March 22, 2019 by The Rye City Review

RyeCity REVIEW THE

March 22, 2019 | Vol. 7, Number 12 | www.ryecityreview.com

Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk counties share services

Recently acquired by MGM Resorts International, Empire City Casino welcomes a taste of Las Vegas to Yonkers with the debut of The Pub, a high-energy sports bar delivering an unparalleled experience for sports fanatics and foodies alike. For more, see page 6. Photo/Jelena Gerga

Westchester hosts 2019 Youth Summit at County Center Westchester County Executive George Latimer, the Department of Community Mental Health, the County Youth Bureau, the harris project, Montefiore Hudson Valley Collaborative, Student Assistance Services Corporation and the Westchester Coalition for Drug and Alcohol Free Youth hosted the second Annual Youth Summit at the Westchester County Center. The event was a unique opportunity for students, educators and health professionals to come together with civic leaders and elected officials, to discuss the reasons teens may turn to substances, and explore methods of prevention. The theme of the Youth Summit was Co-Occurring Disorders Awareness (CODA), Youth as Voices of Change. Co-Occurring Disorders is the combination of one or more mental health challenges, resulting in substance misuse or addiction.

“Many young people are impacted by mental health issues and substance misuse, and the Youth Summit is an important part of Westchester County’s multifaceted approach in addressing prevention, education and treatment for our teens,” Latimer said. “We hope that the Youth Summit empowers youth to become positive decision-makers, seek early intervention if they have a problem, and step in if they have friends and peers that may be headed down the wrong path.” More than 300 students from 46 Westchester County high schools gathered together for the event, which included a series of break-out workshops that addressed topics such as leading change, mindfulness, social media and trends, transformation through the arts and sport, creating connections and supporting friends and peers. Stress, anxiety, depression, ADHD and additional men-

tal health disorders, trauma and sports injury were all highlighted as challenges that can lead to substance misuse, and the students discussed ways to increase awareness, create change and improve outcomes. “We are extremely thrilled to partner with our school districts and co-sponsors, but most importantly with our students who are leading the way in changing the narrative on mental health and substance misuse,” said Michael Orth, commissioner of the Department of Community Mental Health. “Prevention is such a worthwhile investment of energy and resources, and CODA provides a unique lens through which to empower our youth to truly be the ‘Voices of Change.’” The harris project founder Stephanie Marquesano lost her son Harris to an accidental overdose when he was 19, which motivated her to start this initiative.

“This is an incredible next step in the CODA movement,” she said. “Co-occurring disorders is preventable. Our youth just need to understand it, and the tools to bring the message forward. Providing an opportunity for our youth to engage with peers from across the county, work with incredible facilitators who can inspire them to think beyond the ordinary, and receive training in some of the components of the CODA Weeks Celebration Boxes creates the framework for our youth to return to their schools ready to make positive impact.” Westchester County will also be taking part in the CODA Weeks for 2019, which will run from April 1-April 15. CODA Weeks are dedicated to raising awareness in our schools and communities, and highlight the harris project’s peer-driven prevention program, which implements education and training in local high schools. (Submitted)

Westchester County Executive George Latimer, Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone and Nassau County Executive Laura Curran have announced a cooperative buying plan for police vehicles—estimated to save around a million dollars. The announcement was made at a press conference with Latimer, Bellone and Nassau County Commissioner of Shared Services Melissa Gallucci in White Plains. “Our administration is exploring every avenue to reduce the burdens faced by Westchester County taxpayers without cutting essential services and while maintaining our most important of functions,” Latimer said “This shared buying program allows us to do both. Thank you to my partners in government on Long Island for their work on this shared initiative—I hope this is the first of many.” The shared services initiative allows for the respective counties, along with the towns and villages that comprise them, to cooperatively purchase more than 200 police vehicles among the group. The strategy was to combine the three counties aggregate purchasing power into a single request for bids, in order to leverage better pricing. The discussions on this agreement began late last year, the bid was published by Westchester County on Jan. 25, 2019, and bids were returned on Feb. 14, 2019. “I applaud my partners in Westchester and Suffolk for joining in this shared bid that will save us all money while improving public safety for our residents,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said. “My administration will continue to pursue innovative and

collaborative solutions like these whenever possible.” Westchester County, acting as lead agency for the three counties, selected Beyer Ford from New Jersey—in a bid that will allow all participating governments to share total potential savings off list pricing, including discounts off both base price of the vehicles as well as options. Approximately 30 local governments across the three counties, as well as Westchester, Suffolk and Nassau acted together on a solicitation in January seeking the lowest pricing on police sedans, utilities and trucks. The participation level among local governments may well increase as others piggyback their purchases off of their contract—and every participating local government may choose their own ‘options package’ for their own vehicles. “This cooperative effort will save taxpayer dollars and is further proof that we can govern more efficiently when we work together,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “We fully expect this will set the stage for additional shared services agreements between other counties in a variety of different areas. I thank George and Laura for their continued partnership and willingness to reach across borders to save taxpayer dollars.” (Submitted) This shared purchasing agreement will be for three different vehicle types including • Police Super Crew 4WD Pickup • Police Hybrid Sedan • Police Hybrid and Gas AWD Utility SUVs