BROOKLYN-USA.ORG 11
A Healthy Investment
In his first term, Borough President
Adams allocated more than $40 million
to capital projects that advance
the health and human services infrastructure
of Brooklyn. Here are several
notable initiatives his administration is
funding in the borough:
yy Community centers are vital hubs
for healthy programming and education
that impacts both young and
young at heart. In partnership with
local council members, Borough
President Adams has granted millions
to upgrade and preserve
existing centers, including Bedford-
Stuyvesant Multi-Service Center in
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Hope Gardens
Community Center in Bushwick,
Willoughby Neighborhood Senior
Center in Fort Greene, Sephardic
Community Center in Gravesend,
and Small World Day Care
Center/Swinging Sixties Senior
Center in Williamsburg, as well
as to create new ones in underserved
neighborhoods, such as
the Marcy Community Center in
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Il Centro in
Bensonhurst, Gregory Jackson
Center in Brownsville, Shirley
Chisholm Community Center in East
Flatbush, and Stanley Commons
Community Center in East New
York.
yy Brooklyn’s hospitals need stateof
the-art resources to provide the
best care for patients, especially
at a time when many facilities
are experiencing financial challenges.
Borough President Adams
has funded a number of projects,
among them a new telemetry
monitoring system for the emergency
department at NYC Health
+ Hospitals/Woodhull in Bedford-
Stuyvesant, a hybrid operating
room at Maimonides Medical
Center in Borough Park, a CT scanner
for the emergency department
at Brookdale University Hospital
Medical Center in Brownsville, a
Diabetes Center of Excellence within
the Ambulatory Care Center at
Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in
Bushwick, therapeutic ultrasound
equipment at Kingsbrook Jewish
Medical Center in East Flatbush,
an audio/visual patient education
system at NYC Health + Hospitals/
Kings County in East Flatbush, a
3D extremity imaging system at
New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn
BROOKLYN NEWS
Borough President Adams visited a young patient in the pediatric unit at Maimonides
Medical Center in Borough Park, a hospital in which he has invested
more than $850,000 for new equipment and infrastructure.
Methodist Hospital in Park Slope,
and an echocardiograph unit at NYC
Health + Hospitals/Coney Island in
Sheepshead Bay.
yy Borough President Adams is
also investing in medical education,
allotting resources to create
a hospital teaching lab at MS 366
The Science and Medicine Middle
School in Canarsie as well as a
3D anatomy training system at St.
Francis College in Brooklyn Heights.
yy Understanding the importance of
serving Brooklynites wherever they
may be, Borough President Adams
has awarded capital grants to organizations
that are taking their services
on the road — literally. To
Photo Credit: Kenny Rub/Maimonides Medical Center
that end, he has allotted funds to
the American Red Cross in Greater
New York for a passenger vehicle to
assist those impacted by disaster,
Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger
for a food truck, City Harvest for
a hunger relief refrigerated truck,
Floating Hospital for a transport
van, Hebrew Educational Society for
a transport vehicle, JCC of Marine
Park for a “Pantry on the Go,” Man
Up, Inc! for an emergency response
and transport vehicle, and Turning
Point for a mobile shower bus.
An interactive map that highlights
all of Borough President Adams’ capital
budget allocations is available at brooklyn
usa.org.
Our environment has a profound impact
on our physical health. From the air
quality in our homes to the water in our
schools, environmental factors have longterm
health consequences that can lead to
a lifetime of chronic illness.
One of the most significant issues impacting
air quality is mold, a microscopic
organism that can grow anywhere in the
home and outdoors. This pollutant is a
serious health hazard in a residential environment
due to its potential to cause allergies
and irritation.
Mold is prevalent in older housing
developments containing worn façades,
pipes, roofs, and ventilation systems. In
April, the New York City Housing Authority
(NYCHA), the city’s largest landlord,
launched Mold Busters, a new pilot program
to aggressively fight mold with new
training, moisture meters, and an expansion
of mold-killing paint.
In addition, many public housing developments
have substandard roofs that lead
to damaging leaks and toxic mold growth
in residents’ apartments, as well as more
strained boilers and greater building
emissions due to poor insulation. Exposure
to the elements such as dampness,
lead, mold, and insufficient heating poses
many health risks to residents including
colds, coughing, or wheezing; and irritation
of the eyes, skin, and throat, as well as
nasal stuffiness.
Borough President Adams has been
outspoken on the need for rehabilitation of
this critical infrastructure. In 2015, he stood
atop the damaged roof of 110 Humboldt
Street, a seven-story residential building
that is part of the Borinquen Plaza II development
in Williamsburg, to denounce
the State for withdrawing its $100 million
commitment for such critical repairs.
Last year, Borough President Adams
was proud to see the City fulfill its obligation
to NYCHA, following the advocacy
of thousands of public housing residents,
with a $1 billion investment to fix more
than 700 roofs over the next 10 years. “I
have seen firsthand the serious state of
roof disrepair that dozens of Brooklyn’s
public housing developments are enduring,”
said Borough President Adams.
“NYCHA has big challenges to overcome,
starting with a severe shortage of funding
that has let chronic issues fester and problems
like these roofs grow exponentially.”
Lead, one of the byproducts of internal
decay and rotting piping, is a dangerous
substance that is often found in dust and
paint in older buildings. It can contaminate
air, soil, and water, and poses a serious
threat to children younger than six years
due to its potentially harmful damage to
mental and physical development including
behavioral issues, brain damage, and
lower IQ scores. At very high levels, lead
can even be fatal.
A recent Columbia University study
found potentially harmful levels of lead in
many backyard soil samples in Greenpoint
— some yards containing seven or eight
times the normal level. Just a few weeks
after the release of that study, the New
York City Department of Investigation (DOI)
uncovered systemic failures of NYCHA to
conduct mandatory lead testing within
their apartments.
“There is a systemic problem with lead
exposure that our City must show it is serious
in addressing, namely with existing
laws and regulations,” said Borough President
Adams. “We cannot and will not accept
anything less than above-and-beyond
effort from every agency official in improving
the quality of life at our developments.”
Elevated lead levels have also been
found in the drinking water at a number of
New York City public schools.
Last May, Borough President Adams
penned a joint letter with the other four
borough presidents calling on the New
York City Department of Education (DOE)
to take immediate action; recommendations
included regular testing as well as
the provision of alternative water supplies.
Photo Credit: Kathryn Kirk/Brooklyn BP’s Office
Borough President Adams tested
the softness of the damaged roof at
110 Humboldt Street, a seven-story
residential building that is part of the
Borinquen Plaza II development in
Williamsburg.
Borough President Adams’ mission
is for Brooklyn to be a safe place to raise
healthy children and families. He encourages
anyone with concerns about environmental
hazards where they live, work, or
study to contact his Constituent Assistance
Center at (718) 802-3700.
Environmental Hazards at Home