File photo by Tom Rivers: The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center has had 49 residents test positive for Covid-19, and 13 residents die after contracting the virus.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature is asking the state Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Health to do a formal investigation of The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Facility.

The site in Albion, a 120-bed nursing home and rehab center, has suffered 13 deaths from Covid-19 and 49 residents have tested positive.

Lynne Johnson, County Legislature chairwoman, said the Legislature continues to receive numerous calls from the community with concern about the facility.

“We have nothing but praise for the healthcare workers in the facility,” Johnson said this afternoon.

The Villages represents more than half of the Covid-19 cases in the county, 49 out of 96.

Johnson said the Legislature is being “proactive” in calling on the investigation from Attorney General Letitia James and the Department of Health, led by Howard Zucker.

Paul Pettit, director of Public Health in Orleans and Genesee counties, said the local health department has supplied The Villages with personal protective equipment and testing kits. That testing showed some employees tested positive for Covid-19 and were asymptomatic, and likely spread the virus when they didn’t have any symptoms.

The local Health Department doesn’t have jurisdiction in regulating the nursing home. That falls to the State DOH.

Pettit said the local Health Department will continue to try to be a resource to The Villages and help develop a strategy to keep residents and staff safe.

Pettit announced this afternoon that two more residents of the nursing home have died, bringing the total to 13. Both of those residents were over age 65.

“Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of those we are losing,” Pettit said.

“These are our family, our friends and neighbors. These losses hit us all close to home.”

Pettit said The Villages isn’t alone in the state in having the virus spread to many residents, causing several deaths.

“It’s just The Villages’ issue,” Pettit said. “There are many, many nursing homes around the state with significant outbreaks.”

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, R-Batavia, also is asking for a state investigation into the deaths at The Villages. Hawley called it an “urgent matter.” He sent a letter today to Howard Zucker, commissioner of the State Department of Health.

“I am asking for an immediate and full-scale investigation of The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center,” Hawley writes in the letter.

“We must ensure that residents and staff of these homes receive the care, respect and comfort they deserve.  We must do all we can to protect the most vulnerable in our community at this time.”

The facility on Route 31 used to be owned by the county. It was sold for $7.8 million on Feb. 6, 2014 to Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC, a company from downstate New York.

Orleans Hub has reached out to the administration at The Villages for a comment about how the facility is responding to the crisis, but hasn’t received a call back.

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today that school buildings won’t reopen this school year. Distance learning will continue and schools will continue to provide meals to students.

The governor said it isn’t feasible to have safety plans in place at the 700 school districts around the state that would keep students, staff and teachers safe from Covid-19.

“There will be no opening of any school in New York State for the remainder of the academic year,” Cuomo said.

The governor said the state will decide in late May about summer school.

“We’re going to err on the side of caution for the rest of the school year,” the governor said.

Schools were first closed on March 16, and the governor has been extending that closure every two weeks, until today.

He announced the school buildings would stay off limits to students through the end of the school year in late June.

Colleges and universities also will have their facilities closed to students the rest of this academic year.

Cuomo said school districts and colleges need to develop plans with social distancing and student safety for the fall. That might include having fewer students in a classroom.

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2,761 have now filed claims in the past 6 weeks

The number of people filing unemployment claims took another big jump last week in Orleans County and state-wide.

The claims state-wide remain at a pace 10 times or more of what they were a year ago when the economy wasn’t so restricted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The State Department of Labor today released a report showing the unemployment claims filed last week. In Orleans County, there were 326 claims filed, which compares with 55 during the same week a year ago. week.

Statewide there were 222,040 claims filed last week. A year ago, there were 18,889 unemployment claims during the third week of April.

State-wide there have been 1,640,159 unemployment claims during seven weeks – March 14, 21 and 28, and April 4, 11, 18 and 25. That compares with 96,080 the previous year during those seven weeks.

Orleans County has now had 2,761 people file unemployment claims during the past six weeks since the state started closing businesses due to health concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic.

The county has a workforce of about 17,000 people. The 2,761 unemployment claims represent about 16 percent of the workforce. There were about 1,000 people on unemployment before the pandemic. Those people plus the 2,761 who recently filed for unemployment would put the county’s unemployment rate currently over 20 percent.

