Schumer To The Rescue of Brooklyn VA Hospital
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, yesterday, urged the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reverse its abrupt decision to close the 12W medical surgical unit at the Brooklyn VA Hospital, which has the capacity for 25 patients.
Schumer said its closure will pose a considerable inconvenience and diminution in health care to the veteran community in Brooklyn, Staten Island and beyond. Moreover, Schumer said that the decision to close the unit was made without communication with key New York area and Brooklyn VA hospital stakeholders, including employees, patients and elected officials.
“Closing this unit at the Brooklyn VA Hospital will negatively impact the quality and availability of inpatient health care services for our large veteran community in Brooklyn and Staten Island. I am strongly urging the VA to reverse this decision and immediately suspend plans for a July 21st closure, as it will significantly and adversely impact these veterans’ access to nearby, quality health care services,” said Senator Schumer.
Schumer continued, “Moreover, I am deeply troubled by the secretive and rushed manner in which this significant change in veteran health care services was developed. My office, as well as other elected officials’ offices in the community, were not briefed before this public announcement was made and as a result, there are many unanswered questions regarding the closure. The VA should do everything possible to reach out to key stakeholders and veterans on decisions involving the Brooklyn VA Hospital.”
The unit is scheduled to stop taking new patients on July 1st and will cease operations by July 21st. Current patients will be discharged or transferred to other inpatient medical surgical facilities with the New York Harbor VA Healthcare system.
Williams Opens Community Garden
The community garden will allow residents to personally participate in neighborhood beautification and open space enhancement. There will be a pot-luck breakfast during the event, so those interested in attending should bring a dish and bring their Green Thumb. The ribbon cutting is slated for 9 a.m.
Cymbrowitz Thanks Winner of His Annual Holocaust Memorial Contest
Sheepshead Bay Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz paid a special visit to John Dewey High School student Eve Driggers, who earned second-place honors in the high school division of the Assemblyman’s Annual Holocaust Memorial Creative Arts Contest.
Driggers, a freshman, donated half of her contest winnings to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a nationwide advocacy group whose mission is to combat anti-Semitism and secure justice and fair treatment to all. Cymbrowitz wanted to personally thank her for her thoughtful donation.
With the guidance of Dewey teacher Philip Luchun, Driggers submitted a DVD of herself channeling an elderly Jewish grandmother and Holocaust survivor, which Cymbrowitz, himself the son of Holocaust survivors, found not only moving and extremely well done but which, in his estimation, “vividly brought the past alive.”
“Eve Driggers’ thoughtful donation to the ADL, and the spirit behind it — of taking a stand to combat worldwide hatred and anti-Semitism — is exactly what my Annual Holocaust Memorial Creative Arts Contest is about,” he said. “She, quite literally, put her money where her mouth is. It’s not about creating art and then forgetting everything you learned afterward. It’s about learning how toxic and deadly racism can be — as we painfully learned once again with the tragic mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina last week — and then taking proactive measures to help combat it, which is exactly what Ms. Driggers did, and I commend her for it.”
Hikind Speaks ‘s on Failure of the Education Tax Credit Bill
Boro Park Assembly man Dov Hikind, a major supporter of the Education Tax Credit bill, which proposed tax credits for both parents whose children attend nonpublic schools and wealthy donors that make contributions to these schools, said he was bitterly disappointed that Education Tax Credits were not included in the recent budget deal reached between both the Assembly and the Senate.
“While an additional $250 million in mandated services is welcome for private and parochial schools, this relief has nothing to do with the parents. This money for mandated services has long been owed to these schools. Education Tax Credits is about providing real relief to parents who shoulder the burden of paying tuition for their children. I will not give up the fight for Education Tax Credits and am confident my colleagues will continue the fight with me. We will not give up until parents receive the relief they are entitled to,” he said.
