting yourself out there to see if anyone
is going to bid, but I’m not looking for
the hookup, I just want to help out.”
The crowd cheered as each participant
strutted his/her stuff down the bar just
before being auctioned off.
Calderon isn’t the only parent struggling
to properly care for a child with autism.
According to Thoughtful House Center
for Children, some 20,000 people ranging
from 3-22 years old have been diagnosed
with autism in New York.
Government statistics have suggested
that the rate of autism continues to
increase 10-17 percent annually. There
is still no cure or knowledge for the cause
of this mental disorder that affects social
interaction and cognitive functions.
The condition is complicated and it
is often hard to treat and diagnose the
variety of Autism Spectrum Disorders
also referred to as Asperger’s, Rett
Syndrome and Childhood Disintegrative
Disorder. Organizations like Autism
Speaks are dedicated toward funding
research, raising public awareness and
providing support.
Additionally, there are several support
groups offered in the Bronx including
the Autism Society Bronx Chapter and
Autism Bronx Parents of A.N.G.E.L.S.
The participants of the Beso Lounge
auction had more to celebrate than
the expectation of scoring a date for
Valentine’s Day. With children like Justin
in mind, the bidders earnestly raised
their cards as the host called out; “$20,
$40, going once, twice, sold.” The cost
didn’t matter, although some couldn’t
help but have a little excitement as to the
possibility of finding love.
“It’s killing two birds with one stone,”
said Orlando Rivera, contributor and
Bronx resident. “Besos does mean kissing
in Spanish, you know,” he offered, by
way of explanation.
BESO from p19
siempre comenzaba en $20. La multitud
aclamaba al presentarse cada participante
según caminaba sobre la barra y demostraba
lo que tenían que ofrecer, antes de ser
subastado. Calderón no es la única madre
que sufre para poder proveerle a un hijo con
autismo. Según “Thoughtful House Center
for Children”, en Nueva York hay unas 20,000
personas entre las edades de 3 a 22 años que
han sido diagnosticadas con autismo. Las
estadísticas gubernamentales han demostrado
que el índice del autismo sigue aumentando
entre 10 a 17 por ciento anualmente. Aún no
hay cura o conocimiento sobre la causa de la
condición mental que afecta adversamente la
interacción social y funciones cognitivas de
sus víctimas. Es una condición compleja difícil
de tratar y diagnosticar que además presenta
una la variedad de desórdenes también
conocidas como Asperger Os, Síndrome de
Rett y Desorden Degenerativa de la Niñez.
Organizaciones como “Autism Speaks” se
dedican a obtener fondos para la investigación,
concientizar la comunidad y proveer apoyo.
En el Bronx existen varios grupos de apoyo
incluyendo al “Autism Society Bronx Chapter” y
el “Autism Bronx Parents of A.N.G.E.L.S”.
Los participantes de la subasta del “Beso
Lounge” tuvieron una causa mayor que la
expectativa de asegurarse una cita para el día
de los enamorados. Con niños como Justin en
mente, los postores subieron sus pancartas al
escuchar el anftrión anunciar, “$20, $40, uno,
dos, tres, vendido.” No importó el costo, aunque
algunos no pudieron negarse la emoción sobre
la posibilidad de encontrar el amor.
“Estamos matando a dos pájaros de un tiro,”
dijo Orlando Rivera, contribuidor y residente del
Bronx. “Debes saber que Besos (Lounge) en
español signifca besar.”
Bidders at Valentine’s Day auction had
to act fast to secure a date. While all
bids started at $20, some reached as
high as $60.
Ululy Martinez, an attorney from the
Bronx was the frst up and reached a bid
of $40.
21 FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
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to dense, chewy chocolate turtles. There
are pretzels drenched in the sweet stuff,
and tiny round cups of chocolate covered
peanut butter.
Each piece is detailed and custom
made, which Mitchell notes with no small
amount of pride.
“I make most of the chocolates myself,”
he says, explaining that its temperamental
nature requires vigilant monitoring.
“You have to be very careful, you can’t
leave it. You have to maintain it.”
There are also large, moist cupcakes for
every manner of sweet craving, with red
velvet, carrot and strawberry shortcake
taking center stage.
And there are the cakeballs.
Tiny, mouth-sized confections, these
are round balls of buttery cake (again,
your choice of cake) each wrapped in a
rich chocolate coating of your selection.
