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Yearly Archives: 2023

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Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD
Photo from SCPD
Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly struck a bicyclist and left the scene in Farmingville this month.

A man was riding a bicycle westbound on the sidewalk of Portion Road on August 1 at 7:25 p.m. at when he was struck by a black SUV, driven by a man, exiting the parking lot of a gas station located at 1090 Portion Road in Farmingville. The driver fled the scene.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.

 

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Dr. Anthony Szema, director of the International Center of Excellence in Deployment Health and Medical Geosciences, Northwell Health Foundation. Photo courtesy Northwell Health

Wednesday, Aug. 9, is an important deadline for veterans who were exposed to burn pits.

That is the cutoff point when veterans can file claims for health issues that date back to the passage of the PACT Act in August 2022. If they file paperwork by Wednesday, they can get retroactive benefits.

“It’s very important” that veterans who might have health-related problems file for these benefits before that deadline, said Dr. Anthony Szema, director of the International Center of Excellence in Deployment Health and Medical Geosciences, Northwell Health Foundation. 

A veteran filing after Aug. 9 may only qualify for prospective medical care.

“The sooner you apply, the more benefits you may be eligible for,” explained Fernando X. Burgos Ortiz, Public Affairs Officer at the Northport VA Medical Center.
If veterans apply for PACT-related benefits on or before August 9, their benefits may be backdated to August 10, 2022.

People who are not ready to submit a full claim by then can also submit a quick “intent to file” and still receive the effective date, explained Burgos Ortiz. Veterans and survivors can visit va.gov/PACT to apply or submit their intent to file through the link: Your intent to file a VA claim | Veterans Affairs.

Veterans who apply after Aug. 10 may still be eligible to have their benefits backdated by one year, if they would have been eligible for PACT benefits on Aug. 10, 2022. A veteran who applied in December 2025 could have their benefits, if granted, backdated to December 2024. In that case, however, they would miss out on the earliest possible effective date of Aug. 10, 2022, which would mean they would miss out on a couple of years of benefits, Burgos Ortiz wrote.

‘You got exposed to a ticking time bomb, and we need to defuse it now so it never becomes a problem.’ — Dr. Anthony Szema

With support from numerous veteran advocates, including comedian John Stewart, Burn Pits 360 and others, Congress passed the PACT Act last August to ensure that veterans exposed to toxins from particles aerosolized by burn pits received ongoing medical support.

Szema, who specializes in asthma and lung fibrosis, urged all veterans who might qualify for these benefits to call their local VA and ask how to file for PACT Act benefits.

Through its offices on 3771 Nesconset Highway in Suite 105 in South Setauket, Northwell Health provides special testing to confirm the potential health effects of this exposure.

Last week, two veterans had such evaluations, while three signed up for Tuesday.

Conditions covered on the list include a wide range of health issues, including brain cancer, any type of gastrointestinal cancer, glioblastoma, head cancer, kidney cancer, lymphoma of any type, melanoma, neck cancer of any type, pancreatic cancer, reproductive cancer and respiratory cancer.

Covered conditions also include asthma, chronic bronchitis, COPD, emphysema, granulomatous disease, interstitial lung disease, pleuritis, pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis.

Around the country, 2.5 million vets could receive benefits, including 8,000 in the greater New York Metropolitan area, Szema said.

“Thousands of vets are unaware” of the deadline, he added.

Prior to the PACT Act, Szema said the VA denied about 80% of claims. Now, presumptive conditions are covered rather than on a case-by-case basis.

Szema suggested that many veterans who breathed the air around burn pits and were living in dusty environments in Iraq and Afghanistan could be asymptomatic today, but might already be headed toward future health crises.

“If you believe [people who lived near the] World Trade Center have disease, this is worse, because you live 300 yards away from trash being burned with jet fuel in open air,” he said.

Szema said the tests Northwell conducts provide a more accurate reading of potential breathing or allergic problems in a shorter time. Northwell uses pulmoscan impulse oscillometry, in addition to respiratory muscle strength and multi test percutaneous allergy testing with plastic, which doesn’t involve needles.

