Category: Andrew Lanza

BP Welcomes Championship SIA and Farrell Basketball Teams to Borough Hall

5/5/2017

On Friday, May 5th, BP Oddo welcomed the Staten Island Academy Girls Basketball Team and the Monsignor Farrell Varsity, JV and Freshman Basketball Teams to Borough Hall to congratulate them on winning their respective championships this year. Members of both teams recounted their winning seasons and asked BP Oddo questions about quality of life issues on Staten Island.

After talking to the students, BP Oddo challenged them to a free throw contest, using a mini-basketball hoop he had put up for the occasion. At the meeting, BP Oddo presented both teams with proclamations acknowledging their leadership on and off the court.

“You are a great group of young women and men, and you make us so proud,” noted BP Oddo.

Senator Andrew Lanza, Assembly Member Michael Cusick and District Attorney Michael McMahon joined BP Oddo in congratulating the teams.

Every Staten Island Elected Official Joins Borough President Oddo in Signing onto Letter to Governor and Mayor saying: “Thank you; We Need More Help” on Opioid Epidemic

1/12/2017

“Thank you; we need more help,” is the message of a short letter drafted by Borough President James S. Oddo and signed by every other elected official on Staten Island to Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio.

The letter, dated January 10, 2017 and addressed to Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio reads in total as follows:

“We sincerely thank you for all you have done to help us fight the opioid epidemic plaguing Staten Island.

“We desperately need more help.

“We are hopeful we can all get in the same room in the near future to figure out how we can do even more.”

Ironically, within hours of sending the letter, the Governor sent out a press release announcing a slew of new proposals in his State of the State to combat this epidemic state wide.

“I certainly welcome the Governor’s new proposals, and look forward to learning more about them,” said Borough President Oddo. “In fact, they are an indication of how important it is to get in the same room to discuss all our efforts and discuss what more can be done. At our December 2, 2016 meeting I hosted at Borough Hall, my colleagues and I agreed that the crisis is so pervasive and serious that we must be working with the highest reaches of the state and city government to solve it. This letter appealing to the Governor and Mayor for their direct engagement with us asks just for that. Does the request reflect a bit of chutzpah on our part? Perhaps. But the cause is that important and the consequences of inaction too serious.”

Besides Borough President Oddo, the bipartisan group of elected officials signing onto the letter was: District Attorney Michael McMahon, Congressman Dan Donovan, State Senators Andrew Lanza and Diane Savino, Assembly Members Michael Cusick, Matthew Titone, Nicole Malliotakis, and Ron Castorina, and Council Members Steven Matteo, Joe Borelli, and Debi Rose.

New study seeks to revolutionize child psychiatry

1/16/2015

Borough President James Oddo joined with clinicians of the Child Mind Institute and Senator Andrew Lanza’s office to encourage families to participate in the Healthy Brain Network’s data collection to identify biological markers of psychiatric illness at Borough Hall on Thursday, January 15. The HBN seeks to advance the science of child and adolescent brain development while empowering families with the scientifically sound information they need.

The HBN initiative is a community-based research program that combines mobile research vehicles and a stationary center located at the Teleport to reach and evaluate a large population. The program is coming to Staten Island in April. HBN will include healthy children (ages 5 to 21) in addition to those with a broad range of disorders, in order to identify subtle differences within healthy populations and between healthy and clinical populations. The Child Mind Institute hopes to collect data from 10,000 children for the study.

“When a child has a fever or a stomachache, you know what to do,” said Dr. Harold Koplewicz, president of Child Mind Institute. However, when a child is irritable, sad or inattentive, parents often think – or hope – it’s a phase and don’t seek diagnostics. “It’s time to change that.”

Participation in the study is free, and all participants and their families will receive an extensive feedback session with a licensed clinician following their evaluation. At this session, appropriate treatment recommendations and referrals for follow up care will also be given.

According to the Child Mind Institute, this work is necessary because 75 percent of all psychiatric disorders begin by age 24, and they affect 1 in 5 American children. The field of child psychiatry would benefit tremendously from biological diagnostic tests, similar to those used in other branches of medicine.

“Staten Island parents can be confident in the Child Mind Institute,” said Borough President Oddo. “The data collected will not only help your child, but also others with psychiatric illnesses.”

For more information on the program or to sign up for inclusion in the study which will begin this Spring, visit childmind.org or email hbn@childmind.org.

BP Oddo hosts Mayor de Blasio at Borough Hall for press conference

2/24/2014

On February 24, Borough President James Oddo welcomed New York City mayor Bill de Blasio to Borough Hall for a frank conversation about Hurricane Sandy relief and the Build it Back Program.

"We’ve tried to pack in many meetings in 6 weeks here at Borough Hall but this was the most critical,” said Oddo. “Much of the 6 weeks has been staff and I dealing with the sins of the ’60s, ‘70s and 80s. I don't want to be a part of any further mistakes. There is an opportunity for us to transform communities. Today was about making sure this administration is here for Staten Islanders.”

Oddo has asked the Mayor to facilitate buying property from owners who lost homes and businesses, noting that the best way to help these people move on is with a check. “Acquisition for redevelopment is the best way to help now. Put a check in their hands,” he said. With the acquired property, redevelopment would need to be done smartly and with infrastructure suitable for the land.

New plan designed to protect South Shore from future storms

2/19/2014

On February 19, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that he is pushing to secure $36 million in federal funding to construct a series of off-shore breakwaters and a living shoreline along the coast of Conference House Park that will reduce the risk of damage to homes and infrastructure along the South Shore of Staten Island during major coastal storms like Superstorm Sandy. The funding for this project would come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), a program funded by the Sandy bill that provides funds not just to rebuild infrastructure in the aftermath of a disaster, but to build back in a way that will prevent similar damage in the future.

Borough President James Oddo stood by Sen. Schumer during the announcement, committed to helping rebuild the South Shore – and all parts of Staten Island damaged during the storm and to preventing anything like that from ever happening again. “Parts of Staten Island are still reeling from the damage of Hurricane Sandy,” said Oddo. “While we continue to help these families rebuild, it’s imperative that we also take measures to prevent any future damage and devastation. Off-shore breakwaters would go a long way in protecting Tottenville in the future.”

Borough President James Oddo cuts the ribbon for RUMC's New Women's Comprehensive Center

1/30/2014

Borough President James Oddo joined the leadership of Richmond University Medical Center on January 30, at the ribbon cutting for RUMC’s Women’s Comprehensive Center on Amboy Road in Eltingville.

The Center’s mission is to treat women of all stages of life, from obstetrical and gynecological care to primary care, bone density scanning, weight management and overall wellness. What makes the Center stand out is its holistic approach to patients. In addition to patient exam rooms, the Center boasts a large meditation space for yoga. The Center will offer yoga, prenatal yoga, acupuncture and stress reduction techniques to interested patients.

“During my campaign, I stressed how important health and wellness are in our community,” he said from the podium at the opening ceremony. “Preventive medicine is where healthcare is going across the country. This is a milestone for women on Staten Island. I thank RUMC for putting the tools in place to control your destiny.

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