From Rahnum, Helpline Manager

"As a working single mother of two children ages 10 and 13, I definitely find myself feeling quite overwhelmed, not only because I’m trying to balance my work and personal life, but also because I'm unable to maintain my usual routine. At times, this has made me feel very emotional, and I've had to raise my voice at my children.

To overcome these feelings and to maintain a healthy household, my children and I came up with an idea to turn my bedroom wall into a feelings wall. Every day, we draw and jot down our individual feelings and thoughts on a piece of paper. Then we post it on the wall and discuss.

We plan on doing this throughout the entire time we must social distance. The goal is to look at the wall when this is all over and reflect on how we were able to share our feelings and spend quality time together in a healthy way as a family, while being a part of a world dealing with a pandemic.

There are many parents out there who are fortunate enough to be able to work from home and earn income like me, but I recognize there are also many parents who have lost this ability due to the nature of their jobs. No matter what your situation is, I recommend practicing self-care and do positive activities together, so that you can help reduce stress and bring your family closer."

Pre-K Application Deadline Extended

The deadline to submit pre-K applications has been extended to March 29th. Families can apply both online, 24 hours a day, via MySchools or via phone at 718-935-2009 between the hours of 8:00 AM-6:00 PM Monday-Friday. Additional questions about applications should be directed to the above phone line or to ESEnrollment@schools.nyc.gov.

Low-Wage Worker Taskforce

The Low-Wage Worker Taskforce created this chart for more general info on who qualifies for worker benefits

NYS Unemployment Insurance Waiver

NYS will waive the 7-day waiting period for workers to claim unemployment insurance for those that have been put out of work by COVID-19. See announcement, along with other recent announcements here.

Employment Protection For Employees With No Paid Sick Leave

Employees may be entitled to certain employment protections even if their employers do not have a paid sick leave policy/contract. Read more about employment protections here.

Employee With Health Condition/Have Family Member With Health Condition

If you work in New York City and your employer has five or more employees, you earn five days of paid leave that you can use if you have a health condition or to care for a family member with a health condition. If your employer has less than five employees, you earn five days of unpaid leave. More information here.

IRS Stimulus Checks

The IRS has been updating their website often to provide the latest information on the distribution of economic impact payments aka "stimulus checks." To learn more about income eligibility, tax filing requirements, etc., refer to this website.

Hebrew Free Loan Society

Hebrew Free Loan Society's loan program provides interest-free loans of $2,000-$5,000 to residents of New York City’s five boroughs, Westchester, or Long Island, who have faced financial hardship in COVID-19. See website for details and application.

Tax Deadline Updated

As of Friday, March 20th, 2020, Tax Day will be moved to July 15, giving Americans an additional three months to file their income tax returns. More information here.

NYS Suspended Collection of Student, Medical, and Other State-Referred Dept

New York State will temporarily suspend collection of student, medical, and other state-referred debt for at least 30 days, through April 15. More information here.

The Governor Waived Mortgage Payment For Homeowners Affected by COVID-19

Governor Cuomo has ordered banks and financial institutions to waive mortgage payments for three months for homeowners facing virus-related financial hardship if they are not working or only working part-time. More information here.

No More In-Person Interview for Food Stamps Or Public Assistance

There are no more in-person interviews for food stamps or public assistance. All of that has been converted to online and phone interviews and processing. More information here.

NYC Employee Retention Grant Program

Mayor De Blasio announced that NYC businesses with less than 100 employees that have witnessed a decrease of 25% or more in sales due to COVID-19 are eligible for a zero interest loan of up to $75,000; businesses with less than 5 employees and sales decrease of 25% or more can apply for NYC Employee Retention Grant Program that would cover 40% of payroll costs for two months. More information here.

Staying Resilient During Covid-19

Compassion Resilience Toolkit's website offers videos and resources that can help parents stay resilient during Covid-19.

Covid-19 Parenting Tips in Other Languages

This website offers Covid-19 parenting tips in languages such as Filipino, Hindi, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese and many more.

ECDC Parent Resources

Click here to download a PDF that includes many helpful links to parenting resources.

Enrollment For NYS of Enrollment for New York State of Health Affordable Care Act Opened Again

Enrollment for New York State of Health Affordable Care Act has opened again, through April 15th. You can sign up through the online insurance exchange or by contacting navigator programs, like the Community Service Society of New York. More information here.

Moratorium On Residential and Commercial Evictions

There is a 90-day moratorium on residential and commercial evictions. More information here.

USCIS Suspended Routine In-Person Service

As of March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has suspended routine in-person services until at least April 1st, but will continue its other daily operations. However, USCIS will provide emergency services for limited situations. To schedule an emergency appointment contact the USCIS Contact Center.

