BRONX TIMES REPORTER, A 40 PR. 23-29, 2021 BTR
BY AL D’ANGELO
Who do our elected offi cials
answer to? The answer is simple
“follow the money” Unions
have a major infl uence on our
national policies. A perfect
example is the strength of the
Teachers Union, one the fi rst
groups to get vaccinated yet
they have successfully closed
in person education for hundreds
of thousands of children
in this country. Do you really
think the children were their
fi rst priority? Why did private
schools fl ourish? Many
of those who could afford it
put their children in private
schools so who suffered the
most, the poor and where was
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the outrage? There is at least
one teacher I’m aware of who
has moved to Florida and has
drawn full salary working
virtually, when she must go
back to class she will retire.
The power of the union can be
seen in the amount of money
they receive in funding each
year and the sad thing is
with all that money spent on
education half our students
can’t meet basic standards.
Einstein once said, “insanity
is doing the same thing
over and over again and expecting
a different results”.
The system needs to be fi xed.
Why do you think we do not
have a voucher system where
parents can choose the best
schools for their children, the
teachers union has spent hundreds
of thousands of dollars
lobbing our elected offi cials
against a voucher system?
Just to be fair our elected offi
cials need Union support to
stay in power. Union support
brings money, manpower and
votes in return they receive
favorable treatment. Imagine
if Unions were not allowed to
endorse or give money to political
causes – they would loose
their political infl uence. The
wealthy do the same thing,
former President Trump said
when he was in business, he
gave to politicians in both
parties so he would receive
favorable treatment. We can’t
blame the elected offi cials because
they are doing what it
takes to get elected and then
they do what it takes to stay
in offi ce. Maybe the system
needs to be fi xed so the will
of the masses is met but that
will only come about when
we exercise our right to vote.
Why do some communities receive
more funding than others?
The answer is simple the
larger the voter turnout the
more funding community receives.
Every vote does count.
“The only thing necessary for
the triumph of evil is for good
men to do nothing”.
BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
HOSPITAL RESOURCES
The health concerns of
many Bronx county residents
have elevated during the Cv-19
pandemic. However, data indicates
Bronx County was in the
midst of a pre- pandemic health
crisis.
The young and elderly are
among the most vulnerable
members of society.
Approximately 1.5 million
people reside in Bronx County.
A recent age breakdown showed
13% of our residents are over
age sixty-fi ve, 24% under age
eight-teen with 8% of those being
under age fi ve. It is plausible
to suggest 25% of our population
could be labeled vulnerable.
A 2021 report by The County
Healthy Rankings and Roadmaps,
a program of the University
of Wisconsin Population
Health Institute, mirrored a
March 2020 report by the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation.
In 2020,
The R W J Foundation, for
the ninth consecutive year,
rated our Bronx the unhealthiest
county in New York State.
According to 2018 data released
by “Pro Publica” Bronx County
has approximately 4,000 hospital
beds and an 80% average
daily capacity. In the event of an
unforeseen crisis the “pre-pandemic”
Bronx had an estimated
800 available hospital beds. The
poor health rating of our borough
with potentially 375,000
people in the risk category and
a shortage of hospital bed space
are cause for concern. These
factors warrant studies to determine
the accessibility, effi -
ciency and effi cacy of hospital
resources in Bronx County.
DETOX CLOSURES
As reported in December
2019: “The City” and local news
Bronx 12 indicated lack of use
and high costs forced the closures
of inpatient detox units
in all eleven NYC run hospitals.
Although none of the Bronx
facilities had dedicated detox
units these facilities treated
patients in traditional hospital
settings. Opponents to these closures
believe losses of hospital
based inpatient detox services
will eventually place additional
stress on overburdened emergency
rooms. In addition, their
discontinuations will likely increase
the number of ineffective
outpatient substance abuse
treatment facilities in or near
residential communities. Statistics
from the World Health
Organization and National Institute
of Health indicates the
current outpatient model has
an insuffi cient 25%- 30% success
rate. Outpatient substance
abuse treatment facilities are
businesses in which many operate
under the Non- Profi t umbrella.
These businesses are
part of a lucrative multi -billion
dollar industry and frequently
face staunch community resistance.