Here are the weekly unemployment claims the past six weeks in the GLOW counties and statewide:

• Genesee: 589 (April 25), 421 (April 18), 931 (April 11), 886 (April 4), 1,308 (March 28), 268 (March 21)
• Livingston: 490 (April 25), 403 (April 18), 918 (April 11), 996 (April 4), 1,338 (March 28), 227 (March 21)
• Orleans: 326 (April 25), 297 (April 18), 581 (April 11), 595 (April 4), 824 (March 28), 138 (March 21)
• Wyoming: 326 (April 25), 266 (April 18), 601 (April 11), 603 (April 4), 837 (March 28), 155 (March 21)
• Statewide: 222,040 (April 25), 207,172 (April 18), 399,015 (April 11), 347,573 (April 4), 369,025 (March 28), 80,753 (March 21)

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The number of people filing unemployment claims with the state was another 297 in Orleans County during the week ending April 18.

That brings the total filings in the county to 2,435 in five weeks since the state started closing businesses due to health concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic.

The county has a workforce of about 17,000 people. The 2,435 unemployment claims represent about 14 percent of the workforce. There were about 1,000 people on unemployment. Those people plus the 2,435 who recently filed for unemployment would put the county’s unemployment rate currently at about 20 percent.

The number of people filing for unemployment each week is going down locally and state-wide.

Here are the weekly unemployment claims the past five weeks in the GLOW counties and statewide:

• Genesee: 421 (April 18), 931 (April 11), 886 (April 4), 1,308 (March 28), 268 (March 21)
• Livingston: 403 (April 18), 918 (April 11), 996 (April 4), 1,338 (March 28), 227 (March 21)
• Orleans: 297 (April 18), 581 (April 11), 595 (April 4), 824 (March 28), 138 (March 21)
• Wyoming: 266 (April 18), 601 (April 11), 603 (April 4), 837 (March 28), 155 (March 21)
• Statewide: 207,172 (April 18), 399,015 (April 11), 347,573 (April 4), 369,025 (March 28), 80,753 (March 21)

Although the unemployment claims are going down, they are still far more than in a normal week. The 297 claims in Orleans County the week of April 18 is about 10 times more than the 29 filed during the same time period a year ago.

The 207,172 claims filed state-wide during the week of April 18 compared to 12,250 during the same time period a year earlier.

NYS Department of Labor says $3.1 billion in benefits paid since Covid-19 crisis started

The state Department of Labor announced it has distributed $3.1 billion in unemployment benefits to New Yorkers since the coronavirus pandemic started impacting New York businesses in early March.

In total, more than 1.4 million New Yorkers have submitted completed applications for unemployment benefits since the crisis began, including traditional unemployment insurance and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.

“Every state is facing major challenges when it comes to unemployment, but in New York we are upgrading our systems in real time while delivering benefits to New Yorkers faster and more aggressively than any other state,” said NYS Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon. “We will keep working around the clock seven days a week to ensure every single New Yorker gets every single dollar they deserve.”

States across the country have faced an unprecedented increase in the number of people filing for unemployment insurance – 26 million Americans have submitted claims. Since March 9, New York State has processed 1.4 million initial applications for unemployment benefits.

The $3.1 billion distributed to support New Yorkers who lost their jobs includes traditional unemployment insurance and new federal programs like Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which provides benefits for those not covered by traditional unemployment insurance; Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, which provides an additional $600 per week for all benefit recipients; and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, which provides 13 additional weeks of benefits, for a total of 39 weeks of unemployment benefits.

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The layoffs include 10 positions that currently aren’t filled

Photo by Tom Rivers: The sign for the Orleans County Administration Building is pictured last Saturday in Albion. The building will have fewer workers after employees agreed to a temporary layoff.

ALBION – Orleans County will be laying off 44 employees temporarily, starting Monday.

The County Legislature last Saturday voted to temporarily lay off 40 of the county workers, which is about 10 percent of the workforce.

The county asked for volunteers among the employees. Many of the employees stepped forward after the county agreed to continue their health insurance. The staff can collect state unemployment benefits and also $600 in weekly federal stimulus funding for being jobless due to the pandemic.

The layoffs will be re-evaluated monthly until July 31. The workers are expected to be back on Aug. 1.

The layoffs include 34 people currently working for the county, plus 10 positions that are currently in the budget but not filled.

The layoffs among current employees will be in the following departments:

• County Clerk – 5
• Department of Public Works – 3
• Department of Social Services – 12
• District Attorney – 2
• Mental Health – 1
• Office for the Aging – 4
• Personnel & Self Insurance – 1
• Probation – 4
• Sheriff’s Department – 2

The layoffs are spread over nine departments, and includes workers in the unions for CSEA and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Employees Association, as well as from management, said Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer.

