B-roll, Video, Audio, Photos and Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Distributes Toys With SOMOS Community Care

Governor Hochul: “Starting January 1, every mom who needs to take time off can get 20 hours paid from her employer to get her healthcare taken care of so she can survive and her baby can survive... I will continue providing health care, support, child care, housing, education, everything that lifts people up, especially here in the Bronx, where the people are so hard working.”

Hochul: “As I mentioned, my State of the State is coming. We're gonna talk about more investments, historic investments in affordable child care and maternal health services. And together we're building a more equitable, better place, but starting right here in the Bronx.”

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul distributed toys with SOMOS Community Care in the Bronx.

B-ROLL: B-Roll is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor's Flickr page has photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

?Bienvenidos. Welcome everyone. It's great to be back in the Bronx. I was here just a few days ago to celebrate the holiday season with Speaker Carl Heastie and 1,000 of his closest friends. We were together.

Borough president, Vanessa Gibson, who is also a very dear friend of mine. I honor your leadership. We were together yesterday at the Electoral College which is an important institution, except I want it abolished.

I wanted to come here in person for a number of reasons. One is, I've gotten to know Dr. Ramon and Henry Munoz through their passion for caring for people so deeply. What I've witnessed in seeing them care so deeply about SOMOS and this organization, the SOMOS Community Care, delivering high quality health care to communities that have been overlooked for so long. And they formed the most compassionate group of individuals, these leaders, these doctors, these nurses, who understand that our mission on earth is to better the lives of others and to give them better outcomes and to make them healthier and to make their children happier. And I am aligned with those values – 1,000 percent. And I thank them for what they do every single day and I'll be there for you.

And we talk about this organization. I walked through, I know there's a maternal care ward here, I walked through the pediatric area, I saw the behavioral health ward. Whatever we can do to help families — like we are ending co-pays for insulin. You mentioned insulin. Sometimes it's the co-pay that is too expensive for people. We're going to end that.

Also, I know there's a lot of moms. I understand what moms go through. I happen to be the first mom Governor of New York. I know what pregnancy is all about. I know how you're supposed to be going to your doctor, your wellness visits, to make sure that you and your baby are healthy. But for so many moms, if they leave work to go get that important appointment, they're losing out on their income. There's not money for those hours because they're hourly wage earners. It might be minimum wage earners. That's money off the table for the rest of their family. They can't do it. And we said, “No, that's wrong.”

So, starting January 1, every mom who needs to take time off can get 20 hours paid from her employer to get her healthcare taken care of so she can survive and her baby can survive because the maternal and infant mortality rates in this state but in this borough are just unconscionably high. I will continue providing health care, support, child care, housing, education, everything that lifts people up, especially here in the Bronx, where the people are so hard working. They believe in their communities so deeply.

And SOMOS has worked so hard. This is a vital organization, vital. And they found so many creative ways to expand their services, to reach more people. You see the line of people out front. Those are people. They come to this door, walk into this building, this beautiful place of hope and new beginnings so they can have a healthier life. It is a powerful sign of me as a Governor. And I'm enormously proud of this. I share that deep commitment and I'm glad we were able to partner with you through our Health Equity Reform Initiative. We break down barriers so every community gets what it needs.

And also, as I mentioned, my State of the State is coming. We're gonna talk about more investments, historic investments in affordable child care and maternal health services. And together we're building a more equitable, better place, but starting right here in the Bronx.

I also know there's an organization that calls the Bronx home. It's called the New York Yankees and I've been to many games and I was a fan of the Yankees probably before most of you were born. I went to school at Syracuse University and I was surrounded by students who were all New York Yankees fans. And this is during the late seventies. And it was an extraordinary time. Reggie Jackson and Bucky Dent and others.

But added to those names of the greats is someone who has joined us here today. Yes, using his name and his influence and his popularity and how people love him, but also putting resources through the Mariano Rivera Foundation right into this community. And I, as a Governor, am grateful to him as well for being the kind of person that we admire, that young people look up to, we all look up to, but turning around and being here in the streets, in these buildings, there for the people directly, and I want to personally thank him in front of all of you for all he has done.

Thank you so much. Thank you.