Rochester Metro Area
The Rochester Metro League recently hosted an educational webinar panel titled Mental Health Crisis Response: How Has It Changed Since Daniel Prude? In the wake of Daniel Prude’s death at the hands of the police, the city of Rochester established the Person In Crisis team (PIC) to handle 911 cases that involve mental health crises that don’t involve a crime or a weapon. The panel discussed PIC’s work so far in taking mental health calls off the hands of police. Panel members included Manager of Crisis Intervention Services in the City of Rochester Alia Henton-Williams, Vice President of Rochester City Council Mary Lupien, co-founder of MC Collaborative Andy Carey, Person-Centered Housing Options Outreach and Engagement Team Lead Lisa Kuhmann, and a member of the PIC team.
New York City
The New York City League hosted its first Lunch with the League event of 2023 titled What to Know about NYC’s Migrant Crisis. New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency to address a “crisis situation” over an influx of migrants, many of whom are families with school-aged children and are in serious need of medical care, to the city from the border states. The League heard from Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro as he discussed how the situation is being handled.
Albany County
The League of Albany County hosted Pinocchio Revisited: Separating Fact from Fiction, which explored the evolution of mis and disinformation on social media. Director of Communications at the University at Albany and former Times Union reporter Jordan Carleo-Evangelist discussed the spread of misinformation and how it has contributed to a radically divided country. After a luncheon, attendees shared stories of misinformation and/or disinformation they had come across in the past, with the most egregious tall tale winning the “fisherman’s award.”
Cooperstown
After a two-year hiatus, the Cooperstown League hosted its annual Winter Doldrums Party! For more than thirty years the League’s Winter Doldrums party had been the highlight of the League’s year. League members participated in a silent and chased away winter blues while getting to know fellow League members outside of the constraints of a meeting.
Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady
The capital region Leagues hosted a virtual panel discussion about religious medical systems and bodily autonomy. With the rise in mergers between secular community hospitals and religious hospitals, more and more people are being denied the care that they are otherwise lawfully able to obtain. The League was joined by experts who discussed he impact of religious directives that dictate the kinds of care that healthcare facilities that are owned or affiliated with religious institutions can and cannot deliver to their patients.