Mount Sinai Japanese Medical Practice

JAMSNET 会員の皆様
このたびマウントサイナイ東京海上記念診療所が、ビデオによる遠隔診療サービス「テレ・ヘルス」を開始することになり、これの正式な日本語訳が出来上がって参りました。
日系コミュニティにとり貴重な情報と存じますので、ご案内させていただきます。ご参照ください。
JAMSNET 事務局
ロウズまさみ
=====================================
2020年3月26日
Re: COVID-19 Current Situation in Japanese
日系コミューティのみなさまへ：
COVID-19の世界的な感染拡大により、未曾有の状況になりました。ほぼ全ての州で自宅退避命令が出され、在宅勤務や自宅学習を余儀なくされている方が多いでしょう。
この厳しい状況の中で患者様とスタッフの安全を考え、私たち病院・診療所は、従来の診療方法を大幅に見直すことを決断いたしました。
A）対面診察では、緊急の患者様のみを診察・予約の延期をお願いする場合があります。
COVID-19感染リスクがあるため、発熱、咳、息切れなどの一般的な症状の患者様には現在来院いただけない状況です。また、ほとんどの診療所で、急を要する患者様しか診ることができず、健康な患者様は予約の延期をお願いせざるを得ない状況になっています。
B) 代わりにビデオによる遠隔診療サービスを開始（予約制） 今回のCOVID-19パンデミックへの対応を契機に、東京海上記念診療所 - Mount Sinai Doctors Japanese Medical Practice (JMP)では、ビデオによる遠隔診療サービス「テレ・ヘルス」を開始しました。日本語と英語の両方を話せるバイリンガルの内科医・小児科医が ビデオ診療を行い、日本人コミュニティの医療ニーズにお応えします。
「テレ・ヘルス」により、患者様には次のことが可能となります。
1. コロナウイルスに関する懸念や質問について、経験豊富な日本語を話す医師と面談できます。
2. 医師が必要と判断した場合、COVID-19の検査や入院の必要性についてアドバイスを得ることができます。
3. 発熱や咳などの症状をビデオを通して診察することができます。また、これらの症状をご自宅で安全に管理するための幅広いアドバイスも提供いたします。
4. 隔離を余儀なくされ不安を抱えられている患者様のメンタルヘルスのご相談も受けられます。
5. 感染リスクのため来院を控えられている患者様に対し、COVID-19以外の一般的な健康問題についてのご相談も受けられます。
6.米国内のあらゆる場所からこのサービスを受けることができます。
具合が悪くなる前に）スマホ・タブレット・PCのいずれかで、「MyChartアプリ」をダウンロードし、必要な情報を登録しておいてください。
診察が必要になったら）「テレ・ヘルス」は全て予約制なので、まずは東京海上記念診療所のマンハッタンオフィスまたはハーツデールオフィスの受付にお電話いただき、予約を入れてください。その際に「テレ・ヘルス」を受ける手続きや、 MyChartアプリの設定についても詳しく説明させていただきます。
お問い合わせと予約（日本語・英語）
マンハッタンオフィス：Tel.
212-889-2119　電話受付
8am〜4:45pm（月〜金）
ハーツデールオフィス：Tel.
914-997-1220　電話受付
9am〜5pm（月〜金）
東京海上記念診療所リンク
https://www.mountsinai.org/locations/msd-japanese-medical-practice/japanese
　 MyChartアプリダウンロード・使用方法ビデオリンク
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QTk3MjT1Hg&feature=youtu.be
東京海上記念診療所は、30年前に設立されてから長年に亘り、日本語・英語双方による最先端のプライマリケアを日本人コミュニティを中心に提供してきました。医師とスタッフはバイリンガルで、主要な医療保険と日本の旅行保険をほぼ全て受付できます。
是非この機会に「テレ・ヘルス」をご利用いただければと存じます。
東京海上記念診療所
　事務長........土井 英太郎
　院長・医師....桑間 雄一郎
　医師...............加納 麻紀
　医師...............木村 啓子
　医師...............ロザレス ロウェナ

Street Vendor Project

The Street Vendor Project is asking people to pledge stimulus payments to street vendors who may not qualify for government aid. To pledge, visit this page.

Hebrew Free Loan Society

Accion's COVID-19 Relief Program works with small businesses to provide support in relief and recovery from sustained losses as a result of COVID-19.

Restaurant Workers Community Foundation Relief Fund

In the wake of the coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic, RWCF’s full focus is on supporting workers, small business owners, and an industry in crisis. More information here.

One Fair Wage Emergency Fund

One Fair Wage is providing cash assistance to restaurant workers, car service drivers, delivery workers, personal service workers and more who need the money they aren’t getting to survive. More information here.

Master Document On Resources and Information

NYC United Against Coronavirus - More information here.

COVID-19 Community Resources

COVID-19 “Coronavirus” Community & NYC Hep Service Provider Resources. For more information on the following resources and services, contact Hep@Health.nyc.gov or visit this link.