The Center for Family Life & Recovery has received some valuable feedback on the fears of social distancing with Recovery programs and they want to help the community stay connected! Along with live events of classes and groups, they have created 3 virtual groups to help with a place for sharing, gaining skills, engaging positively, and asking questions. They want you to be connected to their community as well as the CFLR team. Join them for skill building, discussions, and an open forum to share your hope, wisdom, and even your fears as you navigate Recovery together. Just click on the link or search Facebook for the page title below!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

What: Drive-thru Food Giveaway for the Disadvantaged

When:  Monday, March 23, 2020, from 2 pm to 7:30 pm.

 

What: Walkers Food Giveaway for the Disadvantaged

When:  Tue, Mar 24, Wed, Mar 25 & Thu Mar 26, 2020, from 3 pm to 6 pm.

 

Where: Johnson Park Center – 1400 West Street (Block), NY 13501 

For More Information about JPC:  www.johnsonparkcenter.org

 

Johnson Park Center (JPC), with generous support from the Food Bank of Central New York (FBCNY), will be holding a drive-thru food giveaway for disadvantaged individuals and families around their site on Monday from 2:00 pm-7:30 pm.

Starting on the corner of Arthur and West streets, cars will line up at food stations where JPC volunteers, wearing protective gear including face masks, will hand out food items per household.

 

Carpooling is highly recommended. Each car will be identified on their windshield with the number of households represented per vehicle. 32,000 lbs of Food will be available to be given out that day to the community. Food items include fresh fruit (apples or oranges), canned items, rice, macaroni & cheese, chicken and other meat products, and cheese per household.

 

During this challenging time of the pandemic, by fighting hunger and food insecurity, the JPC drive-thru food giveaway provides a stepping stone to self-sufficiency.

 

Walkers will be served the following three days, Tuesday, March 24 – Thursday, March 26 between the hours of 3:00 – 6:00 pm at the 1404 West Street Food Pantry location. The Food Pantry operation hours are starting March 30, weekly MON-WED, 3:00 – 6:00 pm.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Providing Unemployment Insurance benefits is DOL's number one priority and everyone who is entitled to UI benefits will receive them in a timely manner.

To that end they are implementing a new more efficient filing system based on the first letter of the applicants last name (alphabetical order). Here is the step-by-step process for filing;

A  - F : Monday

G - N : Tuesday

O - Z : Wednesday

Missed your day : Thursday and Friday

Filing later in the week will not delay payments or affect the date of an individual's claim, since all claims are effective on the Monday of the week in which they are filed.

They are also extending filing hours as follows:

Monday through Thursday 8 am to 7:30 pm.

Friday 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Saturday 7:30 am to 8:00 pm.

Click Here for a step by step process to file a claim.

Please keep in mind that their dedicated staff is working as hard as they can to ensure that all benefits are paid and will continue to do so. Please be patient.

