Adams, Myrie Ampry-Samuel Kick Off Earth Week With 5th Annual Bike-To-Work Ride
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams, State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, South Slope, Sunset Park) and City Council Alicka Ampry-Samuel (D-Brownsville) today will lead dozens of Brooklynites on his fifth annual Bike-to-Work ride, highlighting the need for safe cycling infrastructure in Central Brooklyn as he kicks off his Earth Week celebrations in and around the borough.
Prior to their ride, which will take place in Borough President Adams’ native Brownsville for the first time, cyclists and safe streets advocates in attendance will highlight the positive impact that New Yorkers can have on their local environment by using pedal power to get around the city.
Adams and others will bike west from Zion Triangle along Pitkin Avenue, where they will merge onto the malls of Eastern Parkway. The cyclists will turn right on Kingston Avenue and head north until Bergen Street, where they will continue west to Court Street. After turning right on Warren Street, the ride will conclude down Henry and Remsen streets, ending up at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
The bike ride is slated to start at 8 a.m. today, April 22 at the Zion Triangle Intersection of East New York and Pitkin avenues in Brownsville.
Treyger, Persaud Push To End Non-Consensual Pelvic Exams on Unconscious Patients
New York City Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst) last week introduced a resolution in support of State Sen. Roxanne Persaud (D-Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Mill Island, Georgetown, Ocean Hill) bill, S1092B, to put an end to the unethical – but legal – practice of non-consensual pelvic exams conducted on anaesthetized patients, for medical student training.
“No patient should ever enter a medical facility for care and leave the victim of such an egregious violation of their body and their human rights,” said Treyger. “This is a wholly unethical practice, which flouts every precept of privacy and informed consent. There have been many studies recently which have highlighted gender and racial disparities in access to health care. While it is critical that medical students learn and practice routine procedures, this practice imparts an indelibly destructive message about the value of women’s bodily autonomy to future doctors. Full, informed consent for patients should not be evaded because of convenience.”
The practice of non-consensual pelvic exams conducted by medical students on unconscious or anaesthetized patients is common – and legal – in 45 U.S. states, including New York. Medical students, under the supervision of training physicians, enter operating rooms and practice pelvic examinations on anaesthetized patients prior to surgery.
“For decades, non-consensual pelvic exams have been administered routinely on patients,” Persaud said. “This practice is unethical, outrageous and unprofessional, and communicated so by both patients and students. It has remained admissible long enough; we must ban this practice across the medical field and ensure patients have full jurisdiction over their bodies.”
Colton Commends Sanitation Department For Quick Response To Complaint
Assemblyman William Colton (D–Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights) received a complaint that on West 11th Street near Kings Highway is an enormous amount of garbage bags and other trash that took most of the sidewalk.
“My office immediately contacted Department of Sanitation (DOS) at BK11, and spoke to the Supervisor Scott, who responded swiftly. Later on that day, I was informed that the sanitation police was sent to investigate the location. They have learned that a homeless person had created a nuisance and unhealthy condition for the neighborhood. I was notified that the Department of Homeless Services was contacted by the Department of Sanitation immediately to take appropriate measures,” said Colton.
Colton said the DOS had cleaned up the garbage and he commended them for their great work, especially BK 11 Supervisor Scott who received the complaint and acted immediately.
“I believe that this is how every New York City agency should respond to any complaints not just to those from elected officials. Then it would be a much better place to live in for every New Yorker,” said Colton.
Rose Announces More Than $500k in Fed Research Grants for Staten Island and South Brooklyn
U.S. Rep. Max Rose (D-South Brooklyn Staten Island announced that the Research Foundation at the College of Staten Island and the Narrows Institute for Biomedical Research in Bay Ridge have been awarded more than $500,000 in federal funding.
“Providing low-income parents access to higher education doesn’t just advance their own careers, it helps them build a better life for their children,” Rose said. “We face some of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease in the city, which is why these resources will be critical in addressing this public health problem. Together, these grants provide a much-needed investment in the future of our community.”
The Department of Health and Human Services awarded $273,750 to the Narrows Institute for Biomedical Research for heart and vascular diseases research. The Department of Education awarded CSI’s Research Foundation $242,384 to provide campus-based child care services at the College’s Children’s Center to low-income parents in postsecondary education programs.
The Children’s Center was chosen as the 2019 Program of the Year by the National Coalition for Campus Children’s Centers (N4C), the national membership organization for campus-based childcare centers, and is also one of only two accredited centers on Staten Island.
