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By Allison Volpe TranspareNYC Seeks 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 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. NextAct Spring Events NextAct has scheduled two lectures on film for this spring. The first is on Thursday, March 14th, and is on Politics and the Movies by film critic Bilge Iberi. The second is on Thursday, April 18th, and is on The Life and Times of Alfred Hitchcock by film historian Max Alvarez. Both events will take place from 6 - 7:30 p.m. at the UJA-Federation of New York. The cost is $20 in advance, $25 at the door. For information and registration, contact Sarah Tornay at 212-273-5304 or stornay@jasa.org. Success of the WSSA Food Bag Program The Westside Senior Supported Agriculture Food Bag Program launched on August 23, 2012, and has been deemed a success. The main goal behind the program was to make it easier and cheaper for seniors to attain fresh produce, as it can become difficult for them to walk to their local farmers markets. The program matched local farmers with local seniors through GrowNYC, and provided a bag of fresh local produce bi-weekly for just 8 dollars. The first season ended last November, but a season two is already being planned for this fall, with hopes to expand to other neighborhoods besides the Upper West Side. Makeover for UWS Dog Run The Bull Moose Dog Run, located inside of the Theodore Roosevelt Park, is in talks of a makeover with a very high price tag, DNAinfo.com reports. The half a million-dollar upgrade would bring new turf, fencing, lighting, sound barriers, and a water playground. The most expensive aspect of the proposal is K9Grass, which would simplify waste pick-up and bring comfort to dog paws, at a cost of $250,000. Based on the opinions of the members of Community Board 7, the majority of the cost is going to need to be covered by private.

MOUNT SINAI AND CONTINUUM HEALTH PARTNERS TO MERGE

The Board of Trustees from The Mount Sinai Medical Center and Continuum Health Partners voted to approve a memorandum of understanding 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."