Health Commissioner Dr Vasan Alerts Providers About Covid-19 Treatment

Party Rentals for All Occasions

lBounce Houses & Slides lFun Food Concessions lGames lPackage Specials lTent, Tables, Chairs &

Other Party Essentials www.onestophop.com onestopshoprentals @gmail.com 848.999.4928

Health Commissioner Alerts Providers About Covid-19 Treatment

April 5, 2022: Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan today alerted New York City health care providers about available treatments for COVID-19, including the oral antiviral Paxlovid, which can reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by up to 88% when taken within 5 days of symptoms starting. “The tools we have available to prevent the worst outcomes of COVID-19 are better than they have been at any other point in the pandemic, but they’re only effective if providers know to use them, and how to access them for their patients,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “We are raising awareness in the medical community that treatments save lives, and there are ready options for you and your patients who test positive for COVID-19.” The advisory states that every patient 12 and older, weighing at least 88 pounds, experiencing mild to moderate symptoms, and with at least one factor placing them at high risk for progression to severe disease should be offered treatment. People at increased risk for severe COVID-19 should be informed about the availability of treatments. They should also get tested immediately if they develop symptoms or were recently exposed to someone with COVID-19 and seek treatment immediately if they test positive –including on a home-based test. Treatments can improve symptoms and lower the risk of hospitalization and death. They work best when given as soon as possible after symptom onset. The advisory also informs providers of the availability of Evusheld preventative treatment for patients who are immunocompromised and may not sufficiently respond to the vaccines and for patients allergic to the vaccines. Evusheld is not a substitute for vaccination in people who can be vaccinated. Oral antivirals Paxlovid and molnupiravir should be administered within five days of symptom onset. Paxlovid is the preferred treatment option for most highrisk patients with mild to moderate COVID-19, based on National Institutes of Health COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines. Oral antivirals are available by prescription at several pharmacies in New York City, including Test to Treat locations that can test and prescribe treatment in one location. The Health Department has partnered with Alto Pharmacy to enable same day or next day delivery to patients at no cost. Alto Pharmacy will also deliver Evusheld to providers offices for administration to their patients. Monoclonal antibody treatment can be provided intravenously within seven days of symptom onset. Treatment locations can be found at hitesite.org/monoclonalantibody. If you have symptoms or test positive for COVID-19, talk to your health care provider or call 212-COVID19 (212268-4319).l

Commissioner Dr Vasan Photo credit: NYC Health Dept

Home Care Workers to Governor Hochul: “We Deserve Fair Pay”

New York is facing an extreme shortage of home care workers due to low wages. Home care workers are essential. It’s time for fair pay. On Monday, April 4, home care workers held a candlelight vigil to demand that Governor Hochul provide permanent raise for home care workers. They were joined by advocates, supporters, clergy, and elected officials. “Governor Hochul, we need a boost,” says Geraldine Wright, Home Health Aide. “How are we supposed to live with this little bit of money they pay us? It doesn’t meet our needs. It’s not enough! We can’t meet the obligations for ourselves because we don’t have the funds to do it. It’s not about living in luxury, we just want to live comfortably and not paycheck to paycheck. I get out every day because I want to help my clients –and they need us because they can’t do for themselves. We must be able to help where needed, but we need more money to do that,” says Wright. “Fair Pay for home care is critical for our very freedom,” says Jennifer Morretto, Consumer Directed Personal Attendant. “Without a competitive wage, we won’t be able to hire the people we want and need to support our ability to stay in the community. Not only that, aides won’t stay if they can get a job with better pay somewhere else. They need a wage that respects the important work they do for us,” says Moretto. Home Care Workers want Gov. Hochul to include a permanent raise in new state budget, to secure their livelihoods and bolster a workforce in crisis. New York faces the greatest shortage of homecare workers in the nation, who make minimum wage to care for homebound individuals who cannot care for themselves.1 These workers — 90% women and 60% immigrants — need a raise to $22.50 an hour to care for this extremely vulnerable population. A recent CUNY report says some 26,510 new aides must be hired annually just to keep up with the growing demand for care—and advocates say low wages make it difficult to attract and retain home care workers. It’s time to treat these essential workers with the dignity and respect they deserve. Advocates say a permanent wage boost would also be a major step forward in addressing the state’s longstanding history of income inequality. New York’s home care workforce is comprised primarily of women of color and immigrants. 1199SEIU leaders say the poverty level wages only perpetuate the racial and gender wage gap. “New York simply cannot neglect a permanent raise for New York’s home care workers in our state budget,” said George Gresham, President of 1199SEIU. “These ‘healthcare heroes’ have given everything to protect our state’s most vulnerable people during the greatest public health crisis in generations. We cannot solve the growing home care shortage and provide services for those who desperately need them without investing in the individuals who provide care. For too long, the essential work of caregiving—carried out principally by women of color and immigrants—has been ignored and undervalued. We call on Governor Hochul to do right by New York’s homecare workers and give them the raise they need.” Despite being paid through the state’s Medicaid program, many workers earn less than $15 an hour. As a result of these low wages and annual earnings, 57% of the state’s home care workers rely upon public assistance. Livable wages would not only help increase their economic self-sufficiency but also end the state’s massive home care shortage by attracting new workers. A recent CUNY report says some 26,510 new aides must be hired annually just to keep up with the growing demand for care. The 2022-23 state budget was due April 1.l

