The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Inside Press

In New York: Comorbidities and Underlying Conditions Eligible for Covid-19 Vaccine Starting February 15

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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today released the list of comorbidities and underlying conditions that New York State will use to determine eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine. New Yorkers who have one of the comorbidities on the list will be eligible for the vaccine beginning February 15.

“New Yorkers with comorbidities and underlying conditions exist throughout the state’s population–they’re our teachers, lawyers and carpenters, in addition to the doctors who keep us safe every day, and they are a highly affected population,” Governor Cuomo said. “We’re committed to vaccinating vulnerable populations that have suffered the most as we distribute a strictly limited supply of vaccines, and people with comorbidities are 94 percent of the state’s COVID deaths. That’s why we’ll open eligibility to people with comorbidities starting February 15 and give hospitals the ability to use extra doses they have to address that population. Local governments have a week to prepare for the new change–they need to get ready now.”

The full list of comorbidities and underlying conditions is available below. The list is subject to change as additional scientific evidence is published and as New York State obtains and analyzes additional state-specific data.

Adults of any age with the following conditions due to increased risk of moderate or severe illness or death from the virus that causes COVID-19:

  • Cancer (current or in remission, including 9/11-related cancers)
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Pulmonary Disease, including but not limited to, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma (moderate-to-severe), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and 9/11 related pulmonary diseases
  • Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities including Down Syndrome
  • Heart conditions, including but not limited to heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies, or hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) including but not limited to solid organ transplant or from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, use of other immune weakening medicines, or other causes
  • Severe Obesity (BMI 40 kg/m2), Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2)
  • Pregnancy
  • Sickle cell disease or Thalassemia
  • Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus 
  • Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
  • Neurologic conditions including but not limited to Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia
  • Liver disease

News release from the office of Governor Cuomo

Westchester Jewish Community Services Awarded $4 Million Grant

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Geared to Aid WJCS in its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services in Peekskill & Mount Vernon

WJCS (Westchester Jewish Community Services), the largest provider of outpatient licensed community-based services in Westchester county, was awarded a $4 million Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) grant–$2 million a year for two years–from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The funding will be used to broaden and deepen WJCS substance abuse and mental health services in Peekskill and Mt.Vernon, two of Westchester’s most under resourced communities.

 “The SAMHSA grant will provide integrated care, combining behavioral health, physical health, and substance use services, to low-income individuals who face major emotional and social challenges, including lack of employment, inadequate housing conditions, poor access to health services and substance use and opioid use prevention, treatment, and recovery support,” said WJCS CEO Seth Diamond. “COVID has only enhanced the challenges the residents of these communities face.WJCS is committed to providing an integrated, coordinated, and trauma-informed response to care for the people of Peekskill and Mt.Vernon.”

 According to national data, only 10% of people who need mental health or substance use disorder care receive treatment. In Peekskill and Mt.Vernon, six of the eight zip codes experience a disproportionate number of deaths, emergency room visits, and hospital stays due to opioid use. Many individuals living there face significant barriers to care, including low availability of timely appointments after 3pm and during the weekend; a shortage of psychiatric staff across all agencies resulting in frustration for hospital discharge planners, and the only mobile crisis team in the county not operating on weeknights after 10pm and weekend nights after 5 p.m. With SAMHSA funding WJCS will leverage its clinics, community programs, and relationships with community partners to increase access, and improve mental health and health outcomes through enhanced integration of services and meaningful engagement.  Visit www.wjcs.com

News courtesy of Westchester Jewish Community Services

CANTORS COAST TO COAST Presents Songs of Sustenance

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A Virtual Benefit Concert to Fight Hunger from the Worsening COVID Crisis will be held Sunday, January 31, 2021 • 18 Shevat 5781

Cantor Elizabeth Sternlieb, Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester

Inspired by Jewish values and ideals, and spurred by the worsening COVID crisis, TBE’s Cantor Elizabeth Sternlieb is collaborating with an exciting cast of fellow cantors and notable Jewish singer-songwriters across the country to present a virtual benefit concert on Sunday, January 31. Don’t miss this historic event as leading voices representing all five branches of Judaism perform together to fight hunger! Ticket link: www.bethelnw.org/concert

Hosted by Cantor Elizabeth Sternlieb, Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, Chappaqua, NY