“We anticipate the savings from the temporary layoffs and from the vacant positions to be approximately $150,000 per month,” Welch said.

The county expects it will face steep revenue decreases in sales tax, and state reimbursements, plus likely higher costs for pension funding due to a stock market in decline.

The county annually receives about $17 million in sales tax. March was down 9 percent and that’s only with nonessential businesses closed for about two weeks.

Early projections from the state comptroller estimated the county would take a minimal hit of about $559,000. That estimate for the minimal decrease has since been doubled to about $1.1 million. And that’s on the low side. The county could see a bigger loss.

Welch said the county needed to take quick action to reduce costs.

“We are very appreciative of our unions and of our employees working together in these very challenging times,” Welch said. “We look forward to each of these 34 employees returning to our workforce by August 1, 2020.”

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O’Brien praised for expanding mental health services in community

Photo by Tom Rivers: Mark O’Brien has led the Orleans County Mental Health Department the past seven years. During his tenure the department expanded to have staff working out of 15 sites in the community, including schools, healthcare facilities and the county jail.

ALBION – The Orleans County Mental Health Director is leaving the county to take the job as Erie County Commissioner of Mental Health.

Mark O’Brien has been the Orleans County director for seven years. He has worked for the county for a decade.

O’Brien, a Grand Island resident, told county legislators it was a “very difficult decision” to leave Orleans. He praised the legislators for supporting initiatives to expand mental health services in the county.

He was presented a “Special Recognition Award” on Wednesday by County Legislators.

“Your dedication and expertise has benefited our county tremendously,” the award states. “We appreciate your support and commitment to the residents of our county, which will forever be widespread, long lasting and extremely appreciated. The Orleans County Legislature does hereby wish you well as you enjoy your newest endeavor as the Erie County Commissioner of Mental Health.”

O’Brien built many partnerships in the community to expand mental health services, including satellite mental health offices in all five school districts in the county. Those offices allow students to receive mental health services without having to travel to county clinic in Albion. Transportation was a barrier for many families to access services.

Counselors help students who have anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.

“It makes it more accessible for the kids,” O’Brien told the Orleans Hub in a previous article. “The superintendents have been super cooperative to work with.”

O’Brien also led the department in bringing mental health services to the county jail. About 80 percent of the inmates in the Orleans County Jail have mental health disorders. Providing them treatment and appropriate medication can help reduce recidivism.

The Mental Health Department also has worked with local law enforcement agencies to provide training for responding to people in a mental health crisis.

He also developed partnerships with the Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Orleans Community Health and Oak Orchard Health to have mental health staff at their sites.

He was honored with the Constance Miller Award from the Mental Health Association of Genesee & Orleans in 2017. The award is named in honor of the founder of the MHA in 1993.

“We want to recognize people working promote mental wellness in the community,” Scott Wilson, vice president of the MHA board of directors, said then.

Wilson is also the Orleans County Jail superintendent. He has seen O’Brien work with many local agencies in the community to expand mental health services, including at the jail.

The Mental Health Department has two clinicians working at the jail, which has reduced psychotropic medication and suicide attempts, Wilson said.

O’Brien said he appreciated the response from partners in the county, welcoming mental health staff.

“It’s making mental health services more accessible to the community and reducing the stigma because they are not going to a classified mental health building,” he said.

He also worked to make county mental health building more accessible to the public by having open access where people don’t need an appointment to be served during regular business hours.

O’Brien’s last day with the county is May 7. The County Legislature has appointed Danielle Figura, the current clinic coordinator for Mental Health, to serve as interim director for the department beginning on May 8.

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More than 2,000 people have filed for unemployment in Orleans County in four weeks, according to the state Department of Labor.

The county has a workforce of about 17,000 people. The number of workers to file initial claims is 2,138 in the weeks ending March 21 (138 claims), March 28 (824 claims), April 4 (595 claims) and April 11 (581 claims).

That is far more than the same time period a year. The last week of March in 2019 had 39 claims filed in Orleans County, with 23 the first week of April and 21 the second week of April.

Unemployment claims surged after many were closed during the Covid-19 shutdown. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is keeping schools and many nonessential businesses closed until May 15. He announced on Tuesday he is forming regional councils to develop plans for reopening businesses. The governor said he is looking for incrementally reopening the economy.

The county typically has had about 1,000 people on unemployment. March 2010 was the last time the county had 2,000 unemployed. The unemployment rate was 10 percent then.

