7 BRONX WEEKLY April 26, 2020 www.BXTimes.com
BY JASON COHEN
Elected offi cials are clamoring
for coronavirus cases at nursing
homes and long-term care facilities
nationwide to be published, as nursing
home deaths represent 25 percent
of all COVID-19 fatalities in
New York.
Last week, Congresswoman Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez joined 77 of
her House colleagues in sending a
letter to the Trump administration
asking them to work with states, localities
and private labs to collect
and publicly report data on the number
of long-term care residents affected
by the coronavirus, including
cases and fatalities.
According to the New York State
Department of Health, as of April
19, 3,448 people have died from
COVID-19 at nursing homes and long
term care facilities, including 556 in
the Bronx. Governor Cuomo has issued
an executive order requiring
that the NYS DOH-licensed facility
shall notify family members or next
of kin for all residents if any resident
tests positive for COVID-19, or if any
resident suffers a COVID-19 related
death, within 24 hours of such positive
test result or death.
“Without understanding the
scope and impact of the pandemic
within long-term care facilities, the
administration and the congress
lack essential information to adequately
respond and protect older
Americans and individuals with
disabilities who rely on these facilities
to survive and are particularly
at risk for COVID-19,” Ocasio-Cortez
said.T
he only federal data available
is the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention’s March 30 estimate
that at least 400 long-term care facilities
have COVID-19 cases. All
information has come from journalists
who are reporting at least
3,000 nursing home residents have
died and that at least 2,300 facilities
across over 37 states have cases.
However, the actual numbers are
likely higher.
In the letter, Ocasio-Cortez
and her colleagues emphasized
the specifi c vulnerability of older
Americans and individuals with
disabilities living in long-term care
facilities. They stressed that the
CDC is failing to collect and publicly
report data on the number of
residents and long-term care facilities
that have been affected by
COVID-19. Without understanding
the impact it has having on those
places, the offi cials said that the
government can’t adequately respond
and protect older Americans
and individuals with disabilities
who rely on these facilities.
Before COVID-19, infections already
caused as many as 3 million
illnesses and almost 400,000 deaths
in nursing homes and other longterm
care facilities each year.
“Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director
of CDC’s National Center for
Immunization and Respiratory
Diseases, has said that ‘people who
are higher risk for severe disease
and death are those who are older
and with underlying health conditions,”
the letter states. “Publicizing
this vulnerability is necessary
but not suffi cient. It must be
complemented by data collection
around how COVID-19 is spreading
in congregate communities where
these individuals are heavily concentrated
and where history suggests
they are at particular risk.”
The letter closed by urging
the government not to leave older
Americans, individuals with disabilities,
veterans and all those
living in nursing homes behind in
their coronavirus response.
“Our national attempts to slow,
contain, and mitigate the spread of
the coronavirus must not ignore
older Americans, individuals with
disabilities, veterans and all those
living in nursing homes and congregate
living settings,” the letter
said. “We must not leave any person
behind.”
Gjonaj requests more
money for small businesses
BY JASON COHEN
In just two weeks, the $350
billion Payroll Protection Program
and Economic Injury Disaster
Loan for small businesses
ran out of money.
As Chair of the Small Business
Committee for the City
Council, Mark Gjonaj has heard
the cries from his constituents
and demands the federal government
do more to help them.
“While I appreciate that
there are valid concerns on
both sides of the aisle, now is
the time for Washington leaders
to step up and deliver for small
businesses,” Gjonaj said. “Every
day that these programs go
without funding means the loss
of jobs and the likelihood that
even more businesses will never
open their doors again.”
According to data, 19 percent
of the jobs in the borough
are in the retail and restaurant
industries. With many of them
shuttering, many people in the
Bronx are struggling.
While the government is in
the process of securing an additional
$250 billion for small
businesses, the councilman said
that more needs to be done.
According to Gjonaj, the government
must mandate that
participating banks not require
an existing relationship to accept
applications; include more
credit unions and regional or
community banks to help reach
a broader range of small and
micro businesses; develop a substantial
outreach program to include
more minority and womenowned
businesses; increase the
percentage of borrowed money
that can be applied to rent, mortgage
interest payments and allow
payment of property taxes
as acceptable expenditure of
loan money.
“Politicians often use platitudes
such as ‘economic engine’
and ‘economic backbone of our
nation’ to describe the importance
of small businesses to our
country,” Gjonaj said. “Now is
the time to put action behind
those words. Small businesses
and their employees demand
that you take immediate action
before it’s too late.”
Gjonaj’s Chief of Staff Reggie
Johnson spoke with the Bronx
Times about what it has been
like for small business owners
during the COVID crisis. With
the stimulus money gone, Johnson
questioned how these people
will stay afl oat.
Johnson noted that pizzerias
and fl orists should be getting
money, not small hedge fund
companies that make millions
or large steakhouses like Ruth
Chris, which just received $20
million.
“Right now the small businesses
are struggling and
there’s nothing there to help
them,” he said.
Johnson said he has been getting
calls every day from business
owners. One that stood out
was a dentist in the Bronx who
was crying and brought him to
tears as well. He told him he
was going to have lay people
off who have been with him for
years.
“There are some people who
aren’t going to be okay,” Johnson
remarked. “It’s hard to
have those conversations.”
According to Johnson,
Gjonaj and the staff envisioned
the coronavirus would hurt retail
but never this bad.
“We anticipated it, but you
can never truly appreciate what
it’s like until you have to make
those calls,” he said.
New York congresswoman wants COVID nursing
home fatalities released to the public
Chair of the Small Business Committee
for the City Council, Mark Gjonaj advocates
for more money for small businesses.
File photo
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