Espaillat: Community-Based Physicians Need Help Acquiring PPE
Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-Manhattan, Bronx) wrote an op-ed for the New York Daily News calling on Congress to prioritize direct support for community-based physicians in the next COVID-19 relief package.
As hospitals and clinics reopen, they’ll have to shoulder the cost of acquiring PPE. For some facilities – particularly those whose patients are largely Medicaid recipients – this cost may prove to be overwhelming. It’s vital, he wrote, that we keep those facilities running, especially since they tend to cater to marginalized, at-risk communities.
“The next COVID-19 supplemental must include funds specifically for the purchase and reimbursement of PPE — including retroactive reimbursement — for community-based independent primary care and small independent physician groups treating low-income and Medicaid-eligible patients,” he wrote. “The COVID-19 response is leaving behind our most vulnerable populations, specifically 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.”
Read the full article here.
De Blasio Announces Establishment of COVID-19 Checkpoints
Yesterday, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced COVID-19 traveler registration checkpoints at several key entry points into New York.
Going forward, travelers coming in from highly infected states must complete a traveler’s form and self-quarantine for 14 days. The Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit will also start performing outreach efforts to inform travelers about New York’s new quarantine guidelines.
“New York City is holding the line against COVID-19, and New Yorkers have shown tremendous discipline,” said de Blasio. “We’re not going to let our hard work slip away and will continue to do everything we can to keep New Yorkers safe and healthy.”
Velázquez Pays Respects to Pete Hamill
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-LES, Brooklyn, Queens) released a statement yesterday in response to the passing of esteemed journalist Pete Hamill.
Over the course of his 40-year career, Hamill served as the editor of both the Daily News and the New York Post. In addition to his journalism, Hamill was also renowned as a prolific fiction writer, penning dozens of novels and hundreds of short stories.
“Our city has lost one of its greatest voices and storytellers,” said Velázquez. “Throughout his remarkable career, Pete Hamill chronicled New York and captured its complications and beauty in a way few others rivaled.
“When I first arrived in New York City to study at New York University, Pete was one of the first people I met. We became friends and he would eventually become a mentor. I could always rely on him for wisdom, wit and perspective. When I later taught at the University of Puerto Rico, Pete graciously came to speak to my classes about the Vietnam War. Years after that, Pete covered my first race for Congress. I’ll always remember Pete as someone who was fascinated by New York City, the world, by people and their stories.”
