FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2019
Contact: John Lyon 845-638-5645

County Executive, County Legislators and Non-Profits
Announce New Rockland Shared Space Initiative

New City, NY, - County Executive Ed Day, members of the Rockland County Legislature and local non-profit organizations came together in the Lobby of Building A at the Robert Yeager Health Complex in Pomona to announce the new Rockland County Shared Space Initiative. This new initiative is a way to streamline the delivery of services to residents and save taxpayer dollars by providing non-profits space within county buildings.

"With the support of the County Legislature, we will pass a new local law creating a more efficient way of assisting our valued non-profits who already contract with the county to provide services by actually leasing space to them and better focusing the overall effort to provide services to our residents," said County Executive Ed Day.

Rockland County Legislative Minority Leader Lon Hofstein is sponsoring the local law. Legislative Chairman Toney Earl and Legislator Harriet Cornell will co-sponsor the legislation. The new law will allow the County to quickly react to changing market conditions and offer space within the Robert Yeager Health Complex to these non-profits.

Joining the event were Stephanie Madison, CEO of MHA Rockland, Charlotte Ostman, CEO of MHA Westchester, Carlos Martinez, Executive Director of BRiDGES, Sarah Goforth, Executive Director of VCS Inc., Suzanne Barclay, Executive Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension and Dr. Mark Geller, CEO of Nyack Montefiore Hospital

These organizations have experience building "communities of care" and understand what a difference co-locating services can mean to their business models and the positive outcomes to our residents. Rockland County was named the Healthiest County in New York State and it continuously looking for ways to maintain that rating.

"It is a fact that a core role of County Government is the delivery of services to the people. But I also view our ability to not only deliver these services efficiently but in a manner that respects the ultimate funder of government you the taxpayer, as the goal we should strive for," said County Executive Day. "Put simply this is a win for residents receiving services, a win for non-profits and a win for all our taxpayers. This step forward will help transform this complex into a modern, professional human services hub; a "one stop shop" so to say. An effort that will improve health outcomes and the wellness of the people of Rockland through the delivery of a continuum of critical services."

A tour of facilities of the 6th floor of Building A followed the announcement; showcasing the high-quality type of space available to be leased by non-profits. The County Departments of Purchasing, Human Rights and Environmental Resources occupy the 6th floor. The 5th floor of Building A is one of the locations that could be leased.

The Local Law will be fully submitted to the County Legislature by the end of day today, 6/13/19.

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