“I can’t stop coming in,” enthuses
Albalisa Gonzalez, who celebrated her
son’s two year birthday with a red velvet and
chocolate lion-themed cake from Leila’s
(that she posted on Facebook, natch), and
was stopping in again for a treat.
Alpha Diaz, who works and lives
nearby, agreed that the attention to detail
was impressive.
“Everything I have tried, I really like.
And the service is great,” she says.
Mitchell has been equally impressed
with the warm reception he and his shop
have received from local shoppers. One
woman gifted him with an old heirloom,
a battered horseshoe that she claimed
had brought her own family generations
of good fortune. Another has only a few
dollars to spend every time she visits,
but insists she would only spend it with
him, because she wants to support his
enterprise.
“It is amazing how many people want
to support a small business, and how
important it is that [the chocolates] are
custom made. It really matters.”
What matters too is not leaving the shop
without a taste of the intensely rich hot
chocolate Mitchell prepares personally,
with or without cinnamon. The chocolate
is headily aromatic and densely flavored,
coating your tongue with bright notes of
vanilla and spice.
Beg him for the secret of what is
modestly – and rightfully – billed as the
“best hot chocolate in the world,” and
he’ll gladly tell you.
“I just use milk and chocolate. That’s
it.”
Leila, his five year old daughter, and
the store’s namesake, peers out from
behind him, her eyes watchful and bright
as you talk, her arms encircling her
father’s waist.
Mitchell is thoroughly surrounded by
such support.
After all, it was the owner of Evelyn’s,
his former boss of two decades ago,
that helped him buy his first chocolate
inventory for the store, and helped him
make the trade industry rounds.
Sweet, no?
CHOCOLATE from p14
cada vez que visita, pero insiste que solo se lo
daría a él, porque quiere apoyar a su empresa.
“Es increíble cómo muchas personas quieren
apoyar una pequeña empresa, y lo importante
que es que [los chocolates] sean a la medida.
Realmente importa.”
Lo que importa por igual es no salir de la
tienda sin un sabor del chocolate caliente
e intensamente rico que Mitchell prepara
personalmente, con o sin canela.
El chocolate es aromático y lleno de sabor,
cubriendo la lengua con brillantes notas de
vainilla y especias.
Al pedirle el secreto de lo que es, modesto – y
con razón –el “mejor chocolate caliente en todo
el mundo”, él lo revela con mucho gusto: “Utilizar
sólo la leche y el chocolate. Eso es todo.”
Leila, su hija de cinco años y tocaya de la
tienda, se esconde detrás de él, sus ojos brillantes
y vigilantes, sus brazos arropándole la cintura.
Mitchell está rodeado por ese tipo de apoyo.
Después de todo, era el mismo dueño de
Evelyn, su ex jefe de hace dos décadas, que
le ayudó a eligir y comprar su inventario para
el primer chocolate de la tienda, y le ayudó a
hacer las rondas comerciales de la industria.
Dulce, ¿no?
CHOCOLATE de p14
Leila’s Hand Dipped Chocolates
225 West 231st Street
The Bronx, New York 10463
347-964-1810
The famous cakeballs for which the
chocolate shop is known for, tiny, bite-
sized confections of different cakes
coated with a rich, dense chocolate
glaze, are hard to pass up.
Los famosos cakeballs, dulces minúsculos, son
bollitas redondas de pastel mantecoso de diversos
sabores cubiertas con un esmalte rico de chocolate,
son sumamente tentadores.
FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • 22 thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
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by Gloria Pazmiño
Northern Manhattan residents will soon
have another opportunity to question
representatives of Quadriad Realty
Partners, who are planning to build two
or four residential towers as tall as 42
stories on Broadway near W. 190
th
Street.
The developer is planning to attend the
Wed., March 2

meeting of Community
Board 12’s Land Use Committee.
During its Feb. 9 meeting, which was
marked at times by emotional debate
about the appropriateness of the project,
the Land Use Committee drafted a list of
questions that will be forwarded to the
developer.
Much of the focus of the meeting
specifically targeted the “New Strategy”
version of the plan that would result in
four towers and 454 housing units that
could be sold or rented at market rate, and
198 units of “affordable housing,” which
as defined by Quadriad are households
earning 60 to 180 percent of the city’s
median income.
