On Wednesday, October 31st, Borough President James S. Oddo and Council Member Joe Borelli hosted “Halloween Hoopla,” a Halloween festival for children and their families.

For the annual event, Bloomingdale Park was transformed into “Boo!mingdale Park.” The event featured a hay maze, pony rides, inflatable attractions, sidewalk chalk and a bubble zone, photo spots, a costume parade, and trick-or-treating. The children were also treated by a musical performance by “Music With Patrick” and animal presentations from the Staten Island Zoo.

“This was a wonderful celebration that kids of all ages were able to enjoy. Special thanks to all of those who helped us make the day so special for these families,” said BP Oddo.
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Thousands attended the free event.

​Borough President James S. Oddo is pleased to announce that he will host another round of free thyroid cancer screenings at Borough Hall. The screenings will take place on Thursday, November 8th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Conference Room 125. The screenings are sponsored by HeartScan Services.
 
The rate of diagnosis of thyroid cancer has increased in recent years due to improvements to technology. In many cases, physicians cannot feel a nodule, but cancer can be detected through ultrasound screenings. The survival rate of thyroid cancer is very high when the cancer is found in early stages.
 
“I understand the how important it is for Staten Islanders to engage in preventative measures and take charge of their health, which is why I am happy to once again partner with HeartScan for these thyroid cancer screenings,” said Borough President Oddo. “I encourage all Staten Islanders to take advantage of these free screenings. The earlier cancer is found, the easier it is to treat.”
 
An appointment must be made to be screened. Contact Renee Sarno at 718-816-2133 to reserve your appointment. 

Borough President James S. Oddo is pleased to join with NYC Health + Hospitals to provide free flu shots on Thursday, November 1st from 1pm to 4pm. The drive will take place at Borough Hall in Room 125.
 
Seasonal influenza, commonly called “flu,” is a contagious illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the respiratory tract (the nose, throat, and lungs) and can cause severe illness and life-threatening complications.
 
Some of the complications caused by flu include bacterial pneumonia, dehydration, and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes. Children may get sinus problems and ear infections. The flu can cause mild to severe illness for days, and in some cases can lead to more serious health problems and even death. It is estimated that every year in the United States, about 5% to 20% of the population gets flu, and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications. Each year, more than 2,000 New Yorkers die from flu-related illness.
 
Those at high risk for serious flu complications include pregnant women, children under five years of age, adults over 65, nursing home residents and people with other serious health conditions.
 
“As the weather begins to get colder, it is important to get vaccinated against the flu in order to protect your health and the health of those around you,” said BP Oddo. “I am happy to partner with Health + Hospitals for another year to bring Staten Islanders free flu shots.”
 
No appointment is necessary to receive a flu shot. Those presenting for a flu shot need to sign a consent form and show photo ID.
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Borough President James S. Oddo will host a Staten Island Ferry Town Hall on Thursday, November 1st at 6:30 PM. This event will take place in the Curtis High School Auditorium.

The Town Hall will give Staten Island commuters an opportunity to voice their concerns regarding the Ferry itself as well as both the St. George and Whitehall terminals. Representatives from various city agencies, including the Department of Transportation, the Department of Consumer Affairs, and the NYPD, will respond to commuters’ comments.

“We at Borough Hall know how vital the Ferry is to our community, so I am happy to be hosting this Staten Island Ferry Town Hall,” said BP Oddo. “Please come out to let us know your concerns with service, issues in and around the two terminals, and all things Staten Island Ferry.”

“The Staten Island Ferry carries over 70,000 daily riders, and is a vital transportation link between lower Manhattan and Staten Island,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “We look forward to working with Borough President Oddo and our sister agencies to hear from riders.”
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The event is open to the public.

Borough President James S. Oddo will host “Halloween Hoopla,” a free Halloween event for children and their families, on Wednesday, October 31st from 2 to 5 PM. 

For the annual event, Bloomingdale Park will be transformed into “Boo!mingdale Park.” The event will feature a hay maze, pony rides, inflatable attractions, sidewalk chalk and a bubble zone, photo spots, music, a costume parade and trick-or-treating.  