Northwell has 10 remote patient monitoring systems from Bodimetrics that allows them to monitor continuous oxygen saturation and heart rate variability of veterans. The information also goes to the smart phones of veterans and to a remote modeling team with a nurse and to a cardio thoracic surgeon in Kansas.

Northwell is in discussions to obtain more of these systems.

Szema recently published a paper indicating that 29% of veterans exposed to burn pits reported seeing blood in their urine. Exposure to benzene and naphthalene in JP-8 jet fuel poses a risk of bladder cancer.

“It is never normal to have blood in the urine, even if it is kidney stones,” Szema wrote in an email. “Since these veterans were exposed to carcinogens, a thorough evaluation is paramount.”

Szema added that soldiers who answered the call of duty may not have symptoms but could develop them in the coming years.

“You got exposed to a ticking time bomb, and we need to defuse it now so it never becomes a problem,” he said.

Developing awareness

Szema was chief of the allergy section of Veterans Affairs Medical Center at Northport between 1998 and 2015. Between 1998 and 2004, his patients were primarily 80-year old Caucasian men who were in wheelchairs and needed oxygen.

All of a sudden, in September 2004, he and a medical student and “everybody was 20 years old in uniform” with patients who were brown, African American, black, hispanic, Southeastern Asian and Native American, reflecting the “entire diversity of Long Island.”

An index case of an all-state football player raised his level of concern, as the athlete didn’t smoke, vape or smoke marijuana but had shortness of breath. 

At first, Szema thought his physical problems came from inhaling dust from storms. That prompted him to initiate his first study reporting asthma among veterans returning from deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan near burn pits.

Szema testified before the United States Senate Policy Committee in Washington, D.C. in 2009.

He urged veterans who think they might qualify for these benefits to reach out to Three Village Asthma in South Setauket at 631-675-6474. The office is across the street from Jefferson Ferry.

“Now is the time,” Szema said. “At least if you get diagnosed with a condition related to your exposure, you can receive timely treatment.”

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From left, Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (3rd from left) and Legislator Manuel Esteban (center) at the forum. Photo courtesy of Leg. Bontempi's office
John Venza, one of the presenters, speaking to the audience. Photo from Leg. Bontempi’s office

The Northport Public Library recently collaborated with Suffolk. County Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (R-18th L.D.), Suffolk County Legislator Manuel Esteban (R-16th L.D.) and Suffolk County Legislator Robert Trotta (R-13th L.D.) to facilitate a timely discussion on addiction, mental health and today’s youth.  One of the objectives of the event, entitled “Breaking the Stigma,” was to encourage more frequent and honest dialogues on the topics in both public and private circles.

“The issues of addiction and mental health are too important to ignore or tiptoe around,” said Bontempi.  “These serious issues warrant our full attention, and part of the process leading to that is recognizing that they are simply part of the human condition.  We need to address our issues, not be ashamed of them.

“The night’s presenters included John Venza and Gordon Gooding who spoke respectively about concerns surrounding addiction and the stressors associated with everyday life.  The presentations made it clear that there are no shortage of challenges out there, but there are also many treatment options and preventative tools.

“If you are a parent or caregiver of children, staying up-to-date on the growing body of knowledge and resources in this arena is so important,” added Bontempi.

For those interested in exploring resources regarding addiction and mental health, visit: https://www.scnylegislature.us/171/Stephanie-Bontempi and click on “Behavioral Health Directory.” 

 

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File photo

Update: Suffolk County Police today arrested an East Northport woman for leaving the scene of a motor
vehicle crash that killed a pedestrian earlier this year. Michelle Karp, 28, was charged with Leaving the Scene of an Incident Resulting in Death and Tampering with Physical Evidence, for fleeing the scene of a crash that
killed Lydia Ciminelli, 72, of Lake Ronkonkoma, on Rosevale Avenue in Ronkonkoma on August
7.

Below is the original press release:

Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit detectives are investigating a hit-and-run crash that killed a
pedestrian in Ronkonkoma on Aug. 7.

Lydia Ciminelli was crossing Rosevale Avenue, just south of Motor Parkway, at approximately 9:30
a.m. when she was struck by a southbound vehicle, described as a dark-colored sedan, that fled the
scene.

