FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE			Contact: Dan Aug
February 3, 2010	Phone: 631. 853.4018 Cell: 631. 885.0631

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy’s State of the County Address To Be Given at Stony Brook University

 

Live Televised Address at 7 p.m. from Wang Center

 

Stony Brook, NY -- Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy will deliver his seventh State of the County address from the Wang Center at Stony Brook University, his alma mater, tonight at 7 p.m. sharp. 

 

Levy will outline how Suffolk weathered the economic storm of 2009 without cuts in services or layoffs and with a proposed 2010 executive budget with a tax freeze – through preparation, enhanced efficiency and streamlined operations over the past several years.

 

“For we did not weather the economic crisis of 2009 just in 2009. We prepared for the oncoming storm in 2008, and 2007, and in the years before that by shaping a leaner, more efficient county government,” Levy will say.

 

The county executive will demonstrate how county services have been maintained and even enhanced while controlling costs.

 

Levy will also unveil several new initiatives including:

• a medication-assisted outpatient approach towards heroin addiction;
• a Long Island purchasing consortium for municipalities and not-for-profit agencies;
• an economic development action plan to attract and retain businesses in the county;
• transit-oriented downtown developments in Ronkonkoma and in Wyandanch.

 

The address will begin at 7 p.m, and the event will be covered live by News 12 Long Island and FIOS 1. He will be introduced by Stony Brook University President Dr. Samuel Stanley  and Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko.

 

What:                   Suffolk County Executive’s State of the County Address

 

When:                  Wednesday, February 3, 7:00 p.m. sharp

 

Where:                 Charles B. Wang Asian-American Center

                                     Stony Brook University

 

 

Mark L. Smith, Deputy Director of Communications

Office of Suffolk County Executive

PH: 631-853-8342/ CELL: 631-445-7169

E-Mail: Smith.Mark@suffolkcountyny.gov

 

  

 

       

Residents Embrace Cultural Diversity at
County Executive Steve Levy’s
Second Annual Unity Day

Event Combines Education and Entertainment to Reach Over 500
Local Students and Guests

 
Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy greeted cultural fashion show participants at his second annual Unity Day event held Friday, September 26 in Hauppauge. Over 500 students from around Suffolk were taught about other cultures of the world during the day’s entertaining festivities that included musical acts, theatrical performances and a speech from motivational speaker and former captain of the Jamaican Winter Olympic bobsledding team Devon

Harris. Unity Day was coordinated by Suffolk County ’s Office of Minority Affairs – created by Levy during his first term of office to promote understanding and tolerance of those from different ethnic backgrounds.

 

 

SUFFOLK COUNTY PARADE OF NATIONS – UNITY DAY

Mel Guadalupe, Director Suffolk County Office of Minority Affairs, representatives’ from different nations including first indigenous people of Suffolk County, Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Japan, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy (center) India, Pakistan, Taiwan, China and Philippines.

 

 

County Executive Steve Levy Kicks off Campaign to Renovate Foreclosures into Affordable Housing

 Neighborhood Stabilization Program Will Make Up to 100 Houses Available for Purchase

Applications Available Now; Lottery to be Held in August

Hauppauge, NY –Suffolk Executive Steve Levy was in Selden yesterday along with prominent town, county and non-profit housing agency officials to announce the kickoff of a $13.8 million program to renovate foreclosed houses and turn them into affordable housing that will be made available to qualified individuals and families through a lottery.

Addressing the media in front of a home that had been foreclosed upon but has since been renovated and is poised for resale, Levy was joined by Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko, Long Island Housing Partnership (LIHP) Executive Director Peter Elkowitz, Suffolk Legislators Brian Beedenbender and Kate Browning and various officials from town Community Development departments. The officials heralded the program, which will allow the county and towns to the restore blighted homes, stabilize neighborhoods impacted by foreclosures and provide unprecedented opportunities for first-time homeowners.

Through Levy’s efforts, Suffolk has been awarded Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding of $5,681,443 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and $6,930,349 from New York State, as well as $1,240,000 from the NYS Affordable Housing Corporation. These funds will be used to provide home buyer subsidies for the homes Suffolk will be acquiring and renovating. After the renovation work, qualifying Suffolk residents will be able to enter a lottery drawing to win the right to purchase one of the homes at a lower than market price when the lottery is held this August.

“The foreclosure crisis right now is creating a triple whammy,” said Levy. “Not only are our families, friends and neighbors losing their homes, foreclosures are causing other property values to drop and are decreasing the amount of tax revenue our local governments take in and use to provide services to those in need. The Neighborhood Stabilization Program will change that in some of our most crucial areas of need.”

The county will be advertising the housing lottery extensively in several local newspapers. The ad will appear in more than 10 Suffolk newspapers from June 3 through June 10, noting that applications are available to enter the homeownership lottery as part of the county’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The application includes a full explanation of guidelines for entrance into the lottery. Entrance into the lottery is limited to households earning at or below either 80 percent or 120 percent of the Suffolk area median income (AMI) based on household size.

