One of the most important duties of the state is to protect the children in its care. For nearly a decade, Assemblywoman Clark has been fighting for passage of bill A.3233 (S.6877 Parker) to do just that. This bill would create an Independent Office of the Child Advocate to ensure the protection of the legal rights of youth in juvenile facilities. After passing in the Assembly for the past several years, the bill finally passed in the Senate this June. The bill will now be sent to the Governor to be signed into law. Assemblywoman Clark expects the Governor to approve the bill.

The Independent Office of the Child Advocate will ensure that children in New York’s juvenile facilities are treated legally and humanely and receive the services they need and deserve to become healthy, productive adults. The office will be an independent body authorized to investigate facilities and complaints and to recommend legal and regulatory changes to ensure children’s needs are being met. The office will serve as a resource to children, families, facility employees, and the public.

Along with Assemblywoman Clark, child welfare experts, including Dr. Gertrude Lenzer, head of the Children’s Studies Department at Brooklyn College, have long recognized the need for an Independent Office of the Child Advocate and have worked diligently to support the creation of this office in New York. In addition, the United States Department of Justice and the Governor’s Task Force on Transforming Juvenile Justice have also recognized the need for, and recommended the creation of, an independent oversight body for New York’s juvenile facilities.

“For years, children in juvenile facilities, most of who come from New York City, have been voiceless,” said Assemblywoman Clark. “Through the Independent Office of the Child Advocate, state employees, providers and others will now have the ability to confidentially report system failure and complaints so the public will finally know that it’s most important resource, its children are being protected.”

Chancellor Klein consented to my request to intervene and provide some hands-on support to the Principals and staff at the Andrew Jackson Campus Magnet Schools. He came with many of his top ‘Tweed Building’ staff from the Office of Space Planning, Office of Student Enrollment and the Division of Portfolio Planning to help the Principals engage in some sound planning for the next school year.

“I must congratulate the Chancellor on making such a genuine and strong show of support for the four schools,” said Clark. “He pledged money and structural supports that should make a substantial difference in the ability of the Principals to address some of the difficulties in creating academic growth models at this campus.”

The Chancellor learned that the Principals were historically absorbing new admissions as late as January, which is more than five months into the ten month school year. He committed to address, through the Queens Office of Student Enrollment, the large numbers of over the counter enrollments the Campus grappled with in the past. Coordination with District 79/Alternative Schools personnel will help the Principals to address the number of over-age and under-credited students who have no chance of catching up before they age out of the public system. The Division of Portfolio Planning was also enlisted to assist in creating course offerings and supplemental programs that will develop the ‘academic packaging’ needed to draw high performing middle school students to each of the four school programs. In addressing academic priorities the Chancellor suggested including Advanced Placement courses as well. All of these measures will amply assist in ramping up the academic programs.

In terms of physical improvements, the Principals and teachers have consistently called for renovations to the Girls and Boys locker-rooms because the poor lighting and physical condition of the locker-rooms make it difficult to supervise students in such outdated facilities. They also called for a new public address system, stressing the unfortunate fact that we live in times where planning for emergency mobilizations can no longer be limited to simple fire drills. The same logic was used to press for adding digital technology to the library system, bringing it into the age of advanced digital research. “My goal,” said Clark, “was to facilitate a meeting in which ‘Tweed Office’ expertise could be partnered with school principals and staff. Chancellor Klein’s commitment of the $3.0 million in funding was the icing on the cake. Now the Principals have what is necessary to continue to create a physical and academic environment of high expectations for faculty, staff and students.”

The Long Island Rail Road, LIRR has allocated $8.5 million in capital funds to install two new elevators, new platform lighting, and new platform railings at the Queens Village station. This station lies in one of the busiest transportation and commercial hubs in southern Queens. As a consequence it is one of the few stations which receives regular traffic at all times of the day and evening. It was based on the high frequency of use that I was able to convince LIRR officials to begin renovations at this station first, said Clark. “Many more of the residents of my District will be able to make use of this station once they are able to reach the station platform. As it now stands the stairwells are often too steep for even able bodied commuters. Access for those with infirmities or those who are wheelchair bound is impossible. These improvements are therefore vital and necessary for equal access by all members of my communities,” said Clark.

The President of LIRR, Helena Williams notified Assembly-member Clark that the design phase for this undertaking should be completed by February 2011. It is anticipated that work would begin shortly after that in order to comply with the Capital Plan.

We will keep you informed with project updates as this moves forward.

The Queens Long Island Medical Group, QLIMG, a physician-owned medical group practice is up and running at its newest center, located at 206-20 Linden Boulevard, Cambria Heights, New York. This state of the art facility offers the latest diagnostic technology including digital mammography, digital radiography and a new Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS) that permits physicians to read results by remote access.

Assemblymember Clark welcomes such vital and needed services to the community. “I concur with Dr. Nicholas Vogiatzis, MD, President and CEO of QLIMG that this new office sets the standard for patient care by providing the latest technology and best practices for effective treatment. I am especially impressed with their use of an Electronic Medical Records system (EMR) so that physicians can instantly connect to a patient’s medical history. This is the technology President Obama has mentioned as important to providing efficient care in the 21st century,” said Clark.

QLIMG’s diagnostic and preventive care services are very welcome in a community that is at high risk for serious and preventable conditions such as breast cancer, diabetes, obesity and hypertension. The new facility will provide extensive community education programs to address prevention, treatment and disease management. Monthly diabetes seminars, social work services and an on-site diabetes educator are just some of the services that will be available.

“Since we are not able to restore hospitals during this difficult economic downturn ,” said Clark, “it is important to have convenient access to primary care services within every community. Thank goodness we have QLIMG.”

Every Memorial Day we come together at the appointed hour to begin a humble tribute to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. We also honor those veterans still with us, who bear witness to so many important events in America’s military history. This year I had the opportunity to participate in two memorial events. One in Queens Village with Post# 301 and the second with the American Legion Post# 1946 and VFW Post# 5298 in the Laurelton Memorial Day Parade.

In the 33rd Assembly District, the Queens Village American Legion Post# 301 and its Auxiliary held their annual ceremony on May 31st in Veterans Park Plaza at Springfield Blvd and Jamaica Avenue. I commend Commander Philip Sica and Vice Commander Corrine Alpert for remaining committed to sponsoring this event each year come rain or shine. I was especially proud and humbled during this year’s ceremony when they took the time to share kind words in remembrance of my brother John DeBerry, who proudly served two tours of duty with the 101st Airborne in Vietnam and was awarded two Purple Hearts.

I marched in the Laurelton parade at the invitation of Fritz Casimir to join American Legion Post# 1946 and Veteran of Foreign Wars Post# 5298, who is consistently working to make the Haitian-American Veterans Association an integral part of this and other annual parades.

“Each event is always a humbling experience for me,” said Clark. “It should make each of us question the value of the service we give to our communities and our country. I know that most of us would agree that it falls short when compared to the service of our men and women in uniform.”

97-01 Springfield Blvd., Queens Village, NY 11429 • 718-479-2333
Room 702, LOB, Albany, NY 12248 • 518-455-4711 • clarkb@assembly.state.ny.us

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