NY-12 (Rep. Carolyn Maloney)
Dear Friend,
Today, I sent a letter to President Trump asking him to fulfill his commitment to New York State by authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to cover the full costs of our emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic. New York is the worst-hit state in the nation and we cannot afford further delays in receiving the federal funding we need and has been promised to combat this public health crisis.
As we continue to contend with the coronavirus crisis, we must make sure that all New Yorkers and that every single person living in this country is counted in the 2020 Census, even with the difficulties created by the pandemic. Accurate data is incredibly important to make sure our city and state receive the federal funds we need and deserve to support things like health care, including our hospitals, Medicare, and Medicaid. Please remember to fill out your 2020 Census if you have not done so already. You can submit the form online, by phone, or by mail.
As the CARES Act is implemented across the country, my office is here to help you navigate these new resources that are available from the federal government. If you need help with a federal agency and navigating the changes brought on by coronavirus mitigation efforts, please reach out to my office at 212-860-0606.
You can continue to expect these updates from me as verified and pertinent information becomes available.
Facts and Figures
United States
– According to Johns Hopkins, the United States has confirmed 1,329,799 cases with 79,528 deaths.
New York State:
– According to NYS, New York has 335,395 cases. According to Johns Hopkins, the State has seen 26,641 deaths.
New York City:
– According to NYS, New York City has 184,417 cases. According to NYC Health, the city has seen 19,931 deaths.
News Updates:
National
The IRS has opened a new, online portal and launched a new, free app for economic impact payment tracking. This portal will allow taxpayers to find out the status of their payment. If a payment hasn’t yet been issued, individuals can provide their banking information for direct deposit. Individuals who were not required to file 2018 or 2019 taxes can enter their information here so that they will receive economic impact payments.
– Today, I sent a letter to President Trump asking him to fulfill his commitment to New York State by authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to cover the full costs of our emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic. The President’s national emergency declaration on March 13 made states eligible for assitance for at 75% of the cost of their coronavirus efforts. At Governor Cuomo’s request, the President agreed to waive the 25% cost-share for New York. Our state is the worst-hit state in the nation and we cannot afford further delays in receiving the federal funding we need and has been promised to combat this public health crisis. You can read my full letter to the President here.
New York State
NYS is extending the open enrollment period for New Yorkers without health insurance to June 15. Please get covered if you are not already. Enroll here.
– The State is currently investigating 85 reported cases of predominantly school-aged New York children who are experiencing symptoms similar to atypical Kawasaki disease or a toxic shock-like syndrome possibly due to COVID-19. The illness has taken the lives of three young New Yorkers and an additional two deaths are currently under investigation.
– The Governor will issue an Executive Order mandating that all nursing homes and adult care facilities test all personnel for COVID-19 two times per week and report any positive test results to the State Department of Health by the next day. All nursing home and adult care facility administrators are required to submit a plan on how they will accomplish this testing and a certificate of compliance with this order to the State Department of Health by this Friday, May 15. Nursing homes or adult care facilities found to be in violation of the Executive Order may have its operating certificate suspended or revoked or may be subject to a penalty for non-compliance of $2,000 per violation per day. Any personnel who refuse to be tested for COVID-19 will be considered to have outdated or incomplete health assessments and therefore will be prohibited from working in the nursing home or adult care facility until testing is performed. The Executive Order also mandates that hospitals cannot discharge a patient to a nursing home unless that patient tests negative for COVID-19.
– The Department of Health and Human Services has sent New York enough Remdesivir to treat 2,900 people at 15 hospitals and will send more doses in the coming weeks to treat 500 more patients, including children, at additional New York hospitals. Remdesivir has been shown to help COVID-positive patients to recover more quickly.
New York City
If you are a recovered COVID-19 patient, the NY Blood Center is asking for your plasma. If you had a positive COVID-19 test and have been symptom free for 14 days, please consider donating. You can sign up here.
– NYC has 38 recent cases of pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome, with 9 more pending investigations. Of these patients, 47% tested positive for COVID-19, and 81% of others had antibodies. Symptoms seem to include persistent fever, rash, abdominal pain, vomiting. In response to these new findings, the City will be taking the following immediate actions:
- NYC Health +Hospitals (H+H) testing for all children with symptoms for antibodies
- Convening citywide conference with Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and H+H
- Alerting parents of more than 1 million children citywide
- Directing Regional Enrichment Centers to increase enforcement of masks, use of hand sanitizer
– The City will be increasing the use of civilian agency staff to be “Social Distancing Ambassadors” from 1,000 to 2,300 by next weekend. The City will also be using community partners to increase education and conduct outreach and increase face covering distribution in coordination with local officials and organizations. NYC will ensure all front line staff, including NYPD, wear face coverings when they’re in contact with the public.
– At least 260 dedicated public servants have lost their lives fighting COVID-19. The City will be taking immediate action to extend health insurance for surviving family members of municipal empoyees for 45 days to ensure families do not immediately lost health insurance when they may also be sick.
– The MTA is closing stations nightly from 1am – 5pm for deep cleaning, and Department of Homeless Services outreach teams are engaging individuals experiencing homelessness as they leave the trains. This week, the outreach teams made contact with 800 people, of which 410 accepted services. Over the last five nights, nearly 1,000 New Yorkers experiencing homelessness have come into safe havens and shelters or accepted medical assistance.
– NYC is launching a two phase antibody testing for another 140,000 New Yorkers, in partnership with BioReference Labs. The first survey of 70,000 will start tomorrow, Tuesday May 12, and run through late May. The survey will be repeated for another 70,000 in June. Antibody testing will be by appointment only, with priority for local communities.
- Complete this survey to schedule an appointment: Antibody Testing Appointment Survey or call 888- 279-0967. Please use the website if you can, in order to keep the hotline free for those without internet access.
- Initial capacity will be 1,000 tests a day at each antibody testing sites:
- Brooklyn: 127 Pennsylvania Avenue
- Bronx: 4006 Third Avenue, Bathgate
- Manhattan: 21 Old Broadway
- Queens: 34-09 Queens Boulevard
- Staten Island: St. John’s Villa, 57 Cleveland Place
Census Update
– A 1% undercount in the 2020 Census means that our community, NY-12, could lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. A report from the Oversight Committee showed that an undercount of just 1% in NY-12 could lead to a loss of $430,000 in federal funding just for our schools! On top of that, the Census also determines funding for things like Medicare and Medicaid, transportation, and support services like SNAP.
– We need to #GetOutTheCount in our district. The response rate in NY-12, is up to 47.5% and is climbing by the day, but it is still far too low. We are still below the New York State rate of 52.9% and the nationwide rate of 58.5%. Please fill out your census and encourage your friends and family to do so, as well.
– As a reminder, it is illegal for the Census Bureau to share your information with law enforcement. You answers cannot be used to impact your eligibility for government benefits. Your answers are ONLY used to create statistics about our community, city, state, and country.
– The Census is available online, by phone, and by mail. Paper questionnaires are being mailed out with a reminder letter to households that have not yet responded to the 2020 Census. If you were not able to answer via online or by phone, please fill out this paper form.
As always, if you need assistance with any federal matters, please call my office at 212-860-0606. Please forward this information to any of your friends, families, or coworkers and let them know that they can sign up for regular updates from me here.
Please, wash your hands, stay home, and thank the medical workers, first responders, grocery store employees, delivery workers, transit workers, childcare workers, mail carriers, take-out cooks, teachers and sanitation workers in your lives.
Sincerely,
Carolyn B. Maloney
Member of Congress
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