In response to a concern that the
majority of existing families in Northern
Manhattan would not find that affordable,
the committee is asking Quadriad if it
could lower the pricing.
The list of questions also includes
whether Quadriad would consider
alternate design approaches, such as
building shorter towers, and creating
larger floor plates. Members are also
asking if it was financially feasible to
reconfigure residential units, community
space, and retail space in a way that more
closely aligns with existing housing
stock.
A local resident who lives on Wadsworth
Terrace attended the meeting and said
she is concerned that construction of a
project of this magnitude could damage
area buildings, some of which sit atop
metal stilts on unstable land.
Martin Collins from the office of City
Council Member Jackson raised concerns
that the average apartment size that is
being proposed by Quadriad is too small
for local families, which need more two-
and three-bedroom options than single
units.
The next Land Use Committee meeting
will be held Wed., March 2 at the
Community Board 12 office on 711 W.
168
th
Street and Haven Avenue.
CB12 drafts questions for developer
of Broadway towers
by Gloria Pazmiño
Community League of the Heights
(CLOTH), a Washington Heights-based
nonprofit, announced at February’s
Community Board 12 Land Use
Committee meeting that it had secured
to start building a supportive housing
project at 2142 Amsterdam Ave. near W.
166
th
Street.
Yvonne Stennett, executive director
of CLOTH, which provides housing,
educational, and other social services
as well as administering a food pantry,
said the current plan for the building is
to house single adults suffering from
mental illness who are at risk of chronic
homelessness. The project includes 42
studio size units each with a private
bathroom and a kitchenette. Job training,
career development, and other social
services will be provided on site.
The $6 million project has been approved
by the city’s Housing Preservation and
Development Department (HPD).
According to Samir Shah, architect with
the Urban Quotient firm which designed
the project, the multilayer design of the
building will provide its tenants a sense
of belonging, and will provide protection
from outside influences.
Stennett also pointed out that, although
the facility will offer permanent housing,
residents will be encouraged to move
into unsupported housing as they become
prepared to live independently. Residents
CLOTH plans supportive housing project
on Amsterdam Avenue
will have leases and pay rent.
Initially, the site located at 2142
Amsterdam Avenue was purchased
by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital,
which wanted to utilize the space for a
community servicing facility, but the
lot was too small to build housing units.
Following the efforts of both CLOTH
and the hospital, the two lots adjacent to
the property were also purchased giving
enough room to begin the project.
Construction is scheduled to begin in
December and be completed within 18
months.
A rendering of what a new supportive
housing project at 2142 Amsterdam Ave.
might look like.
Un esbozo de lo que podría ser un nuevo proyecto
de vivienda de apoyo en el 2142 de la Avenida
Amsterdam.
23 FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
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The developer who is proposing to
build two or four residential towers
on Broadway near W. 190
th
Street will
attend the next meeting of Community
Board 12’s Land Use Committee on
Wed., March 2.
El promotor que está proponiendo construir dos o
cuatro torres residenciales en Broadway cerca del
oeste de la Calle 190 asistirá a la próxima reunión
del Comité de Uso de Tierra de la Junta Comunal 12
el miércoles, 2 de marzo.
Por Gloria Pazmiño
Los residentes del Alto Manhattan pronto tendrán
otra oportunidad de cuestionar a los representantes
de Quadriad Realty Partners, quienes están
planeando construir dos o cuatro torres residenciales
tan altas como de 42 pisos en Broadway cerca del
oeste de la Calle 190. El promotor está planeando
asistir a la reunión del Comité de Uso de Terrenos de
la Junta Comunal 12 el miércoles, 2 de marzo.
Durante su reunión del 9 de febrero, que en
momentos fue marcada por debate emocional
sobre la idoneidad del proyecto, el Comité de
Uso de Tierra hizo una lista de preguntas que
serían enviadas al desarrollador.
Mucho del enfoque de la reunión fue dirigido
específcamente a la versión de “Nueva
Estrategia” del plan que resultaría en cuatro
torres y 454 unidades de vivienda que podrían
ser vendidas o rentadas al precio del mercado
y 198 unidades de “vivienda a bajo costo”, las
cuales son hogares ganando un 60 a un 180
por ciento del ingreso mediano de la ciudad.
