46AD Race: Harris Kicks Off Campaign
Pamela Harris, the Democratic nominee for the vacant 46th Assembly District seat, yesterday kicked off her campaign for the Nov. 3 special election with the opening of both her Coney Island and Bay Ridge offices.
The Coney Island office is located at 1712 Mermaid Avenue off West 17th Street, and the Bay Ridge Office is at 8525 3rd Avenue between 85th and 86th streets.
“This is about marrying from Third Avenue to Brighton to the High Rises to Sea Gate to Coney Island. This is about marrying this whole district because we pretty much all have the same issues. We think we don’t but we do . We all want great education. We all want senior housing. We all have public safety issues. Believe it or not, Coney Island also has home conversion problems, maybe not as prevalent as here (Bay Ridge) but it’s happening there too, and its overcrowding our schools,” said Harris.
Harris’ Republican opponent in the race is Lucretia Regina-Potter.
Colton Battles On For VA Hospital
Southwest Brooklyn Assemblyman William Colton, working closely with community activist veteran Vincent Sampieri, continues to gather petitions to demand the Veterans Affair New York Harbor Healthcare System re-opens the 12-West surgery unit at the Brooklyn Veterans Affair Hospital in Bay Ridge.
The petition drive comes as the VA announced several months ago it would close down certain parts of the hospitals because of budget constraints. This prompted Colton and Sampieri to begin the petition drive to keep the surgery unit open and all of its needed health care facilities stay open.
“If the veterans can risk their lives for us and our country, the least we can do is make sure the Veterans Affair hospital is not closed and its needed services, where many of the vets receive treatment and care, are not reduced. Even after they return from the lines of battle, many veterans such as Vincent Sampieri continue to serve their country by giving back to the community,” said Colton.
Schumer Calls For Eyeglass Prescription De-Regulation
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer yesterday urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to modernize its “Eyeglass Rule” to allow for 21st-century competition by allowing patients to obtain a full copy of their eyeglass prescriptions so they can take that prescription anywhere they want—even online.
Under current law, patients are not entitled to their full prescription, a situation that often forces them to pay more when buying glasses. Schumer explained that, while more than 200 million Americans are affected by vision loss, the average price for a pair of eyeglasses is a whopping $300 with no end in sight.
Schumer noted that eye care providers like ophthalmologists, opticians, optometrists and other eye technicians provide very important services to their patients, and often buying glasses on site can be a convenient and valuable service. However, current regulations limit competition; for example, they do not require eye doctors to provide complete prescriptions to patients or to verify prescription information to third party dispensers.
Given the high demand for eyeglasses, Schumer said that consumers should have the ability to shop around in search of a more affordable price and not be limited to the eyeglasses offered in the store where they get their eye exam.
Schumer is pushing the FTC to consider the following changes in order to help lower the cost of eyeglasses, while ensuring that quality and patient safety is protected:
- Require eye care providers to provide complete eyeglass prescription information to consumers, including specifics like pupillary distance, which is an essential—sometimes elusive—piece of information consumers need in order to shop around.
- Require prescription providers to verify prescription info for third party sellers in a reasonable time, allowing a consumer to take their prescription wherever they desire with the confidence of getting the right eyeglasses for the right price.
- Require eyeglass prescriptions to last longer than just one year, so consumers have more time to comparison shop.
“Eyeglasses are a necessity for millions of Americans, yet sky-high prices are making them unaffordable. We need more oversight when it comes to the cost of eyeglasses and one way to do that is to require patients get their full prescriptions so they can shop around in stores and online for the best deal. Consumers need more options when it comes to eyeglasses and that’s why the FTC should update the ‘Eyeglass Rule’ in a way that helps spur competition and dramatically lower prices,” said Schumer.
Adams, Squadron Convenes Task Force On Early Childhood Development
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Northern Brooklyn State Sen. Daniel Squadron last week convened the first meeting of the Brooklyn Task Force on Early Childhood Development, aimed at promoting the healthy growth of Brooklynites ages zero to three, along with their families, as well as helping to expand existing evidence-based development programs and bring new programs to children and families across the borough.
In the months ahead, the task force will be working on making policy recommendations to Adams that address family risk factors for adversity that can impair early childhood development, such as illiteracy, mental illness, and poverty.
“Raising healthy children and families requires sustained support through all the critical stages of early childhood development, from a baby’s first kick in the womb to a preschooler’s first recitation of the alphabet,” said Adams. “At a time when our city is embracing the importance of a child’s early growth to their lifelong potential, exemplified by the provision of universal access to full-day pre-kindergarten, it is imperative that we push even further to identify and strengthen the factors that correlate with holistically healthy development.”
The Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP), a social services organization providing home-based literacy education and parenting support for underserved families, is serving as lead partner amongst the group of participants, which includes practitioners such as Nurse-Family Partnership as well as advocates, community stakeholders, and local hospitals.
“The early childhood pre-natal to pre-k years have been shown time and again to be critical in later life outcomes,” said Squadron. “Universal access to effective programs like maternal home visiting, including Nurse-Family Partnership which links high-risk, first-time moms with nurse home visitors, is vital to creating better outcomes for children and families in Brooklyn and beyond.”
Lander Opens Meeting Space Rooms At Park Slope/Kensington Libraries
Park Slope/Kensington City Council Member Brad Lander today will join Brooklyn Public Library at the Park Slope and Kensington branches to promote BPL’s new online room reservation system.
Patrons can now use their library cards to reserve meeting space at Park Slope and the auditorium at Kensington by visiting bklynlibrary.org/rooms.
The meeting room available for reservation at Park Slope was renovated and furnished by the Friends of Park Slope Library. The Friends organized a team of volunteers to paint the room and install beautiful photographs from BPL’s Brooklyn Collection on its walls. The room is an attractive, professional space that will be useful for, among others, entrepreneurs, community organizations and members of the public who do not have access to meeting facilities, or who need affordable options.
Lander provided funds through the participatory budgeting process to enhance the lower level community space at Kensington Library with AV and lighting equipment. The space is available to businesses, arts groups, performers and other members of the community as a meeting room and a site for rehearsals, film screenings and other programs.
What: Announcement of Brooklyn Public Library’s online room reservation pilot program.
Who: Brooklyn Public Library President & CEO Linda Johnson, City Council Member Brad Lander, Friends of the Park Slope Library
When: Monday, September 28, 12:00 pm (Park Slope Library), Monday, September 28, 1:00 pm (Kensington Library)
Where: Park Slope Library, 431 6th Avenue, Kensington Library, 4207 18th Ave, Brooklyn
Adams Celebrates Second Annual National Yoga Month
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams today will practice yoga with students from PS 196 Ten Eyck in East Williamsburg as part of his second annual celebration of National Yoga Month.
While the event is slated at noon, it kicks off a daylong gathering in Brooklyn Borough Hall featuring classes and demonstrations of yoga and related holistic living disciplines, such as meditation and tai chi.
Prior to the yoga demonstration, Adams will join local practitioners to speak about the importance of inner wellness to the health of Brooklynites.