Editorial credit: John Gomez / Shutterstock.com

President Biden, You Have the Power to Fight Discrimination. Use It.

BY VANESSA CARDENAS

American law is — or ought to be — based on equal treatment. The law applies the same to one person as it does to another, regardless of class, color, or creed. That is part of the American ideal. Americans ought to stand for equal treatment under law and for the truth, especially when facing a post-factual Republican Party. Yet, with the continued expulsion of migrants using Donald Trump’s trumped up COVID-19 excuse to expel all asylum seekers, both the principles of equal treatment and adherence to the truth are being challenged. Since the pandemic started, the United States has ejected most every migrant seeking asylum at the U.S. border because of something called Title 42, an obscure public health law that allows the Executive Branch to exclude migrants during a public health emergency. White nationalist Trump aide Stephen Miller thought up the use of Title 42 to keep asylum seekers from being able to petition for asylum under U.S. law. This has resulted in thousands of migrants being sent back, in many cases straight back to the countries they fled from in fear in the first place. The Biden-Harris Administration has chosen to maintain this rule even though medical groups such as Doctors Without Borders and other public health experts have clearly stated that this rule disregards public health practices. There is no medical basis for this policy which is ejecting immigrants quickly and without oversight or legal proceedings and preventing them from asking for asylum under U.S. law. Moreover, the public health conditions have changed, we now know how to safeguard against this virus and we have vaccines to help us minimize transmission. Yet this cruel and discriminatory rule still stands. World conditions have also changed, the invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin has displaced millions of people and created new refugees. The United States is now seeing the impact of having a border shut off to almost all those who seek safety at our borders. To accommodate this new refugee reality, the Department of Homeland Security recently announced that they would allow some Ukrainians — and some unaccompanied minors — to be exempt from the blanket expulsion of asylum seekers under Title 42. The Biden administration also announced they intend to help 100,000 Ukrainian refugees reach safety in the U.S. while granting Temporary Protective Status protections to Ukrainians already in the U.S. But now we are witnessing a doublestandard of U.S. immigration policies up close: white European refugees being treated one way while thousands of refugees from other countries are treated differently. Haitians and other asylum seekers fleeing violence no less grave or life-threatening than those fleeing Putin’s violence are summarily rejected and deported right back to the countries they fled. The same is true for our Afghan allies, Cameroonians and Ethiopians and others who are fleeing armed conflict as deadly as Putin’s invasion. Yet, for these asylum seekers and many others from the Americas and beyond, they are sent away without the chance to ask for or be granted a hearing due to the continued use of Title 42. This stark inequality is a violation of equal treatment that Americans expect from our laws and demand from a Democratic administration that said it would reject the discrimination and overt racism of the previous president. It also violates international law. President Biden is fond of saying “America leads not by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.” In continuing to use Title 42, America is setting up an unjustifiable, arbitrary, and discriminatory example. The BidenHarris Administration has the power to end this policy and reinstitute fairness and equality in how asylum seekers are treated. Upholding our values is the right thing to do and it is up to the President to end Title 42. l Vanessa Cardenas, Deputy Director of America’s Voice. This Op-ed was published in the Medium on March 30, 2022

Earn extra income... Enjoy perks!

Become a Certified Travel Become a Certified Travel Agent &Destination Specialist Agent &Destination Specialist

WHY BECOME A TRAVEL AGENT?

Travel is an 8.1 trillion dollar industry. Some of that money can be yours!

Attend our 4-week Travel Agent Program. Learn how to:

•Book travel and earn higher travel commissions •Use travel to raise funds for your church, nonprofit, charity, etc •Start and grow a profitable travel business •Use social media to market your business •Become eligible for major tax advantages

For dates and registration, please visit: www.nacc.nyc/travelagent Call 718-722-9217 for assistance.

Cost: $250.00 (Chamber members) $350.00 (non-members)

Fee includes Travel Agent training and your own online travel business and Individual Chamber Membership. Certificates will be given out to those who successfully complete the program. We recommend doing our Small Business Boot Camp.

The lawyer you hire, does make a difference!