The Debrief Podcast

Over the last several weeks we've been catching up with county leaders to talk about how they are looking at 2021. Most are expecting to see reimbursements from the state to decline by upwards of 20%, which made budgeting a challenge. That said, there have been other things that officials gained from the experience of the coronavirus pandemic.

Today we talk with Doug Paddock, chair of the Yates County Legislature, and Nonie Flynn, administrator. The two walk us through the budget process, and do a little forecasting as they look ahead to the spring, summer, and fall.

How is vaccine rollout going in New York State? This week we heard important updates from Governor Andrew Cuomo about the vaccination effort happening now in the state, but a lot of details are still missing. While the Cuomo Administration says that some of those are still being worked out -- as the situation remains fluid -- there have been real questions raised about the state's ability to rollout the vaccine to an effective number of people by it's self-imposed guidance. Governor Cuomo has said repeatedly that the state should hit critical mass by late-summer or early-fall at latest. However, Bill Hammond of the Empire Center says that projection could be significantly off after what we've seen play out in recent weeks since vaccine distribution began. Today is the second part of our conversation with Bill Hammond of the Empire Center. 

On September 1st, Bill Hammond of the Empire Center published a piece providing an update to a FOIL request connected to New York State's response to the coronavirus pandemic in nursing homes. Hammond and the Empire Center was seeking the data on the full-death toll associated with the pandemic in nursing homes. A FOIL request had been submitted in early-August. It sought a count of all nursing home residents who have died from COVID-19. It specifically sought the number who had died after being transferred to hospitals in their final days, which the department has been leaving out of its official tally. After several delays, and the calendar turning to a new year - the FOIL request remains unfulfilled. In this special two-part episode of the FL1 Daily Podcast we look at what brought us here - and the debate that has unfolded repeatedly around nursing homes.

This week we're featuring two parts of our upcoming Sunday Conversation with Wayne County Board of Supervisors Chairman Ken Miller. He serves as Palmyra Town Supervisor as well, and spoke with us about his outlook on 2021 - addressing some of the fiscal concerns that counties like his are contending with amid the coronavirus pandemic. Visit anchor.fm/sunday-conversation this weekend to listen to our full-conversation.

This week we'll be featuring two parts of our upcoming Sunday Conversation with Wayne County Board of Supervisors Chairman Ken Miller. He serves as Palmyra Town Supervisor as well, and spoke with us about the 2021 outlook - addressing some of the fiscal concerns that counties like his are contending with amid the coronavirus pandemic.  If you want to check out the Sunday Conversation podcast visit anchor.fm/sunday-conversation.

The Addiction Center estimates that nearly 21 million Americans suffer from some form of addiction. Yet only 10% of them receive treatment. Since 1990 overdose deaths have more than tripled; and between 1999 and 2017 more than 700,000 Americans died from overdosing on a drug. Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services or CARS is working to change that. They use evidence-based techniques in the Tompkins County area to help people overcome addiction. What will the fight against addiction have to look like after the pandemic is over? What types of services will be retained? 

The Addiction Center estimates that nearly 21 million Americans suffer from some form of addiction. Yet only 10% of them receive treatment. Since 1990 overdose deaths have more than tripled; and between 1999 and 2017 more than 700,000 Americans died from overdosing on a drug. Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services or CARS is working to change that. They use evidence-based techniques in the Tompkins County area to help people overcome addiction. What does that service look like? What about during a pandemic? Those questions answered in the first part of our conversation with Brad.

Jack Marren serves as Victor Town Supervisor and Chairman of the Ontario County Board of Supervisors. He's also the President of the New York State Association of Counties. We wanted to catch up with him to talk about how Ontario County approached the budget process, and what the game plan is for 2021. He says that a tax hike is not imminent, and while he's hopeful that there will be some form of relief for municipalities - everyone should get comfortable with budgeting appropriately if it does not. 

Last week Dr. Gregory Heeb from Newark-Wayne Community Hospital became one of the first in the region to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. That vaccine, while politicized throughout the pandemic, is viewed as one of the few instruments that can get the U.S. population to the other side of the pandemic. At this point, frontline healthcare workers and nursing home residents and staff have received the vaccine. In the coming weeks, more New Yorkers will be eligible to get vaccinated. Today on the podcast, a conversation with Dr. Heeb on his experience with receiving the first dosage.

Chris Lavin is the executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Geneva. He has watched the need in- and around- his community grow. The pandemic has caused a surge in need, which has resulted in the club stepping up to fill the need. Food access is a huge problem in the city of Geneva; and today we talk with Chris about the work being done by the Boys & Girls Club to feed Genevans.