Honoring Cantor Meir Finkelstein, Congregation Beth Yeshurun, Houston, TX

Featuring
Rabbi Joe Black, Temple Emanuel, Denver, CO
Cantor Magda Fishman, B’nai Torah Congregation, Boca Raton, FL
Cantor Chayim Frenkel, Kehilat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation, Los Angeles, CA
Cantor Netanel Hershtik, Hampton Synagogue, Westhampton Beach, NY
Cantor Robin Joseph, Temple Beth Shalom, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY
Lisa Jane Lipkin, Singer, Composer, Producer
Beth Schafer, Spiritual Leader, URJ and Cantorial Chair, Temple Sinai, Atlanta, GA
Hazzan Basya Schechter, Music Director, Romemu, New York, NY
Cantor Rosalie Will, Director of Worship and Music, URJ

Admission to the concert will be by ticket only, and funds raised will benefit MAZON, the national advocacy organization working to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the US and Israel. The program will feature original music composed by the cantors and singer-songwriters. General admission is $18.00. Premium admission, including “backstage pass” to a special roundtable with the cast following the concert is $180. www.bethelnw.org/concert

 

 

 

 

VIRTUAL DUMPLING CLASS WITH DALE TALDE OF GOOSEFEATHER

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Snag a Seat at Coveted Westchester Eatery

On Monday, January 25th, from 6-7pm, the Chappaqua School Foundation (CSF) is launching its “At Home” series with a live, virtual culinary experience featuring nationally recognized Chef Dale Talde of Goosefeather in Tarrytown. The chef will host a fun hour of dumpling making along with instructions to whip up a “Post Paloma” signature cocktail. This event offers ticket holders a chance to grab a coveted seat at the restaurant, recently selected by ESQUIRE as one of the “Best New Restaurants in America, 2020.” The cost of tickets are $50 per household. Proceeds from the event benefit the Chappaqua School Foundation (CSF), a non-profit recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  

For further convenience, attendees have the option to purchase a $70 recipe ingredient grocery bag courtesy of DeCicco’s in Millwood. Participants will be responsible for scheduling and picking up the bag on January 24. Details will be sent via email following registration for the event. 

PURCHASE TICKET AND OPTIONAL INGREDIENT KIT HERE:  https://chappaquaschoolfoundation.org/at-home-series-dale-talde/  

About Chef Dale Talde

Prior to opening the acclaimed Goosefeather in Tarrytown, Filipino-American chef Dale Talde made a name for himself with his eponymous restaurant, TALDE, which opened in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood in 2012. He went on to open a TALDE in Miami, Florida and in Jersey City, New Jersey. Dale debuted his first project in Manhattan with the opening of Massoni at the Arlo NoMad Hotel in November 2016. His second Manhattan restaurant called Rice & Gold opened in October 2017 at the 50 Bowery Hotel in Chinatown. In Florida, Dale also had three locations in the food hall Grandview Public Market in West Palm Beach. They were called The Corner, Clare’s and Little Red Truck.   Dale was also a three-time cheftestant on Bravo’s Emmy Award-winning culinary show, “Top Chef.” He competed in Season 4, “All Star” Season 8, “Top Chef Duels”, and became one of the show’s most popular cast members. Dale has competed on “Chopped,” “Iron Chef America,” “Knife Fight” and was also head judge on “Knife Fight” Season 4, as well as guest judge on both “Chopped” and “Beat Bobby Flay.”

-Courtesy of Chappaqua School Foundation

Two Holocaust Education Events Planned for Late January

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The Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center has announced events which will take place on January 25 and January 27.

Please register to enjoy either or both from the comfort of your own home

On January 25 at 7:15 p.m., the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center, Congregation Emanu-El, and The German International School New York will together present: Last Letters: The Prison Correspondence.

In commemorating International Holocaust Day, speakers will discuss letters brought to life by Johannes von Moltke and Dorothea von Moltke, grandchildren of Freya and Helmuth von Moltke.  In September, 1944, Helmuth von Moltke is in Berlin awaiting trial presumably execution for his opposition to the dictatorship.  The Nazis are unware that the prison chaplain is smuggling letters between Helmuth and his wife, Freya.  The two write almost daily sharing their fears, emotions, and experiences until January, 1945, when he is tried, found guilty and executed.

On January 27th, at 6 p.m, the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center will present: Under Siege Again: Holocaust Distortion and the Rise of Hate Crimes Against Jews, Wednesday, January 27 at 6:00 p.m. from the comfort and safety of your own home.

To commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 76th Anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination and concentration camp, please join a conversation about how antisemitism at the international, national, and regional levels fuel Holocaust distortion, as well as the challenges in prosecuting religiously-based hate crimes locally. Featuring Michael Brovner, Chief of the Queens County District Attorney’s Hate Crimes Bureau in New York City and Mark Weitzman, Director of Government Affairs at the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

For more information and registration information, please visit www.hhrecny.org.