By Allison Volpe Seeking Community Panelists Do you want to get involved in the NYC budget process? TranspareNYC is looking for community panelists to help decide where 1 million dollars in community grants will go. Last year, $907,798 was awarded to 167 organizations, including 36 new programs. The Manhattan Borough President's office is specifically looking for people who display knowledge in Senior Services, Education, Urban Health Initiatives,
Re-entry and Correctional Systems, and Parks and Recreation. Those interested can visit TranspareNYC.org, and the recruitment drive for prospective panelists ends on March 29th. Questions about the program can be directed to Linda Felstein at (212) 669-4814 or [LFelstein@manhattanbp.org](mailto:LFelstein@manhattanbp.org).
Salvador Dali Watercolor Thief A man has been indicted and charged with Grand Larceny to the Second Degree, after stealing a 1949 Salvador Dali Watercolor from a Manhattan art gallery. On June 19th, 2012, Phivos Istavrioglou stole the drawing (with an estimated worth of $150,000) by placing it in a shopping bag. After surveillance images of the suspect were broadcast to the public worldwide, the NYPD recovered the stolen artwork in a shipping tube at Kennedy Airport less than 2 weeks later. They lifted fingerprints from the shipment and matched them with those from a juice bottle Istavrioglou stole at a Whole Foods last year. On February 16th, 2013, an undercover cop posing as a business manager of an art gallery lured Istavrioglou to NYC. He was taken into custody upon arrival at Kennedy. New York-Presbyterian Cancer Study The American Cancer society is soon to begin its Cancer Prevention Study-3, which will help researchers better understand the factors that cause or prevent cancer. These studies have confirmed the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, and also the impact of air pollution on the heart and lungs. For residents of East Midtown that would like to get involved, New York-Presbyterian is available as a local registration site. MOUNT SINAI AND CONTINUUM HEALTH PARTNERS TO MERGE The Board of Trustees from The Mount Sinai Medical Center and Continuum Health Partners have voted to approve a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a possible merger. The MOU outlines steps toward creating a new integrated health care system that combines operations of two entities.
"Our goal as an integrated health care system is to provide exceptional medical care to New Yorkers," said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Mount Sinai Medical Center. "The combination will create more economies of scale, increase efficiencies, and expand access to advanced primary and specialty care throughout this citywide network."
Stanley Brezenoff, President and Chief Executive Officer of Continuum, said, "This collaboration makes available an extraordinary range of resources for the provision of compassionate, state-of-the-art care for patients. In joining with Mount Sinai, we will further enhance our ability to provide the full spectrum of outstanding care to the populations we serve."
Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs of The Mount Sinai Medical Center, sees the opportunity for increased research collaboration with physicians and scientists affiliated with Continuum, who would become part of the medical school's academic faculty. "Mount Sinai has a legacy of groundbreaking clinical and translational research that has led to improved methods of diagnosing and treating human disease," said Dr. Charney. "The synergy between Mount Sinai and Continuum would widen our research base and accelerate the pace of breakthrough treatments and protocols."
The chairmen of both boards of trustees, Peter W. May for Mount Sinai and Steven Hochberg for Continuum, said they are pleased that their respective boards unanimously approved the MOU.
The Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses both The Mount Sinai Hospital and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Established in 1968, the Icahn School of Medicine is one of the leading medical schools in the United States, and is noted for innovation in education, biomedical research, clinical care delivery, and local and global community service. Continuum Health Partners was created in January 1997 as the parent company for the partnership between four distinguished voluntary hospitals: Beth Israel Medical Center-Milton and Carroll Petrie Division, Beth Israel Brooklyn, St. Luke's Hospital and Roosevelt Hospital.