Chambers and Affiliate Partners Join Forces to Support the Business Community Local area Chambers of Commerce and affiliate partners are coming together in a joint effort to support the business community. As a collective group, these organizations urge the business community to reach out to the contacts listed below for resource navigation and support during this time.  A strong business community means a strong overall community, so they are also urging consumers to consider supporting local businesses as much as possible. Every little bit counts. For example, you can buy a meal, purchase merchandise or buy gift cards for later use. Some retail shops are also offering personal shopping and curbside pick-up, and lots of businesses have made their services accessible remotely. Our region’s business owners are doing everything they can to keep their doors open right now, which currently looks different for every business. Many of the local chambers and partners have provided pages on their websites, email communications, and posts on their social media linking to important resources. They are urging all local businesses, members or not, to turn to their local chamber and partners to access information and support. “Since our local situation with COVID-19 has escalated, we have been working hard to pull together resources to help businesses navigate through this,” said Meghan Fraser McGrogan, Executive Director of the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce. “We have created a landing page on our website focused on linking to updates from our state, regional and local government, the Small Business Association and The Business Council. We’ve also created a Social Distancing Guide for our local member restaurants complete with phone numbers, ordering links, and links to their websites and Facebook Pages so you can easily support them by placing to-go orders. We are now focusing on featuring our members in a special edition of our Leveling Up webcast where I will interview a different business owner or organization leader daily to let you know how you can support them.” “We are working together to vigorously promote the importance of supporting our local and regional businesses for they are the foundation of our economic livelihoods,” said Bill Guglielmo, President of the Rome Area Chamber of Commerce. “All benefits in a given community are derived from the profitable operations of business. Businesses employ people who are customers in our retail and service markets. Businesses are the major underwriters of the many events and activities presented by nonprofit organizations that add to the cultural and recreational attractiveness and diversity of our community. We collectively urge you to support our area’s business community because they support you. Just as our neighboring chambers are doing, the Rome Chamber will continue to provide timely information via social media to encourage commerce and respond to the concerns of our members. ” “Our chamber members are resilient people and our local businesses know how to navigate through hard times,” said Michele Hummel, Executive Director of the Herkimer County Chamber of Commerce. “During this unprecedented challenge related to COVID-19 please know your chambers are working proactively to support the business community. We will be sending regular updates as information becomes available. This not a time to panic but rather pull together as a community and support each other.” If businesses have specific questions, concerns, or areas they would like to see the local chambers or their partners explore, whether you’re a member or non-member, please reach out directly.  They are committed to working together to continue to support the region’s business community during this national crisis.  Here are the local chambers and how you can reach them: Boonville Area Chamber - Michelle Bartelotte - Camden Area Chamber - Michael Takacs - Clinton Chamber - Jackie Walters - Fulton Montgomery Regional Chamber - Mark Kilmer – Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce - Meghan Fraser McGrogan- Herkimer County Chamber - Michele Hummel - Kuyahoora Valley Chamber - Leslie Irwin - Marcy Chamber - Lesley Grogan - New Hartford Chamber - Mark Turnbull - Oneida Chamber (Greater Oneida) - Betsy Mitchell - Otsego County Chamber - Barbara Ann Heegan - Rome Area Chamber - Bill Guglielmo - Trenton Area Chamber - Debby Leiker - Chamber Alliance Affiliate Partners Center for Leadership Excellence – Kristen Skobela, Destination Marketing Corp. for Otsego County - Cassandra Harrington, The Genesis Group - Ray Durso, Hamilton Business Alliance - Debra Forstenzer, Mohawk Valley Association of REALTORS - Ann Rushlo, Mohawk Valley Business Women’s Network - Sandra Fentiman, Mohawk Valley EDGE - Jennifer Waters, Mohawk Valley SBDC - Roxanne Mutchler, Oneida County Tourism - Kelly Blazosky, Waterville Economic Development Corporation - Brian Bogan, Workforce Development Board - Alice Savino,

Additional services as of 3/25/20:

From Andre Cuda, LCSW-R, Owner at Cuda Counseling, please see the letters below regarding online telehealth services:

Healthcare Worker Letter
Patient Letter
Free soft-phones and video conferencing from Northland Communications : https://www.northland.net/lp/teleworking/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=sharpspring&sslid=M7EwMzUwMzQwNDczAgA&sseid=MzIwsjA0NzcxNAAA&jobid=107a33bf-1da9-480b-8f2a-0c99a03fe7a1
WellNow Urgent Care is here to support the Rome community during this difficult time, providing options for safe, accessible and reliable healthcare. They are disinfecting their facilities and using protective gear per the CDC guidelines, rearranging waiting rooms to adhere to social distancing, and performing in-car triage at all locations in order to help minimize exposure to COVID-19. You can also choose to access a WellNow provider through your smart device, no matter where you are or what time it is with WellNow Virtual Medical.  Whatever your non-life-threatening illness or injury is, your health is a priority–on-screen and in-person at WellNow Urgent Care.  Visit your Rome facility at 103 W Dominick St, or start your virtual visit now www.wellnow.com.

New York State Department of Labor Business Services staff are available Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm to assist businesses. Ellen Bennett can be reached at 315-793-5344 or email and John Tully can be reached at 315-793-2271 or email

Businesses needing more information on the Shared Work Program can visit the NYS DOL website by clicking here.

The Department of Labor is working on being able to provide Rapid Response services via phone or internet. If you know of a business that needs either of these services, please encourage them to reach out to the Department of Labor for assistance,