The unemployment rate was at 5.5 percent in February and 5.6 in March, before the mass unemployment claims were filed.

State-wide there were 1,210,947 unemployment claims filed between March 14 and April 11. That compares to 64,941 during the same time frame a year earlier.

Some of the industries seeing the biggest unemployment filings include retail trade, from 5,602 in mid-March to mid-April 2019 to 162,356 during that same period in 2020; accommodation and food services, 7,374 to 248,355; arts, entertainment and recreation, 1,934 to 46,544; construction/utilities, 11,255 to 112,895; health care and social assistance, 5,498 to 131,204; manufacturing, 3,971 to 63,398; professional, scientific and technical services, 3,571 to 41,928; and transportation and warehousing, from 2,565 to 49,455.

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Health Department, Villages of Orleans stepping up efforts to stop spread of virus among residents and employees

File photo by Tom Rivers: The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center is contending with many cases of Covid-19 among residents at the Albion site on Route 31.

ALBION – Public health professionals are increasing their efforts to help The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion after an outbreak of Covid-19 cases. There have been 27 confirmed cases and three deaths among residents at the nursing home on Route 31 in Albion.

“We are aware and have been proactively responding to the number of positive cases being generated from The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehab Center,” said Paul Pettit, director of the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.  “We are working with The Villages of Orleans along with the New York State Department of Health to assist them in containing and stopping the spread of the virus among residents and employees.”

The Orleans County Health Department, Emergency Management staff and NYSDOH have worked cooperatively to provide guidance to the nursing home leadership to provide swabs for testing the residents, accessing personal protective equipment and to provide instruction on isolation/quarantine for the residents as well as self-monitoring the employees’ health prior to reporting for duty.

The facility used to be owned by the county. It was sold for $7.8 million on Feb. 6, 2014 to Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC.

Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature, praised the efforts by Pettit and Dr. Tom Madejski, medical director for The Villages of Orleans, to fight the virus at the nursing home.

“We will commit resources as necessary to combat this situation and help to keep our neighbors, friends, families and co-workers healthy,” Johnson said in a news release from the Health Department. “We were also saddened to learn of a third Covid-19 related death for one of our Orleans County residents. Our condolences to the family and friends of this individual.”

In the event of a resident being exposed or infected with Covid-19 the New York State Department of Health has jurisdictional oversight of nursing homes and will follow-up with contact tracing, isolation and quarantine.

The State Department of Health will work with the agency and contact the local health department with information about the employees (from the county where they reside) who may have been exposed, the Orleans and Genesee County Health Departments said in the news release.

The local health department will then provide follow-up on those who live in their respective counties while the state deals with the facility.

As of today, in the Villages of Orleans, there have been 89 residents swabbed – some were swabbed twice due to change of symptoms – with 27 confirmed cases and 3 deaths related to Covid-19.

Any questions and concerns should be addressed first to the nursing home. If there are further concerns, call the appropriate Complaint Hotline: For Nursing Homes: 1-888-201-4563  or visit the NYS Consumer Health Care Information website (click here).

In an effort to provide additional information on state and federally regulated facilities in both Genesee and Orleans counties, the health department will be adding some additional layers to the mapping tool that will break out community versus (non-county regulated) facility spread cases.

In addition, the two health departments will be adding a chart to their websites and daily briefings that will detail the number of cases and deaths in the regulated facilities in the two counties.

“As the number of Covid-19 positive cases are confirmed and growing in both Genesee and Orleans counties, we all need to continue to take measures to help prevent infections and spreading the disease to others, especially our most vulnerable citizens, our older adults and those with underlying health issues,” the Health Department said in a news release.

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That day also includes special election and primary for NY-27^th, with presidential primary also scheduled

June 23 will be a busy day at the polls in Orleans County with a presidential primary, a long-awaited special election to fill the vacant Congressional seat in the 27^th district, and a primary for county clerk.

The 27^th Congressional seat has been vacant since Chris Collins resigned on Sept. 30. Collins was sentenced on Jan. 17 to 26 months in federal prison for participating in a scheme to commit insider trading and for making false statements to federal law enforcement agents when interviewed about his conduct. He also was fined $200,000.

The special election was set for April 28 but was pushed back about two months due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

So June 23 is currently scheduled for the election to fill a vacancy for the 27^th Congressional District. The winner will fill about five months of the remainder of the term.

