Saturday, June 8, 2013

News From Councilman Koppell


KOPPELL HAILS HIGH COURT DECISION ON TAXI SERVICE

Council Member Oliver Koppell hailed the unanimous decision of the state’s highest court to reverse a lower court ruling and allow street hails for car services in the outer boroughs and above 96th Street in Manhattan, where yellow cabs rarely visit.   

Within a month, a fleet of “apple green” livery taxis will be available for street hails in those neighborhoods where livery cabs were formerly not allowed to respond to passengers hailing cabs from the street.  The city will be allowed to issue up to 18,000 “hail licenses” over 3 years for these taxis, which will have a roof light, meters and the capacity to accept credit cards, making their services equal to those of yellow cabs.  One fifth of these cabs will be wheelchair accessible.

Koppell, a longtime proponent of more available and accessible taxi service for all New Yorkers, said, “This decision will bring safe, reliable taxi service to all five boroughs, something people in the outer boroughs, such as the one in which I live, have wanted for a very long time. Further, by ensuring that a fifth of these cabs are wheel-chair accessible, the plan makes taxi service more available to disabled individuals.”

The court ruling further increases taxi accessibility by clearing  the way for the city to auction off 2,000 medallions for wheelchair–accessible yellow cabs, which will command prices of $700,000  to  $1 million, generating as much as $1 billion in revenue.  It is expected that the yellow taxi medallion sale will begin in October.

“The increase in wheel-chair accessible taxis brings us closer to my goal of requiring that all taxis be accessible to disabled individuals. Although I will continue to pursue the goal of an all accessible taxi fleet, I am heartened by today’s court decision that brings livery cab drivers out of the shadows and expands taxi service for all New Yorkers,” Koppell stated.

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KOPPELL URGES INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN CITY BUDGET 

Petitions for Permanent Funding for School-Based Health Centers
As negotiations between the Mayor and the City Council concerning the NYC budget for the next fiscal year begin,  Member Oliver Koppell, Chair of the Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Disability Services, urged Speaker Christine Quinn to restore and, if possible, to increase the funding for mental health initiatives cut by the Mayor’s Executive Budget.
Koppell specifically urged funding for three mental health initiatives that he considered of prime importance, Geriatric Mental Health Services, the Children Under Five Mental Health Initiative and the Autism Initiative.
“There has been a tremendous demand by users of these services and non-profit providers for additional funding to meet the needs of their clients,” Koppell said. 
Locally, geriatric mental health services are provided by the Riverdale Mental Health Association, in partnership with Riverdale Senior Services.  The Early Childhood Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine  has a large Children Under Five Mental Health Program, administered by Susan Chinitz, a Riverdale resident and The Jewish Board of Children and Family Services, in addition to conducting a program for Autistic children and their parents, also provides services to children aged five and younger.
“Given the limitations in funding in the last few years, we have been unable to add any significant number of new providers for these services and existing providers have unmet needs, Koppell said.  “I am, therefore proposing a 25% increase in funding for these three initiatives.”
Advocates for Permanent Funding For School-Based Health Centers
Koppell also requested $5 million in permanent funding for school-based health centers and mental health clinics and the restoration of $937,377 in funding for the four school-based health centers cut in the FY ’14 Executive Budget, one of which is in the Bronx at  the Roosevelt High School Campus. 
“Schoo –based health centers are being recognized at a national level for their critical service to children, especially those from low-income families, and I have seen the benefits to students at schools in my own district,” Koppell said.
With respect to mental health services, studies have shown that by removing barriers to care, school based mental health programs increase student utilization relative to non-school-based programs.  Over 95% of students referred for mental health services in a school setting will follow through compared to only 13% of those referred to community health centers.
“The tragedy in Newtown has made us keenly aware of the need to provide mental health services to young people. School-based health centers play an essential role in delivering these services, and I am urgently requesting that they not be subject to the vagaries of the budget process, but be given permanent funding to assure that they receive adequate support,” Koppell concluded.

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