Ciminelli, 72, of Lake Ronkonkoma, was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital where she was
pronounced dead.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on this crash to call the Major Case Unit at 631-852-
6553 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

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Town of Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro, left, and Councilman Neil Manzella at the intersection of Mooney Pond and Adirondack Drive in Selden. Photo courtesy Losquadro’s office

Town of Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro (R) and Councilman Neil Manzella (R-Selden) recently announced the completion of a $1.6 million paving project in Selden.

The town resurfaced College Road, from Mooney Pond Road to Horseblock Road, and Mooney Pond Road, from North Ocean Avenue to College Road, during this initiative.

Before paving, crews worked on improving concrete, inspecting and installing new drains and repairing and replacing damaged concrete curbing, sidewalks and aprons. Crews also removed and replaced nearly 6,500 square feet of concrete aprons, almost 11,500 square feet of sidewalk and more than 3,100 linear feet of concrete curb for approximately $450,000. 

Crews replaced over 6,000 square feet of handicap ramps, bringing them into ADA compliance, for roughly $190,000.

“Mooney Pond is a very busy roadway that had greatly deteriorated,” Losquadro said. “Motorists and pedestrians can now enjoy safer sidewalks and roadways.”

Manzella added to this sentiment, noting the continued need for modernized roadway infrastructure.

“I want to thank the highway superintendent for making this project a priority in this year’s paving schedule,” the councilman said, adding, “Infrastructure projects are extremely important to our residents, especially on our highly traveled roadways. We, as a Town Board, should be directing our attention toward financing infrastructure projects such as this one to retain the quality of life for our residents.”

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Above, members of the Joseph “JoJo” LaRosa Foundation during a golf outing event Monday, July 31. Back row, from left: Dawn Gibbons, Thomas Boyle, Gina Mastrantoni and Rose Mastrantoni. Front row: Emily LaRosa, left, and Maria Murrow. Photo by Liz Ashley Photography

By Raymond Janis

A new local tradition was launched Monday, July 31, when family and friends of the late Ward Melville High School alum Joseph “JoJo” LaRosa hosted the inaugural 18 for 18 golf event in his honor. 

JoJo was diagnosed in 2018 with the cancer, desmoplastic small round cell tumor sarcoma, which had him in and out of the hospital for the remaining years of his life. He died in August 2021.

Amid beautiful summer weather on Monday morning, dozens attended the event at the St. George’s Golf and Country Club in East Setauket for 18 holes of golf in JoJo’s honor. 

“My son was one of the kindest, most amazing human beings,” Gina Mastrantoni, his mother, said. “He had the strongest will.”

Golfers take off for 18 holes of golf. Photo by Liz Ashley Photography

JoJo was a multisport athlete who “played every sport imaginable,” Mastrantoni said. “Lacrosse, football, swimming, wrestling, soccer — you name it, he did it. He lived for sports.”

The Joseph “JoJo” LaRosa Foundation, with Mastrantoni as executive director, was created in 2021 to honor his memory by assisting children fighting for their lives. Rose Mastrantoni, Gina’s sister and the foundation’s marketing/public relations officer, described the impact of the prolonged hospital stays.

“They spent almost four years living in the hospital,” Rose Mastrantoni said. “You don’t realize they don’t leave the hospital, don’t leave their child’s bedside,” adding that the foundation seeks to do “anything we can do to help” those families.

“He was always rooting for the underdog,” Gina Mastrantoni said. “He always cared about the person in the bed next to him at the hospital.”

Foundation secretary Maria Murrow, JoJo’s aunt, referred to her nephew as a lover of sports and a golf advocate. She also noted the prominent role his favorite number, 18, played throughout the day.

“We’re dedicating the event and the day to him,” Murrow said. “It’s an ‘18 for 18’ — 18 holes for number 18 to give back to JoJo.” She added, “We endeavor to do more repeat events … like the toy drive and anything else that will help families who don’t know what obstacles are coming up.”

Following JoJo’s diagnosis, Gina Mastrantoni noted that he began to hone his golf skills. “We’re having this golf outing in his honor,” the mother said. “This was his favorite course, where he played and perfected his golf game whenever he could.”