The special election on June 23 will include the following candidates:

• Nathan D. McMurray – Democratic, Working Families

• Chris Jacobs – Republican, Independence

• Michael J. Gammariello – Green

• Duane Whitmer – Libertarian

There will also be a Republican primary on June 23 to see who gets the Republican line in the November election for a full two-year term. Jacobs, Beth Parlato and Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw are among those expected to be pursuing the Republican line. The candidates for that primary won’t be announced by the Board of Elections until April 29.

April 28 also was supposed to be the presidential primary. But both major parties have settled on their candidates: Donald Trump for Republicans and Joe Biden for the Democrats. The presidential primary is still scheduled to go forward on June 23.

Absentee ballots

The local Board of Elections reminds registered voters they can use absentee ballots to vote. Voters can request an absentee ballot by calling (585) 589-3274. Click here for more information on how to reach the Board of Elections.

Local primaries include County Clerk, Republican Committees in Ridgeway and Murray

There are two Republican candidates are running for Orleans County Clerk. Diane Shampine is the current acting clerk. She assumed the post after Karen Lake-Maynard retired. Shampine was Lake-Maynard’s deputy clerk for 14 years. Nadine Hanlon, current clerk of the County Legislature, also submitted petitions to be on the ballot of the primary. Hanlon is also a former Kendall town clerk. She is a current member of the Kendall Board of Education.

Normally candidates running in primaries need signatures from 5 percent of registered voters in the party to be on the ballot for a primary. Gov. Andrew Cuomo reduced that threshold to 1.25 percent of registered voters. He didn’t want people out going door-to-door to get signatures during the Covid-19 pandemic.

There are also primaries to pick members for Republican Committees in Murray and Ridgeway.

In Murray, there are primaries for three of the districts, with three candidates seeking two positions in District 3, District 5 and District 6.

In District 3, the candidates include Kathleen Case, Anthony Peone and Kerri Neale.

In District 5, the candidates include Lynn Wood, Cynthia Oliver and Ronald Vendetti.

In District 6, the candidates include Kellie Gregoire, Robert Miller and Adam R. Moore.

In Ridgeway, there are three candidates for two positions with District 2 on the Ridgeway Republican Committee. The candidates include Virginia Nicholson, David Stalker and Ayesha Kreutz.

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County officials fear plummeting sales tax revenue, state reimbursement cuts

Photo by Tom Rivers: County Legislator John DeFilipps, R-Clarendon, reads the resolution this morning calling for temporary county layoffs. It passed in a 7-0 vote.

ALBION – The county government workforce will shrink by 40 employees or about 10 percent as the county grapples with declining sales tax revenue and anticipated reduced state reimbursements.

The county could face big losses in sales tax revenue and expects cuts in state reimbursements for other services. The stock market decline also will mean local government will have to pay more in pension contributions.

“We’re in unchartered territory here,” said Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer.

The county annually receives about $17 million in sales tax. March was down 9 percent and that’s only with nonessential businesses closed for about two weeks.

Early projections from the state comptroller estimated the county would take a minimal hit of about $559,000. That estimate for the minimal decrease has since been doubled to about $1.1 million. And that’s on the low side. The county could see a bigger loss.

“We have no idea how bad it could get,” Welch said.

The sales tax helps fund the county government, and reduces the level of property tax.

If the sales tax drops, the county would have to raise property taxes, unless it reduces expenses.

That’s why the County Legislature voted this morning to temporarily lay off 40 employees, initially for 30 days. The Legislature may extend that in two additional 30-day increments, ending July 31. After that day, if the county is in economic distress, it could make the layoffs permanent, according to the resolution adopted this morning.

The Legislature agreed to have the county continue to pay towards the health insurance of those employees during the temporary layoff.

Welch said employees will be asked if they want to be temporarily laid off. Once the county has a list of names, Welch and department heads will meet mid-week next week to identify 40 people by the end of the week, with the layoffs to start on a new pay period beginning April 26.

Welch said the reductions will include many departments, but not the Health Department or the Sheriff’s Office.

Welch said some county employees, with unemployment and the government stimulus checks for people on unemployment, could actually see more money during the temporary layoff.

Many of the employees have been working from home, or just are at home during the shutdown. Welch said the county isn’t in a position to keep paying people to stay home and not work, especially with a state-imposed shutdown continuing through at least May 15.

Lynne Johnson, County Legislature chairwoman, said the Legislature didn’t make the action lightly.

