Bronx Health: On World AIDS Day, Diaz Jr. Says Fight Against Disease is Personal

In a speech today, World AIDS Day, at Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. called the fight against HIV/AIDS personal and said battling the disease was one of his administration's top priorities.

"No one is immune," said Diaz, adding that two of his uncles passed away due to AIDS complications and that his chief of staff, Paul DelDuca, is HIV positive.

Even though it was gloomy outside, with heavy rain and gusting winds, it was full of sunshine on the 3rd floor of the FCC Building in the Montefiore Medical Center.

Patients and staff of the Center for Positive Living/ID Clinic were singing and dancing together to commemorate World AIDS Day. With live music and nutritious snacks floating around the room, patients got the chance to shop for free in a vintage shop, win cash prize raffles, design a hand-painted survivor quilt and more.

Diaz and one of the city's deputy health commissioners, Dr. Monica Sweeney both spoke at the event.

"This clinic is dynamic," said Diaz, praising the clinic for its work with HIV and AIDs patients.

Sweeney advised everyone to tell their friends, family, and community to get tested.

According to the latest statistics from the Health Department, 22,961 Bronx residents are living with HIV/AIDS.

What’s Going On This Weekend?

Residents participate in a Family Art Day at Wave Hill. Photo by Joshua Bright.

Friday
Come see the salsa group El Gran Combo perform with La Excelencia at the Lehman Center for Performing Arts at 8 p.m. $35-$55 tickets are on sale. For more info call (718) 960-8833 or visit www.lehmancenter.org.

Celebrate Family Yoga Day at Wave Hill! Members pay $15, non-members $20. One parent/one child. Each additional child is $5. More info at http://www.wavehill.org/calendar/event_2168.html.

Award-winning writer and playwright will perform Becoming Joaquin, a play about a Latino transgendered man working to own his life, at the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15. For more information and directions call (718) 842-5223 or visit www.bronxacademyofartsanddance.org.

Saturday
8 y Mas joins El Gran Combo at the Lehman Center for Performing Arts. Show at 8 p.m. $35-$55 tickets are on sale. For more info call (718) 960-8833 or visit www.lehmancenter.org.

Get crafty at Family Art Project Day: Rainbow Feathers of Clay at Wave Hill! Visit birds, draw them, and craft a colored clay relief. The event will be held at the Ecology Building from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Free with admission to grounds. For more information call (718) 549-3200 ext. 305 or visit www.wavehill.org.

Learn To Ride Clinic for Adults is this Saturday 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at Concrete Plant Park. Learn to ride a bike with Bike NY and the Bronx River Alliance for free! Bring your bike or reserve one for a fee. Registration is required. Visit www.bronxriver.org or call (718) 430-4665 for more info or to register.

Highway to Health Festival & Youth Forum will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at PS 64. Join community members and health activists for live entertainment, Zumba, capoeira, jousting, rock climbing, unicyclist, interactive exhibits, tacos by Chipotle, cooking competitions, mini film festival, bike advocacy, health screenings, dance, yoga, gardening and more. The event is free for all generations. Visit nycyouthforum.com for more info.

Global Family Gardening: Spring Harvest Celebration will take place at the New York Botanical Garden this Saturday and Sunday from 1:30-5:30 p.m. Come taste, see and craft plants from around the world! More info at http://nybgeducation.com/plan_your_visit/planyourvisit_results.php?event_type=7.

Verve and Swerve sweeps the stage 8 p.m. at the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance. Come watch a dance celebration of pride and power. Tickets are $20. For more information and directions call (718) 842-5223 or visit www.bronxacademyofartsanddance.org.

New issue of the Hunts Point Express

The August issue of The Hunts Point Express has just hit the streets, with stories about opposition to efforts to open a strip club, an explosion that has closed the controversial plant that converts sewage to fertilizer, a unique health program that trains “barefoot doctors,” the running battle over a proposal to tear down a highway, the new playground that kids designed, Majora Carter’s latest venture, and the Secretary of the Treasury’s visit. Get your free copy at libraries, community centers and other gathering places in Hunts Point and Longwood or visit www.huntspointexpress.com.

Bronx News Roundup July 9

Pedro Espada is scrambling to block Governor Paterson's appointment of a lieutenant governor, which could finally break the stalemate in Albany (as well as curtail Espada's power). In an editorial, the Daily News calls it a "bold and masterful stroke." But is it legal?

An undercover cop shot and injured a suspected drug dealer yesterday, on the corner of corner of East 167th Street and Grant Avenue, when a crack cocaine deal took a surprise turn. It was second time in a week that a Bronx cop has shot someone.

Twelve people - including doctors, chiropractors, and acupuncturists - have been arrested following an investigation by the State Attorney General Office into a lucrative health insurance scam involving two Bronx health clinics.

In an editorial, The Riverdale Press criticizes the owners of the Stella D’Oro biscuit factory in Kingbridge.

Two Applebees are opening in the Bronx this summer - one on East Fordham Road, the other at the Terminal Market. According to a recent press release from the chain, "As many New York restaurants feel the tightening of the economy, casual dining has continued to do well. Apple-Metro... has continued to grow even during these tough times."

Yesterday, on the Grand Concourse, Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr. and others announced the completion of a three-year project that's doubled the number of bike-lane miles in the city.

State Senator Jose M. Serrano is calling on Mayor Bloomberg to include two Muslim holy Days in the public school calendar - something Bloomberg is reluctant to do.