FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 31, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
Cuomo vows to punish docs for vaccine fraud
BY MARK HALLUM
mhallum@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced
new penalties in the hope of reining in
possible vaccination fraud on Monday,
Dec. 28. Such fraud is suspected by
Parcare Community Health Network,
which allegedly received the vaccine and
distributed it to regions and individuals
who were not prioritized under state and
federal law.
According to the governor, practitioners
Construction to begin on P.S. 46 expansion
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e long-awaited construction
to add a new wing to P.S. 46 in
Oakland Gardens is scheduled to
begin, according to Councilman
Barry Grodenchik.
Th e expansion of P.S. 46,
also known as the Alley Pond
School, located at 64-45 218 St.,
will bring 440 seats, as well as a
number of specialty classrooms
and suites for students and staff .
Most importantly, the new wing
of the building will include an
elevator, making the entire facility
accessible.
Th e new addition is receiving
support from Grodenchik,
Lorraine Grillo, the president
and CEO of NYC School
Construction Authority
(SCA), Senator Toby Stavisky,
Assemblywoman Nily Rozic,
and P.S. 46 Principal Stamo
Karalazarides, who requested the
expansion to accommodate the
growing student body.
“Th is project alleviates overcrowding
at P.S. 46Q so that the
school can continue to provide a
premier educational experience
to students,” Grodenchik said.
“P.S. 46Q is a 2020 National Blue
Ribbon school, one of the best in
the city. With additional space,
the school will surely reach new
heights of excellence.”
Th e SCA anticipates work to
begin as early as this week with
the installation of a temporary
and protective fence around the
playground perimeter; tree protection
in the playground; and
installation of a temporary ramp
on 219th Street.Th e project is
expected to be completed in time
for the September 2023 school
year.
“Th is new addition at P.S. 46Q
is part of the plan to add more
than 2,500 new seats to reduce
overcrowding in District 26 and
provide our students with the
space and resources they need
to learn and grow,” Grillo said.
“I would like to thank Council
member Grodenchik for his
support of our 2020-2024
Capital Plan, which is bringing
more than 24,000 seats to our
most overcrowded districts in
Queens.”
Aft er the construction is complete,
new amenities will include
the following:
440 seats for pre-K through
grade 5; two pre-K classrooms;
two kindergarten classrooms; 12
classrooms for grades 1-5; seven
special education classrooms;
two reading/speech resource
rooms; one art classroom;
one music room; one science
resource room; one guidance
suite; one medical suite; one
administrative suite; one parent/
community room; one kitchen/
student dining area; and one staff
lunch/conference room.
Stavisky said she’s pleased to
see the expansion project getting
underway, aft er a brief but necessary
delay.
“By nearly doubling the enrollment
of Alley Pond elementary
school, this project will provide
additional opportunities for
students within our community,”
Stavisky said. “It is imperative
that we make sure our young
students have access to a quality
learning environment with upto
date facilities, and this $50
million upgrade will help ensure
that for years to come. Council
member Barry Grodenchik’s
stewardship will be appreciated
by generations of students.”
Rozic congratulated the school
community on the eagerly awaited
and essential expansion of the
building.
“Any opportunity for our
schools to add new seats and
provide students with the space
they need to learn and grow is
one to celebrate,” Rozic said.
who break this law will be subject to
a $1 million fi ne as well as having all state
licenses revoked.
“You’ll have fraud in the vaccine process;
it’s almost an inevitable function of
human nature, and of the marketplace.
Vaccines are valuable and there’ll be people
who break the law. And we’re looking
at one health care provider who may have
done that,” Cuomo said. “Th at will apply
to a provider, a doctor, a nurse, a pharmacist
any licensed health care professional.
So, if you engage in fraud on this vaccine,
we will remove your license to practice in
the state of New York.”
New York State Police will be leading
investigations into healthcare providers
who misrepresent how they will be distributing
the vaccine will then be in the
hands of Attorney General Letitia James.
“We provide them the vaccine because
they fraudulently fi lled out a form that
said that they were a qualifi ed health center,
that was incorrect, so that was strike
one, and number two, they moved it from
one area to another area, which was inappropriate,”
state Health Commissioner
Howard Zucker said. “So that strike two,
and then they gave it to people who were
not on the priority list and so that was
strike three.”
Th e number of New Yorkers going in
for COVID-19 testing dropped by half
over Christmas but hospitals are still seeing
a steady stream of patients as the statewide
positivity rate has risen to around
8.3 percent, according to Cuomo.
Hospitalizations went up by 400 since
Sunday to 7,559; deaths were at 114; and
the positivity rate increased by two percentage
points.
On the last Monday of 2020, Cuomo
says 368,600 vaccination doses will have
been distributed to New York City in total
by the end of the week with urgent care
facility workers and congregate care facilities
being among the top priority of those
receiving the vaccine.
Next week, ambulatory care health
workers and public-facing public care
workers will be eligible to receive the
vaccine. File photo by Gabriele Holtermann
Courtesy of NYC School Construction Authority
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