Opinion

Dental Assistants Forced to Care for COVID-19 Patients and Later Fired, Protested on May 26

By José A. Giralt & Síle Moloney
  Nine dental assistants who said they were fired earlier this month by Union Community Health Center (Union) after they were forced to work in a COVID-19 hospital ward protested outside St. Barnabas Hospital on Tuesday, May 25, 2020 to have their jobs reinstated and to receive adequate compensation they say is still owed to them.   As reported last week by Norwood News, the assistants, who were transferred from Union to St. Barnabas Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic and reassigned from their usual dental duties to care for COVID-19 patients, cancelled a previously scheduled protest last Friday when the


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Op-Ed, Financial Focus: China, Hong Kong, Coronavirus or Presidential Ineptness – Which Will Kill Us First?

By PROFESSOR ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA PFA
As a money manager since 1992, I can tell you personally that one of the things managers do, way before the U.S. markets open each day at 9:30 a.m, is to first look at the world financial markets. One of the first to be examined is the “Asian” markets and most specifically, Hong Kong, which opens 12 hours prior to the U.S. markets.   Hong Kong’s “capitalist” system, which has been going strong for over two decades now, has led many a U.S. market to boom. Although, of course, U.S. news affects U.S. financial markets, many money managers will also


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Mary Kay Sales Director Donates over 100 Pampering Sets To NCB Essential Workers

Jacqueline Acevedo-Villanueva, Mary Kay Sales Director, along with her colleagues Marina Lopez and Areliz Diaz, made a special trip to North Central Bronx Hospital (NCB) on Wednesday, May 20, to donate 100 ‘Satin Hands’ care packages to front line essential workers as a pampering treat.   Acevedo-Villanueva, who was born and raised in the Bronx, and who leads a team of over 50 women in her role at Mary Kay, a global beauty brand, donated the care packages as a thank you gesture to NCB nurses, and to all who she described as “the heroes on the front lines”.  


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Dental Assistants Forced to Treat COVID-19 Patients, then Terminated, Cancel Planned Protest On May 22

By Síle Moloney
  A group of dental assistants employed by Union Community Health Center in the Bronx, who were terminated after being transferred to St. Barnabas Hospital, and reassigned to care for COVID-19 patients, abruptly cancelled a planned protest which was due to take place on Friday, May 22 at 12:30PM.   The rally was planned to highlight what activists say were unjust terminations, and lack of transparency at both Union Community Health Center and at St. Barnabas Hospital.   The dental assistants – members of 1199SEIU- were told they were being transferred from Union Community Health Center, then put on a


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Data Shows Norwood Among NYC Areas Most Impacted by Pandemic

By Síle Moloney & David Greene
Jason Holloman, 42, has lived in Norwood for the last 15 years. He is a husband, father and recently became a grandfather. He was furloughed in March from his care coordinator role at BHRAGS Home Care Corp., where staff was initially cut by a quarter after the pandemic hit, and later by half.   “We help seniors find aides to help them in their home,” he said, explaining that he often works with seniors in low-income neighborhoods, who are on dialysis or who can’t cook, clean or get around at home.   Holloman said [prior to the pandemic] he would


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Rally on May 21 To Demand NYC Budget Justice and Caring and Compassionate New Deal

On Thursday, 21 May, at 2:00 p.m., Voices Of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL-NY) will be joined by members of the City Council who have pledged to advance a call for a new vision and drastic realignment in City budget priorities.   VOCAL-NY are calling for the creation of a housing, public health and social services workforce. The group also wants to see a collaborative effort by the Department of Social Services, Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, and Housing Preservation and Development, to tackle issues of incarceration, homelessness, overdose, substance use and mental health.   VOCAL-NY is a statewide


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10:00 a.m. Rally Today May 21 to Halt Solitary Confinement

The Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement are asking the public to join them today at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, May 21, for a virtual rally and socially distant actions to demand the legislature pass #HALTsolitary, Elder Parole, and Fair and Timely Parole.   People can register for the Zoom here, read this pdf flyer and this png flyer, and amplify action using this social media and call-in guide.   Activists are asking anyone who can travel safely, to join in person (with masks and gloves, and at least six feet apart) outside the offices of Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie,


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Op-Ed, Financial Focus: The Fed Cautiously Believes A Second Half Rebound Is Very Possible

By PROFESSOR ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA PFA
On Sunday, May 17, Jerome Powell, Federal Reserve Board Chair, was interviewed on the TV show, 60 Minutes. “The Fed” is a governmental body in charge of interest rates and money in our economy.   President Donald Trump, wanting a new person to lead the Fed, nominated Powell in 2018, but since then, has been critical of his work. Trump has been pushing hard to lower interest rates further while Powell wants to take a more moderate approach.   Then, in February of 2020, the pandemic hit. In Sunday’s interview, Powell said that the pandemic is the biggest threat to


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