Past community battles
against Miracle City and Carnegie
Hill bear witness to this confrontational
dynamic. This begs
the question: In the interim
would a plan for consolidation
not elimination of inpatient substance
abuse treatment services
in city run hospitals be a practical
option? Consolidation could
defray costs while maintaining
services to those addled by substance
abuse. It is evident a paradigm
shift in treatment methods
are necessary to seriously
fi ght the ongoing lengthy ½ century
old “War on Drugs”.
Advances leading to better
long-term outcomes in this domain
must be implemented into
areas of treatment. New and improved,
but costlier, methods
and services including appropriate
in-patient detox-rehabilitation
models would provide
opportunities for recovery to
those in “states of stuck” where
odds of positive results remain
signifi cantly low. You often
get what you pay for. The time
is past due for the political hierarchy
to practice what they
preach.
CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT
13 RACE:
Determined by luck of the
draw lottery, the Rank Choice
Vote candidate order for the
CD 13 City Council Democratic
Primary ballot: 1-Monique
Johnson, 2-Irene Estrada, 3-
Marjorie Velazquez, 4-Marilyn
Soto, 5-John Perez. There
is no report of a Republican
Primary for City Council District
13. In accordance with a
1989 National Census related
NYC Charter change 2021 and
2023 New York City council
elections will be for shortened
2-year terms. City Council elections
for traditional four-year
terms will resume in 2025. Our
traditional polling location,
Knights of Columbus @ 3243
Ampere Avenue, will be open
for Primary Election Day voting
on June 22 nd . Please exercise
this important right.
Community Footnotes:
A BIG SHOUT OUT to our
top-notch, stellar Bronx Community
Board 10.
Overworked and often under
appreciated; led by Chairman
Joseph Russo and District
Manager Matt Cruz along with
dedicated staffers Susan Duffy,
Noreen Kilkenny and Patrick
Caruso; their actions during
this pandemic shows nothing
deters Bronx C B 10 from diligently
and tirelessly servicing
our community. Spencer Estate
Civic is optimistic about
an in person May meeting; details
are close to fi nalization.
Any area homeowner or renter
interested in membership to
the all inclusive Spencer Estate
Civic Association in box
George Havranek on Facebook
or send-email to spencerestatecivic@
gmail.com Remember:
Inclusion brings solutions.
Community= Common –Unity.
CIVIC CENTER
Spencer Estate
Civic Association
BY COUNCILMAN
MARK GJONAJ
April is National Pet
Month and in keeping with
the now-passed International
Pets Day on the 11th,
my offi ce, both the constituent
services and legislative
team, have been working
hard to ensure our
district’s pets are well fed
and healthy.
Last weekend we offered
our fi rst-ever pet food giveaway
on City Island with
the help of the Animal Care
Center. The event was a
great success and it was a
delight to see all the variety
of furry friends owned
by Council District 13 residents.
On a fi rst-come-fi rstserved
basis, event participants
were able to receive
free bags of cat and dog dry
food. In May, we will have
two additional pet food giveaways:
one on the 1st from
12p to 4p at Pelham Parkway
South and Wallace Ave,
and the second one on the
22nd from 12p to 4p.
This weekend my offi ce
will be sponsoring a free animal
neuter and spay clinic
for district cats and dogs, on
the 24th. The time and place
of procedure will be given
once the appointments are
confi rmed. Space is limited
as the procedure is quite extensive.
Running parallel to these
events is a pet-related bill
that will prohibit the city
from using ice-melting materials
(typically road salt)
that irritates or otherwise
harms animals, thereby requiring
them to source petfriendly
alternative materials.
I introduce this bill now
and hope to move it into law
as soon as possible several
months before wintertime
is again upon us, so that the
city can begin to identify alternative
materials in lieu
of salt.
For more information
about my offi ce’s event
lineup during National Pet
Month or my pet-related legislative
efforts, please contact
my offi ce at (718) 931-
1721 or at MGjonaj@council.
nyc.gov. Thank you and continue
to stay safe.
CIVIC CENTER
Morris Park
Community
Association
From Councilman Mark Gjonaj
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