Support community-based physicians
oped
Display Advertising Rates & Deadlines: A copy of The Bronx Times Reporter Advertising Rates is available on request. Display
deadline is the Friday prior to publication. Camera ready copy deadline is the Monday preceding publication.
Classified Deadlines: To place a Classified Ad call (718) 260-2555 or email classified@schnepsmedia.com. Deadline: 3 p.m. Tuesday prior
to publication.
Legal Notice Deadlines: For Legal Advertising call (718) 260-3977 or email dwilson@schnepsmedia.com. Deadline: 12 p.m. Monday
prior to publication.
Letters To The Editor: Readers are encouraged to send us their viewpoints. Name and address must be included, but will be withheld
upon request. Letters should be as brief as possible, not exceeding 200 words.
News Items: Readers are welcome to suggest news items of interest. Call the Editorial Department at (718) 260-4597 or e-mail to
bronx times@schnepsmedia.com.
Around Town: Announcements of birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, etc. will gladly be published. All announcements must be
mailed to the Bronx Times Reporter 3604 East Tremont Avenue, Bronx, NY 10465, before the Friday preceding publication. No
phone calls please.
Community Calendar: Civic organizations, churches, synagogues and special interest groups can have their special event dates announced
free of charge. Mail should be addressed to Community Calendar and received no later than the Friday preceding publication.
Subscription Rates: Yearly subscriptions are $26.00; 2 years for $40.00, within Bronx county. Out of county subscriptions are $50.00
per year.
Change Of Address: Any problems or inquiries regarding a present subscription must be accompanied by the mailing label from your
newspaper showing complete name, address and subscription number (top left corner).
Copyright © 2020 by Bronx CNG LLC. All rights reserved. Neither this newspaper nor any part thereof may be reproduced, copied
or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilming, recording or by an information retrieval
system without the express written permission of the publisher. This copyright is extended to the design and text created for advertisements.
Reproduction of said advertisement or any part thereof without the express written permission of Bronx Times Reporter, Inc.
is strictly prohibited.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,12 OCTOBER 16-22, 2020 BTR
BY REP. ADRIANO ESPAILLAT
For more than four months, my colleagues
and I have focused our efforts
to address the ongoing needs of Americans
during the COVID-19 pandemic,
and we have been successful in providing
much-needed relief through the
Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic
Security Act and the Health and Economic
Recovery Omnibus Emergency
Solutions Act.
I have witnessed fi rsthand the disproportionate
impact the pandemic is
having on lower-income and minority
communities like New York’s 13th
congressional district. My constituents
deserve high-quality healthcare, and
their providers — community-based
primary care and independent physicians
— want to safely and appropriately
treat them as cities and localities
around New York state begin to reopen.
For this reason, I have requested
that any forthcoming COVID-19 relief
package prioritize direct fi nancial
support to community-based primary
care physicians, independent physicians
and independent physician association
groups to purchase and receive
reimbursement for personal
protective equipment (PPE).
We know that PPE is a vital necessity
for the safety of patients and
healthcare providers, not only responding
to the COVID-19, but also those who
are reopening and seeing patients for
routine and non-COVID visits. This
is particularly important for healthcare
providers in low-income communities,
where many patients are
Medicaid benefi ciaries.
While the threat and dangers of
COVID-19 have not fully abated, some
areas are slowly reopening under the
guidance and instruction of social distancing
and use of PPE. Many healthcare
professionals I have spoken with
agree wholeheartedly that PPE and
other upgrades to offi ce infrastructure
and organization are necessary for
the health and safety of their patients
and staff, as well as for the greater
public health. As doctors begin to see
more in-person patients, it is critical
they take the precautions necessary
to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
This includes acquiring N95 surgical
masks, N95 respirators, mechanical
ventilators, protective eyewear goggles,
face shields, disposable gloves,
hand sanitizer, protective gowns, alcohol
wipes, disinfectant spray, disinfectant
wipes and commercial-grade
high-effi ciency particulate air fi lters to
augment existing ventilation systems
to care for COVID-19 patients. It also
may require other changes in their offi
ce’s construction to ensure proper
social distancing.
Due to the current climate, many
healthcare professionals are rightly
concerned about the cost associated
with purchasing the required PPE
and making other changes to their offi
ces. As the early days of this pandemic
made clear, the demand for expensive
and often single-use PPE will
create a new cost barrier to care in
low-income communities. For practices
whose patients are primarily Medicaid
benefi ciaries, the cost of PPE, coupled
with the reimbursement for care,
may not be enough to sustain their reopening,
meaning some of our most atrisk
communities will not receive the
care they need.
While the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services allows states to increase
their reimbursement to Medicaid
and CHIP providers to include
the cost of PPE, many states are facing
such diffi cult fi scal conditions that
their budgets may not permit for such
increases. This is why I am asking that
the next COVID-19 supplemental include
money specifi cally for the purchase
and reimbursement of PPE —
including retroactive reimbursement
— to community-based independent primary
care and small independent physician
groups that treat low-income and
Medicaid-eligible patients.
The COVID-19 response is leaving
behind our most vulnerable populations:
specifi cally, communities of
color, seniors, those with limited mobility
and immigrants. We must act now
to protect the New Yorkers most at risk
during this crisis. Many of our local
city and state healthcare providers are
ready to reopen and see their patients
but face a cost barrier that disproportionately
impacts low-income communities
and communities of color. Providing
this dedicated funding stream
for PPE will be a key step as we safely
navigate reopening our communities.
link
link
link
link
link
link