JoJo’s sister, foundation vice president Emily LaRosa, referred to the event as “a way that we keep him in our minds and at the forefront of what we do every day.”

“We’re not forgetting about him,” she said. “This is our way of keeping him with us and trying to do good in his name.”

Foundation treasurer Dawn Gibbons, a longtime friend of Mastrantoni, characterized the immense work that took place behind the scenes to make the inaugural outing a success.

“It’s a tribute to JoJo, but I have to say that this event is also a tribute to his mom and his sister, Emmy,” Gibbons said. “As Gina said, he was always very concerned about the kid in the next bed. They want to now help that kid and their families.”

She added, “They know what they went through, and they want to ease the burden on other families with this foundation.”

Gina Mastrantoni responded to the immense show of support during this golf outing as “beautiful,” noting the sense of pride she derives from her son’s example.

“Everyone’s here in support of JoJo,” she said. “It’s overwhelming, as his mom. It makes me proud.”

To donate to The Joseph “JoJo” LaRosa Foundation, please visit jojostrong.org.

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File photo by Victoria Espinoza
Suffolk County Police arrested a Westbury woman who drove into the race route during a triathlon and struck a bicyclist, seriously injuring him, on Aug. 6.

Ramona Jakeline Figueroa-Lopez was driving a 2023 Nissan SUV eastbound attempting to leave the parking lot of Smith Point County Park while the area was closed to traffic for the Smith Point Triathlon. The vehicle entered into the race route and struck a triathlete during the bicycle portion of the race at 7:15 a.m.

The bicyclist, a 43-year-old Selden man, was taken via Suffolk County Police medevac to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of serious physical injuries. Figueroa-Lopez was not injured. An adult female passenger in the car had minor injuries.

Figueroa-Lopez, 29, was charged with Reckless Driving, Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle, and Driving without a Court Ordered Interlock Device, all misdemeanors.

The Nissan was impounded for a safety check. Anyone with information on this crash is asked to contact the Seventh Squad at 631-852-8752.

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METRO photo
We know better. So why can’t we do better?

By David Dunaief, M.D.

Dr. David Dunaief

We are continuously inundated with messages about the importance of including fruits and vegetables in our daily diets. In addition to fiber, they include critical nutrients and micronutrients that keep us healthy and reduce our risks of developing chronic diseases.

Despite this, according to a 2022 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an average of 12.3 percent of U.S. adults met the daily requirements for fruit intake, and an even more abysmal 10 percent met vegetable intake recommendations (1). As you might expect, it follows that we are deficient in many key micronutrients (2).

Why do we care? Most chronic diseases, including common killers, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers, can potentially be prevented, modified and even reversed with a focus on nutrients. 

Here’s a stunning statistic: more than 50 percent of American adults have a chronic disease, with 27 percent having more than one (3). This is likely a factor in the slowing pace of life expectancy increases in the U.S., which have plateaued in the past decade and are currently at around 77 years old.

One indicator of nutrient intake that we can measure is carotenoid levels. Carotenoids are nutrients that are incredibly important for tissue and organ health. I measure these regularly, because they give me a sense of whether the patient might lack potentially disease-fighting nutrients. A high nutrient intake dietary approach can resolve the situation and increase both carotenoid and other critical nutrient levels.

Why focus on a high nutrient intake diet?

A high nutrient intake diet focuses on micronutrients, which literally means small nutrients, including antioxidants and phytochemicals — plant nutrients. Micronutrients are bioactive compounds found mostly in foods and in some supplements. While fiber is not considered a micronutrient, it also has significant disease modifying effects. Micronutrients interact with each other in synergistic ways, meaning the sum of them is greater than their parts. Diets that are plant-rich raise the levels of micronutrients considerably in patients.

In a 2017 study that included 73,700 men and women who were participants in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, participants’ diets were rated over a 12-year period using three established dietary scores: the Alternate Healthy Eating Index–2010 score, the Alternate Mediterranean Diet score, and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet score (4).

