Tuesday, April 28
If you have an immediate need, call (607) 288-3252
As always, community members looking for more information on local health resources and resources related to COVID-19 can contact 2-1-1 by calling 1-877-211-8667 or visiting 211tompkins.org
Mutual Aid Tompkins Facebook Page
Mutual Aid Tompkins Facebook Group
Mutual Aid Tompkins Immediate Needs Facebook Group
Mutual Aid Tompkins Food Systems Facebook Group
Mutual Aid Tompkins: Parent Support Group
Mutual Aid Tompkins Community Form
Mutual Aid Tompkins Community Resource Folder
Donate
We are neighbors concerned about our communities and helping to make sure those most vulnerable and affected by COVID-19 get the support they need. We are volunteer run, with no paid staff, and our aid comes directly from the community. We have created a PayPal & Venmo account and the money donated is going directly to people who have made requests through our immediate needs page. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our fundraiser that is in partnership with Tompkins County Worker's Center, You can also make donations through PayPal here and our Venmo here. Thank you!
Local
Tracking & Testing
Total Tested 3,212
Pending Results 121
Positive Test Results 130
Recovered 97
Hospitalized 6
Tompkins County Health Department Info and Resources
Charted data for Tompkins, Cortland, Broome, and Onondaga County HERE
A Brief Summary of the Three Types of COVID-19 Testing HERE
News
Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick outlines plan to reduce City’s operating budget by $5.4 million in response to COVID-19. Full video with written text here. Ithaca Voice coverage here.
GIAC Announces A Temporary Set-Back For A Strong Comeback.
At GIAC we are proud of our culture of love, family, resiliency, and strong relationships with our staff, participants, families and community. Like many of you, the City of Ithaca and GIAC are currently experiencing great challenges due to the financial impact the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had on our nation, state and local community. We know these past weeks have been filled with stress, challenges, isolation, and financial difficulties.
However, through these unprecedented times there have been examples of the community supporting one another. From setting up online programming and senior grocery services to mask making, collaborating on a food pantry at GIAC, and staff making phone calls to check on GIAC families, we have provided support.
City of Ithaca and GIAC leadership are looking forward to how our community rebounds after the outbreak subsides and we can return to offering a safe environment for our participants. At this time, no government stimulus funds have been provided for municipalities including the City of Ithaca to recoup lost revenues and costs of the pandemic. The City will experience a budgetary shortfall estimated to be in the millions for this budget year, thus, difficult decisions and changes have had to be made. With the Governor’s Executive Orders to close schools, temporarily reduce workforce, and put New York on pause, coupled with social distancing requirements, we have had to close all physical programs at GIAC. Add to that the projected financial shortfall, and GIAC along with other city departments and community agencies have to endure further difficult changes. These changes will affect our staff, participants, programs and services through the summer months but will position us to come back stronger after the pandemic.
• Most of GIAC’s employees will not be working after May 1 for a few months.
• All GIAC youth and teen programs will continue to be closed at least through August.
• There will be no summer programs, which include Rashad Richardson Basketball League, Summer Camp, Boxing, Conservation Corp, Teen Employment, and the Alex Haley Municipal Pool will not open for the season.
• Current online youth/teen programming will end on May 1.
• GIAC administration will continue to offer the Virtual Family Fun@Home Challenge Activities through postings on GIAC’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ithacagiac.
• The Hospitality Employment Training Program will continue to stay open for now through online outreach.
• Senior Program staff will continue to provide support and basic program/services to our vulnerable seniors.
• GIAC will continue to accept applications for the Robin’s Fund electronically.
• The Food Pantry at GIAC on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 -4 pm will remain available outside of GIAC.
• GIAC will continue to provide business services, 10am-4pm, Monday - Friday via telephone and email with the main office number (607) 272-3622 and via email at giacmain@cityofithaca.org.
• The GIAC building will continue to be closed to the public.
Once a decision is made regarding the 2020-21 After School Program, GIAC staff will be in touch with families.
Stay strong and be well,
Leslyn McBean-Clairborne, GIAC Director
Travis Brooks, Deputy GIAC Director
Kerry Phillips, Deputy GIAC Director
Cayuga Medical Set to resume elective surgeries - Last week Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that hospitals without significant risk of a COVID-19 surge would be able to resume elective surgeries. Today, Cayuga Health announced that they meet that requirement. via Ithaca Voice
Activities & Events
Social Networking- Thursday, April 30, 1-2:30 PM
Learn how to take advantage of social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to help you in your job search. This workshop provides general guidance on building a presentable profile and presence.
Register at: https://tinyurl.com/ya3hcgv4
State
Governor Cuomo Announces Creation of New York Forward Re-Opening Advisory Board
Confirms 3,110 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to 295,106; New Cases in 44 Counties
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today outlined additional guidelines for the phased plan to re-open New York on a regional basis. Each region of the state - Capital Region, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Mid-Hudson Valley, Mohawk Valley, New York City, North Country, Long Island, Southern Tier and Western New York - must follow these guidelines as part of the re-opening plan.
CDC Guidelines: Based on CDC recommendations, once a region experiences a 14-day decline in the hospitalization rate they may begin a phased re-opening.
Industries: Businesses in each region will re-open in phases. Phase one will include opening construction and manufacturing functions with low risk. Phase two will open certain industries based on priority and risk level. Businesses considered "more essential" with inherent low risks of infection in the workplace and to customers will be prioritized, followed by other businesses considered "less essential" or those that present a higher risk of infection spread. Regions must not open attractions or businesses that would draw a large number of visitors from outside the local area.
Business Precautions: Each business and industry must have a plan to protect employees and consumers, make the physical work space safer and implement processes that lower risk of infection in the business.
Building Health Care Capacity: To maintain the phased re-opening plan, each region must have at least 30 percent of hospital beds and ICU beds available after elective surgeries resume.
Testing Regimen: Regions must implement a testing regimen that prioritizes symptomatic persons and individuals who came into contact with a known COVID-positive person, and conducts frequent tests of frontline and essential workers. Regions must maintain an appropriate number of testing sites to accommodate its population and must fully advertise where and how people can get tested. The region must also use the collected data to track and trace the spread of the virus.
Tracing System: There must be at least 30 contact tracers for every 100,000 people. The region must also monitor the regional infection rate throughout the re-opening plan.
Isolation Facilities: Regions must present plans to have rooms available for people who test positive for COVID-19 and who cannot self-isolate.
Regional Coordination: Regions must coordinate the re-opening of schools, transportation systems, testing and tracing with other surrounding regions.
Re-imagining Tele-Medicine
Re-imagining Tele-Education
Regional Control Rooms: Each region must appoint an oversight institution as its control room to monitor regional indicators during the phased re-opening, including hospital capacity, rate of infection, PPE burn rate and businesses.
Protect and Respect Essential Workers: Regions must continue to ensure protections are in place for essential workers.
National
Coronavirus Has Now Killed More Americans Than Vietnam War via NPR