“I am happy to once again host this special celebration that kids of all ages will enjoy,” said BP Oddo. “We welcome Staten Island families to join us at ‘Boo!mingdale Park’ for a great afternoon of Halloween fun.”
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Council Member Joe Borelli is co-sponsoring the event.

On Wednesday, October 17th, Borough President James Oddo and Council Member Joe Borelli will partner with OATH Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge, Fidel F. Del Valle, to bring OATH’s Neighborhood Pop-Up Court back to Staten Island.  The event will take place at Staten Island Community Board 3, located at 1243 Woodrow Road, Staten Island, NY 10309. 
 
Neighborhood Pop-Up Courts is an initiative that was launched in April by the NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH), which is the City’s independent administrative law court and where all City agencies file their regulatory and enforcement summonses for hearings. The first Pop-Up Court on Staten Island took place in June in the Mid-Island area.
 
Through this new initiative, OATH travels to neighborhoods across the five boroughs with Hearing Officers in order to conduct hearings directly in the community at Community Boards, libraries, offices of elected officials, and other civic organizations in an effort to increase response rates to City-issued summonses and to make it more convenient for people to access justice at the City’s administrative law court. There are various negative consequences that can occur if a summons is not responded to in the manner required; among them is that if a summons is not responded to on or before the hearing date then a higher penalty is typically imposed. This is due to the fact that City enforcement and regulatory agencies set their penalties in law and most agencies have made the penalty amounts higher for summonses that default or are not responded to in the correct, timely way.
 
OATH’s Neighborhood Pop-Up Court initiative involves a case-specific, mail marketing outreach campaign in which recipients of summonses issued by the Department of Sanitation and certain summonses issued by the Health Department are sent letters telling them that because their summons has a scheduled hearing date that is on or after the Pop-Up Court, their summons is eligible to be fought at the Neighborhood Pop-Up Court. The Sanitation and Health Department does not appear to argue their case for most of the summonses that those agencies write. This means that the recipient of the summons is able to meet one-on-one with the OATH Hearing Officer and tell him or her why they believe the summons should be dismissed. The decision is written up and mailed to both the enforcement agency and the person who fought the summons within 7 days.
 
OATH ‘s Public Affairs and Communications Office is estimating that more than 200 letters will be sent out to recipients of summonses that are eligible to have their case heard at the upcoming Pop-Up Court on Staten Island on October 17, 2018. 
 
“I’m pleased to partner again with OATH to bring a second pop-up court to Staten Island,” said BP Oddo. “This neighborhood pop-up court will make it easier for Staten Islanders from the South Shore to fight summonses in a convenient location. I encourage all Staten Islanders who are eligible to take advantage of this opportunity. Thank you to OATH and Council Member Borelli for working with us to bring the pop-up court concept to the South Shore.”
 
“That someone from my district on the South Shore of Staten Island would have to take a day off and travel to the ferry to fight a ticket is absurd. This is a true step in the right direction in terms of the accessibility of the court and I applaud Commissioner Fidel Del Valle for accommodating Staten Islanders,” said Council Member Borelli.
 
“As the City’s central independent administrative law court, OATH’s top priority is to make it as easy as possible for those who have been issued summonses from City enforcement agencies to have their day in court,” said OATH Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge, Fidel F. Del Valle. “Our Neighborhood Pop-Up Courts program brings the court to where you work and live so that fighting City summonses and accessing justice at OATH is more convenient and less time consuming.” 
 
In addition to alerting respondents that their case is eligible to be heard at the Pop-Up Court, the letter also informs the recipient of their right to fight the summons remotely online, by phone, by webcam or by mail if they choose not to attend the Pop-Up Court to have their hearing in person. Recipients of summonses can also go to the Staten Island OATH Hearing Office located at 350 St. Marks Place on the North Shore of the Island on the day of their scheduled hearing should they want to contest the summons in person there. 
 
OATH is the independent administrative law court where nearly all City enforcement agencies file their summonses for hearings. The agencies that file summonses at OATH for hearings include the Departments of Sanitation, Buildings, Health, Parks, Environmental Protection, Consumer Affairs, FDNY and NYPD, among many others. Last year, OATH received approximately 850,000 summonses from the City’s various enforcement agencies and during that time 44% of summonses that were fought at OATH hearings were dismissed by OATH Hearing Officers.