Through the cooperative efforts of Suffolk County, town Community Development departments, HUD, the New York State Affordable Housing Corporation, the New York State Housing Finance Agency and the Long Island Housing Partnership, Inc. and its affiliates, the sales price of the homes will range from $150,000 to $225,000. Applicants must have household incomes below $122,200 (for a family of 4) and be able to obtain a mortgage. Applicants whose names are selected at the lottery must complete an eight-hour homebuyer counseling program at the LIHP.

LIHP President Elkowitz said, “This is a great opportunity. With this program, we can provide people with homeownership opportunities for less than they would pay for rent.”

Communities where homes may be available include Centereach, Selden, Central Islip, Coram, East Patchogue, Bay Shore, Brentwood, Huntington Station, Mastic, Mastic Beach, Medford, North Amityville, North Bellport and Shirley, among others. The county plans to sell between 70 and 100 homes through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program over the next three years.

“This is an incredibly important project,” said Supervisor Lesko. “Through this program we are targeting the areas of greatest need and providing them with the assistance they need to stage a real comeback. This is how we are going to stimulate our local communities during this economic and housing crisis.”

“Everybody wants a slice of the American dream,” said Legislator Beedenbender. “The Neighborhood Stabilization Program will help our neighborhoods become nicer places to live.”

Added Legislator Browning: “I am happy that we were able to get the money to help some of our young professionals and first-time homebuyers into homes of their very own.”

 

RESPONSIBLE ACTION—Suffolk Executive Steve Levy (at podium), along with Suffolk Health Commissioner Dr. Humayun Chaudhry (right) and Deer Park Union Free School District officials Frank Caliguiri and Eva J. Demyen, explained the circumstances associated with a Deer Park elementary school student who has likely contracted the H1N1 flu. 

 

Suffolk Officials: County Has First Probable Case of Influenza A, H1N1

Deer Park Elementary School Student’s Test Results being Further Evaluated by Centers for Disease Control

 

Hauppauge, NY – Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy and Health Commissioner Dr. Humayun Chaudhry provided information about the county’s first probable incident of Influenza A, H1N1 (also referred to as the ‘Swine Flu’) at a press conference today. 

 

The county officials were joined by Deer Park Union Free School District representatives Eva J. Demyen, assistant superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, Personnel and Professional Development, and Frank Caliguiri, assistant superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services. The contingent explained the circumstances associated with a Deer Park elementary school student whose tests are being evaluated by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, following tests conducted by Suffolk County and New York State health departments.

According to the officials, a 10-year-old girl who attends John F. Kennedy Middle School in Deer Park had flu-like symptoms Sunday evening after participating in a track meet earlier that day at the Astoria Park in Queens, NY.  Her mother, recognizing the girl’s symptoms of fever, headache and coughing, brought the youngster to Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, N.Y., to be evaluated. Tests completed both in Suffolk County and by the New York State Health Department have ruled out numerous other strains of Influenza A, according to Dr. Chaudhry, and the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is conducting further tests to determine a positive identification of H1N1.

The girl, who was not admitted into the hospital and has not attended school since the symptoms arose, is recovering at home.

Levy praised the youngster’s family for recognizing the symptoms and responding appropriately. “This situation is not a cause for alarm, but it is a cause for concern,” said the county executive.

The school district reacted swiftly to the situation, sending students home with letters to inform parents that the district was working closely with the county health department. In addition, school officials said they had alerted cleaning and custodial staff members about precautions that should be taken. Also, officials said they had updated the district’s website and planned to send out an informational voicemail message to homes in the district.

Fifty-one cases of H1N1 reportedly have been confirmed in New York State as of Wednesday afternoon, and three probable cases,  including the Deer Park student, have been identified on Long Island. The Geneva-based World Health Organization today raised its alert level for the fast-spreading swine flu to its next-to-highest notch, signaling that a global pandemic could be imminent.

 

Noting the increasing number of cases, Dr. Chaudhry said that his department has maintained constant contact with local hospitals and physicians as well as the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the New York State Department of Health Services. “Fortunately,” Dr. Chaudhry added, “the overwhelming majority of those who are being affected by Influenza H1N1 are presenting with mild symptoms and are recovering quickly.”

 

Chaudhry offered the following guidelines on how to minimize the risk of spreading the disease:

• Wash hands often with soap and warm water. Alcohol-based hand cleansers are also effective.
• Stay home from work or school if you are sick.
• If symptoms appear and persist, seek medical attention.
• Use tissues when coughing or sneezing.
• Whenever possible, avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Do not share personal items such as forks, spoons, toothbrushes and towels.

 

The county is continuing to monitor the situation closely. To date, the county and area hospitals have sent 22 samples to the state health department for testing. Of those, 15 samples have proven to be negative for Influenza A, H1N1 and only one sample is considered probable. The county is awaiting the results of the remaining six samples. Additional information about the swine flu and influenza may be found at http://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/departments/healthservices.aspx

 

 

Tzu Chi International Medical Association
(LI Chapter) Health Fair 

 

Richard Hwang, M.D. Medical Director of Tzu Chi International Medical Association, Joan Sung, Director, Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation (LI Branch), Fran Leek, Director St. Hugh of Lincoln R.C. Outreach Program, Mel Guadalupe, Director Suffolk County Office of Minority Affairs, Jim Young, Chairman Asian American Advisory Board and Ramon Villongco, Asian American Advisory Board Member.