“Our employees and families are very important not only to county operations but to our community,” she said. “This is a temporary action to help stabilize the situation. Our employees are our most valuable asset.”

Johnson said the union representing the employees agreed later this morning to the temporary layoffs.

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‘A perfect storm of financial difficulty for Orleans County’

ALBION — Orleans County legislators are looking at temporary layoffs in county government due to anticipated steep reductions in revenue.

Legislators will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday to discuss the issue. They are hoping the labor unions among county employees will be a partner in a temporary layoff.

“We are trying to weigh all the factors involved here to do what’s right for our employees and the county taxpayers,” said Jack Welch, the county’s  chief administrative officer.

Welch and county legislators say the financial impact to the county from Covid-19 will be dramatic in 2020 and next year. Sales tax projections will be down at least $500,000 and perhaps much more, with state reimbursements also expected to be cut. Losses in the stock market also will likely mean higher pension contribution rates over the next several years.

“The 2 percent tax cap was made permanent in state law and tied to several state reimbursement formulas,” Welch said in a news release. “These factors come together to create a perfect storm of financial difficulty for Orleans County.”

County officials say a temporary layoff now could ease some of the damage to the county’s finances.

“This is not a course of action that we are pursuing lightly,” said Lynne Johnson, Legislature chairwoman. “Our employees and families are very important not only to county operations but to our community. This is a temporary action to help stabilize the situation. Our employees are our most valuable asset.”

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When Dean Bellack offered his services as director of United Way of Orleans County, he couldn’t have envisioned the challenge ahead with the ensuing coronavirus pandemic.

Dean Bellack

“During a hard time such as this is when charities step up to the plate,” Bellack said. “When you think of United Way you should think of human relief. We are in a time when our lives have been altered, and it is our job is to bring dollars, partnerships and help to those who need it.

Bellack referred to the Buffalo community which just raised $5 million in the past two weeks from corporate donors, philanthropic organizations and community foundations. Being able to help out in a time of crisis improves an organization’s stature and that benefits them in the future when they try to raise money, he said.

Unfortunately, as much as United Way of Orleans County would like to step up and offer assistance now, the allocations for the year have been set, and United Way needs to focus on honoring those allocations. He said the community donations to United Way were up this past year, allowing them to provide funding to all their partner agencies.

However, with the hardships placed on businesses, corporations and individuals with the coronavirus  pandemic, United Way worries whether people will be able to meet their pledges so that United Way can meet its obligations to its agencies. Because of that concern, Bellack is pursuing other funding opportunities.

Bellack’s goal is to position United Way of Orleans County to the place in people’s minds where their mindset is, “When I want to help people, I give to United Way.”

He said that not only means dollars, but also uniting agencies for that purpose, which is a process he has already begun.

The Western New York Fund just announced a connection to the United Way, and Bellack has asked for some specific assistance for food banks and soup kitchens, and the Ministry of Concern and Community Action for housing. This funding will come to Orleans County because of the United Way partnerships.

United Way of Orleans County is registered on the United Way Worldwide network and has the potential to get help from the federal bill which was just passed. The bill designates billions for charity, Bellack said.

Another source of funding which Bellack is pursuing on behalf of United Way of Orleans County is a grant from BlueCross BlueShield’s 2020 Blue Fund. The fund will consider grant requests that address at least one or more health focus areas, such as behavioral health, cardiovascular health, health-care workforce development and healthy children.

Each grant request will be between $100,000 and $300,000.

Bellack has met with the YMCA, Community Action, Ministry of Concern, Praising Kids Childcare, Iroquois Trail Council, The Arc, OCAL’s, and Cornell Cooperative Extension to invite them to join in applying for the funding. This is the first time these agencies have applied together under the United Way.

“Our community and our non-profits are uniting to change our impact,” Bellack said. “The agencies involved in this process are excited and are planning future collaborations going forward.”

“I believe that bringing these agencies together will give us a bigger impact on this and bring in more dollars to Orleans County,” Bellack said.

Bellack and the board want the community to know they are working very hard to remain visible, fulfill their commitments and provide assistance in the future.

The annual Day of Caring scheduled in May has been canceled, but will be rescheduled in the late summer or fall. As of now, the June 5 golf tournament is still a go, but may be rescheduled if necessary, as it is a major fundraiser for United Way.

Bellack’s final comment is, “United Way is neighbors helping neighbors. Please help your neighbor. Help them go to the store. Help them with a meal. Please be generous in what you can do. If you are able to donate, give where your heart leads you.”

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