Borough President James Oddo is pleased to announce that he will host a free mammography screening event on Staten Island. The screenings will take place on October 19th. The mobile mammography van will be in the Richmond Shopping Center parking lot, 2875 Richmond Avenue (near Target and HomeGoods) from 1pm to 3:30pm.
 
The screenings will be available to eligible women ages 40 and older who have not had a mammogram in the past year. All insurance plans will be accepted, and co-pays and deductibles will be waived. The mammograms will be free to uninsured women.
 
An appointment must be made to get screened. To make an appointment, call (800) 564-6868.
 
“Mammograms are important preventative measures for women, which is why we are happy to provide this mobile screening to encourage Staten Island women to take charge of their health and make sure they get their annual mammogram,” said BP Oddo. “The earlier cancer is found, the easier it is to treat. Women should speak to their doctors to determine whether their risk factors require such screening.”
 
The screenings will be funded by the New York State Cancer Services Program and the Cancer Services Program of Staten Island. 

Over the weekend of September 28-30, Borough President James Oddo joined with the Consortium for Affordable Medical Technologies (CAMTech) at Massachusetts General Hospital, the State of New York, Northwell Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering to host the Empire State Opioid Epidemic Innovation Challenge at Columbia University.
 
The goal of the weekend was to serve as an open-innovation platform for a diverse community to co-create solutions that have the potential to change the trajectory of the local and national opioid crisis. The idea for the challenge came from the BP’s Policy Team, who learned about a successful opioid “Hack-A-Thon” hosted by CAMTech in Boston in 2016. The Borough President’s office reached out to CAMTech and collaborated with them to create a similar event in New York City.

Kicking off the event, BP Oddo spoke about the local impact of the opioid crisis on the Staten Island community. Other speakers included Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul, OASAS Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez, Dr. Ram Raju of Northwell Health, First Deputy New York City Police Commissioner Benjamin Tucker, and District Attorney Michael McMahon. In addition, those in recovery and family members who lost loved ones to addiction spoke about their personal experiences. Representatives from Google and CVS Health joined a panel discussion on what large companies can do to help fight this epidemic.

As part of the challenge, 12 multi-disciplinary teams were formed—composed of engineers, data experts, social workers, clinicians, and other professionals. The teams worked over the weekend to develop, finalize, and pitch their innovations with the help of subject-matter experts—representing government, hospitals, public health, business, first responders, and the treatment community—who made themselves available to offer mentorship. Each team gave a three-minute pitch on Sunday afternoon to the panel of judges.
 
Here are the winning entries:
 
Grand Prize: Team RAN won the $2,000 Empire State Opioid Epidemic Innovation Award. RAN links individuals with certified peer advocates to meet patients at hospitals and treatment recovery centers.
 
Northwell Health Innovation Award: Team Recover We won $1,500 for innovating a Google chat to link individuals with prevention, treatment, and opioid recovery programs.

CAMTech Innovation Award: Team Quick Reversal won $1,500 for innovating a nasal patch that dispenses Narcan to prevent opioid overdose.

Honorable Mention: Team ARK won $500 for innovating a kit that aggregates existing prevention, treatment, and recovery tools for hospitals, needle exchanges, detox centers, and rehab facilities.

“I’m so pleased to see this event come to life and be such a success. We recruited talented individuals with hard-to-find skill sets to help us add options to the toolkit we use to tackle the opioid epidemic. We are eager to see how these promising innovations progress and hope to apply the best of them on Staten Island,” said BP Oddo. “Thanks again to the Governor’s Office, NYS OASAS, Northwell Health, Columbia University’s Public Health and Engineering Schools—and most importantly our organizing entity that made this all possible—CAMTech at Massachussets General Hospital, for working with us to turn this idea into reality.”

The challenge continues at Demo Day on January 31st, where all 12 teams will have the opportunity to compete for a $10,000 prize. Each team will have four months to develop their ideas, bring their innovations to life, and perfect their pitches.