En respuesta a una preocupación de que la
mayoría de las familias en el Alto Manhattan no
encontrarían eso asequible, el comité le está
pidiendo a Quadriad si puede bajar el precio.
La lista de preguntas también incluye si
Quadriad consideraría alternativas al actual
diseño, tales como torres más pequeñas y
la creación de grandes pisos. Los miembros
también están pidiendo si es costeable el
reconfgurar las unidades residenciales, espacio
comunal y locales comerciales que se alinee
más de cerca con las viviendas ya existentes.
Una vecina de Wadsworth Terrace asistió a la
reunión y dijo que estaba preocupada de que la
construcción de un proyecto de esta magnitud
podría dañar edifcios del área, algunos de los
cuales se encuentran en zancos de metal en
tierra inestable.
Martin Collins de la ofcina del Concejal
Robert Jackson presentó preocupaciones de
que el tamaño del apartamento promedio que
está siendo propuesto por Quadriad es muy
pequeño para las familias locales, las cuales
necesitan opciones de más de dos y tres
cuartos dormitorios que unidades sencillas.
La próxima reunión del Comité de Uso de
Terrenos se llevará a cabo el miércoles, 2 de
marzo en la ofcina de la Junta Comunal 12 en
el 711 de la Calle 168 y la Avenida Haven.
CB12 bosqueja preguntas para promotor de torres en Broadway
Por Gloria Pazmiño
La Liga Comunal de los Heights (CLOTH,
por sus siglas en inglés), una sin fnes de lucro
con sede en Washington Heights, anunció en
febrero en una reunión del Comité de Uso de
la Junta Comunal 12 que había asegurado
comenzar a construir un proyecto de apoyo de
vivienda en el 2142 de la Avenida Amsterdam
cerca del oeste de la Calle 166.
Yvonne Stennett, directora ejecutiva de
CLOTH, la cual provee vivienda, educación y
otros servicios sociales como también administran
un almacén de comida, dijo que el actual plan el
edifcio es el albergar adultos solteros sufriendo
de enfermedades mentales que estén en crónico
riesgo de carencia de hogar. El proyecto incluye
42 unidades del tamaño de un estudio cada uno
con un baño privado y una pequeña cocina.
Entrenamiento de trabajo y otros servicios sociales
serán suministrados en el lugar.
El proyecto de $6 millones ha sido aprobado
por el Departamento de Preservación y
Desarrollo de Vivienda (HPD).
Según Samir Shah, arquitecto de la frma
Urban Quotient el cual diseñó el proyecto, el
diseñó multi-escalonado del edifcio le proveerá
a sus inquilinos un sentido de pertenencia, y
proveerá protección de infuencias externas.
Stennett también señaló que, aunque la
facilidad ofrecería vivienda permanente, se
animará a los residentes a mudarse a vivienda
sin ayuda a medida que estén preparados para
vivir de forma independiente. Los residentes
tendrán contratos y pagarán alquiler.
Inicialmente, el sitio localizado en el 2142
de la Avenida Amsterdam fue comprado por
el Hospital New York-Presbyterian, el cual
deseaba utilizar el espacio para una facilidad de
servicio comunal, pero el lote era muy pequeño
para construir unidades de vivienda. Luego con
los esfuerzos de CLOTH y el hospital, los dos
lotes adyacentes a la propiedad también fueron
comprados brindando sufciente espacio para
comenzar el proyecto.
La construcción está programada para
comenzar en diciembre y ser completada en 18
meses.
CLOTH planea proyecto de vivienda de
apoyo en la Avenida Amsterdam
FEBRUARY 16, 2011 • 24 thE BRonx FREE pREss • www.thebronxfreepress.com
BASICS/PromeSA SyStemS, InC.
C
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m
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v
is
it
u
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C
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m
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v
is
it
u
s
We’re just around the corner
Estamos al doblar la Esquina
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Housing Services
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540 E. 180th St., NY 10457 (T) 646-224-9213
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Westchester Avenue Primary Healthcare Ctr.
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Clay Avenue Mental Health Program
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Youth Rehabilitation Program
311 East 175th St., Bronx, NY 10457
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Escalera Youth Program
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Summer Youth Employment Program
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East Harlem Multi-Service Center
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BFP_PromesaSingleSheet.indd 1 2/14/11 2:45:06 PM

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