Time is running out to comment on 'public charge' rule

Time is running out to give comments on the proposed “public charge” federal rule. In a nutshell, this Trump administration proposal would limit the ability of immigrants to secure visas or permanent residency based on their use of public benefits. Here is New York City Department of Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks discussing on “The Brian Lehrer Show” yesterday how the rule’s implementation would affect New York City. Here is where you can provide comments directly to the federal government on the issue before the Dec. 10 deadline.

The proposed rule “represents an impending health crisis,” warns the FPWA and the Chinese-American Planning Council in a Dec. 4 post on the FPWA website.

“Anyone deemed a public charge could have their green card applications denied – or even possibly be deported. Currently, only cash benefits or government-funded medical institutionalization carry this potential consequence,” reads the post by Winn Periyasamy, a policy analyst at FPWA, and Carlyn Cowen, chief policy and public affairs officer at the CPC. “Children and families will be disproportionately affected. We know that a child’s health and well-being is inextricably linked to that of their family’s – and to attack a parent’s access to these services is to attack their children’s health, citizen and non-citizen alike.”

There is a new senior vice president of business development at The New Jewish Home. Anne Meara previously led departments at NYU Langone Health System and Montefiore Health System, according to a Dec. 5 press release. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in nursing and has an MBA from Adelphi University.

“Meara’s combination of clinical experience in nursing and strategic health systems management will enable The New Jewish Home to meet the needs of older New Yorkers with high-quality services at a time when people are living longer and care models evolve rapidly,” said Dr. Jeffrey I. Farber, president of the nonprofit geriatric services provider said in the press release.

The New York City Administration for Children’s Services has secured three new contracts for community partnership programs. Hunts Point Alliance for Children receive a $1.05 million contract. Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York also received a $1.05 million contract. Jewish Child Care Association of New York received a $2.1 million contract.

A new tool from the New York State Health Foundation shows how health behaviors play out statewide. Using data on physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes, smoking, binge drinking, flu vaccines, pneumonia vaccines, and HIV testing, users can see how New York compares to other states, as well as how individual counties stack up. Check it out here.

The Amida Care Fund at Stonewall Community Foundation has announced five new grants. A total of $20,000 in funding will support HIV prevention and services. The funding will be evenly split among the recipients, according to a Dec. 4 press release.

• Health and Education Alternatives for Teens will use its share to support screenings for HIV and sexually transmitted infections.
• Pride Center of Staten Island will direct funding to its HIV Prevention Program, which also aims to prevent STIs and hepatitis C infections.
• The Sylvia Rivera Law Project will increase access to gender-affirming identity documents and health care through legal services and referrals.
• Translatina Network will do community outreach to help transgender women of color find employment and avoid HIV.
• Trinity Place Shelter will invest money in a 10-bed shelter for LGBTQ homeless youth.