ALBANY – State Senator Jen Metzger (D, Rosendale) will hold a COVID-19 online series featuring local experts knowledgeable on selected topics important to Hudson Valley and Catskill communities.
Half-hour-long digital episodes will be livestreamed on Metzger’s Facebook page twice-weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5 p.m. for the next four consecutive weeks, and will include a Q&A with participating viewers facilitated by the senator. The series kicks off on Tuesday, April 28, with guest Dr. Kenneth Steier, executive dean of Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Middletown.
A full list of topics and guests for the first four weeks of the series are as follows:
WEEK ONE
Tuesday, April 28: Regional Medical Overview
Guest: Kenneth Steier, Executive Dean of Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
Thursday, April 30: Food Insecurity and How to Help
Guest: Michele McKeon, Regional Economic Community Action Program (RECAP)
WEEK TWO
Tuesday, May 5: Domestic Violence during COVID-19
Guests: Kellyanne Costyal-Larrier, Fearless
Thursday, May 7: Education Resources for Students, Teachers, and Families
Guests: A high school teacher and elementary special education teacher from Sullivan County
WEEK THREE
Tuesday, May 12: COVID-19 Mental Health Awareness
Guests: Amy Nitza and Karla Vermeule, The Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz
Thursday, May 14: Paying Your Bills and Preventing Shut-Offs
Guest: Laurie Wheelock, Esq., the Public Utility Law Project
WEEK FOUR
Tuesday, May 19: Preventing Senior Scams and Sharing Legal Resources
Guests: Jaime Samarel and Jenny Turpin, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley
Thursday, May 21: The Food Supply Chain and NY Agriculture
Guest: Maire Ullrich, Cornell University Cooperative Extension Orange County
Additional topical events in the series will be announced as New York State continues to grapple with the novel coronavirus global pandemic.
