On the brief side...
Maltese Hails New Discount Rx Card

Standing in front of Queensbridge Houses, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, along with Community Service Society (CSS) of New York released a Guide to Banking in New York City, a nine-page, how-to guide on personal banking.

Persons aged 50 to 64 will receive significant discounts on prescription drugs purchased with a new discount card that will be issued by the state Health Department soon, state Senator Serphin Maltese announced.

Discounts could be 30 percent on brand name drugs and 60 percent off generic drugs, Maltese (R- C Middle Village) said.

Eligibility for the new pharmacy card, Maltese said, is limited to individuals 50 to 64 who earn less than $35,000 a year and married couples who have annual incomes of less than $50,000. People of any age who are disabled are also eligible to receive the cards. There is no fee involved, Maltese said, and those who have insurance can also apply for the new cards.

The program was developed after an AARP survey found that 19 percent of people in the 50 to 64 age bracket were not buying prescription drugs because they couldn't afford them. About 11 percent of those surveyed said they had no insurance and were forced to pay full price for drugs, and 14 percent said they had to cut back on food, fuel and electricity to pay for prescriptions.

Maltese explained that the program, administered by the Health Department, will get huge discounts in purchasing drugs from pharmaceutical companies by leveraging the buying power of about 400,000 persons who will be eligible for the program. 'Guide To Banking' Released

Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum released a "Guide to Banking" last week for New Yorkers who, like others around the country, are struggling to make ends meet, Gotbaum said.

"The guide helps New Yorkers at a time when we desperately need to get the most out of the money we earn," Gotbaum said in announcing the new "how to" guide on personal banking assistance.

The guide, published in English and Spanish, is available by contacting Gotbaum's office at 212- 669-7250.

Gotbaum's release describing and announcing the availability of the guide was issued during the income tax filing season as people were getting ready to file tax returns and receive economic stimulus rebates and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) checks.

Gotbaum said the new guide could help people to find ways to "put that money directly into an account, earn interest, and avoid fees from check cashing centers or Refund Anticipation Loans (RAL)". Marshall Marks Queens Diversity

Using music and dance and a keynote address by the city Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs to celebrate the borough's diversity, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall recently marked Immigrant Heritage Week at the Queens Museum of Art.

Besides the keynote address by Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Guillermo Linares, the program, focusing attention on the contributions of immigrants to America's most diverse county, also featured Queens Poet Laureate Julio Marzen.

"Queens today looks like the United Nations," Marshall said in opening the event. The borough president stated proudly, "We are the most multiethnic county and our population consists of longtime residents and recent immigrants."

Fittingly, the Queens Museum of Art in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was the building where the United Nations General Assembly met for the first time.

Entertainment included a performance by students of the Niall O'Leary School of Irish Dance, the largest school of its kind in New York City, veteran dancer and performer Mala De Sai, who performed a dance dating back to the second century, and by Ballet Folklorico, an organization run by the Father Billini Association of Corona.

Approximately 150 Immigration Heritage Week events took place throughout the city from April 14 to 20. Sexual Assault Awareness Seminar

A free seminar to educate Flushing and nearby communities on sexual assault prevention and protection will be held by Assemblywoman Ellen Young this Saturday, at 11 a.m. at the YWCA of Queens, 42-07 Parsons Blvd. in Flushing.

Young said sexual assault is too often a silent crime which affects more than 20 million people in the U.S. and can include one in six women and one in 33 men in the U.S. at one point in their lives.

The seminar will launch Sexual Assault and Prevention Month at the Y. Participants will hear from Queens law enforcement officials about prevention measures before wrapping up with a self defense class, Young said. Padavan Sponsors Cellphone Recycle Drive

From now to Wednesday, April 30, state Senator Frank Padavan will be conducting a drive to collect used cellphones, batteries and accessories that will be recycled for use by victims of domestic violence

Padavan (R- C Bellerose) said the phones can be dropped off at either of his district offices, 89- 39 Gettysburg St., Bellerose, or 150-26 14th Ave., Whitestone. Both offices are open from Monday through Friday- in Bellerose from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and in Whitestone from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

At the conclusion of the drive, Padavan said, the recycled phones will be donated to Verizon Wireless for use in its Hopeline® wireless phone recycling program. The recycled phones are sold and the proceeds are donated to domestic violence advocacy groups or are used to purchase wireless phones and service for domestic violence survivors.