A 20 percent increase in diet scores, which indicated an improved quality of diet, was significantly associated with a reduction in total mortality of 8 to 17 percent, depending on whether two or three scoring methods were used. Participants who maintained a high-quality diet over a 12-year period reduced their risk of death by 9 to 14 percent more than participants with consistently low diet scores over time. By contrast, worsening diet quality over 12 years was associated with an increase in mortality of 6 to 12 percent. Not surprisingly, longer periods of healthy eating had a greater effect than shorter periods.

This study reinforces the findings of the Greek EPIC trial, a large, prospective cohort study, where the Mediterranean-type diet decreased mortality significantly — the better the compliance, the greater the effect (5). The most powerful dietary components were the fruits, vegetables, nuts, olive oil, legumes and moderate alcohol intake. Low consumption of meat also contributed to the beneficial effects. Dairy and cereals had a neutral or minimal effect.

How can diet improve your quality of life?

Quality of life is as important as longevity. Let’s examine some studies that consider the impact of diet on diseases that may reduce our quality of life as we age.

A study showed olive oil reduces the risk of stroke by 41 percent (6). The authors attribute this effect, at least partially, to oleic acid, a bioactive compound found in olive oil. While olive oil is important, I recommend limiting olive oil to one tablespoon a day. Each tablespoon of olive oil contains 120 calories, all of them fat. If you eat too much of even good fat, it can be counterproductive. The authors commented that the Mediterranean-type diet had only recently been used in trials with neurologic diseases and results suggest benefits in several disorders, such as Alzheimer’s.

In a case-control study that compared those with and without disease, high intake of antioxidants from food was associated with a significant decrease in the risk of early Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in those 55 years or older (7). This was true even when participants had a genetic predisposition for the disease.

There were 2,167 people enrolled in the study with several different genetic variations that made them high risk for AMD. Those with a highest nutrient intake, including B-carotene, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, EPA and DHA- substances found in fish, had an inverse relationship with risk of early AMD. Nutrients, thus, may play a role in modifying gene expression. 

Though many Americans are malnourished, nutrients that are effective and available can improve our outcomes. With a focus on a high nutrient intake diet, we can improve life expectancy and, on an individual level, improve our quality of life.

References:

(1) cdc.gov. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71:1–9. (2) cdc.gov/nutritionreport (3) cdc.gov. (4) N Engl J Med 2017; 377:143-153. (5) BMJ. 2009;338:b2337. (6) Neurology June 15, 2011. (7) Arch Ophthalmol. 2011;129(6):758-766.

Dr. David Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com or consult your personal physician.

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The combat boots and dog tags worn by Alan Alda in M*A*S*H will be auctioned off on on July 28. (LM Otero/AP)

Update:

The combat boots and dog tags Alan Alda wore while playing Hawkeye Pierce on the  television series “M-A-S-H” sold at auction on July 28 for $125,000.

Alda held onto the boots and dog tags for more than 40 years after the show ended but decided to sell them through Heritage Auctions in Dallas to raise money for the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University.

The buyer’s name wasn’t released.

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When Alan Alda reported to the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in the summer of 1972, he received two items from wardrobe that became the only M*A*S*H mementos he kept when the show ended in 1983.

Costumers handed him a pair of scuffed-up combat boots, inside which someone had written in black marker the name of his character: “HAWKEYE.” He was also given a pair of dog tags which the names of strangers had been stamped: Hersie Davenport and Morriss D. Levine.

Alda was grateful the dog tags didn’t say Benjamin Franklin Pierce of Crabapple Cove, Maine. That would have made them mere props that couldn’t have carried the weight of war. Wearing those real dog tags, the genuine article, “seemed like a handshake,” Alda says. Until recently, he knew nothing about the two men whose names are on those dog tags — one, a Black soldier from the South; the other, a Jewish man from New York.

“Yet every day for 11 years, putting them on over my head and wearing them, I had a very close connection with them,” said Alda. “I always wondered what their lives were like. Were they alive, or were they dead? How had they served? They were real people to me, even though I didn’t know anything about them other than their names. But to this day, I remember the names very well, and that’s why it meant a lot to me.”

These pieces of wardrobe, the last remnants of his tour of duty, mean so much to Alda he now parts with the boots and dog tags only to help fund what has become one of his greatest passions. 

Heritage Auctions will auction off Alda’s M*A*S*H mementos in a single-lot auction on July 28. All the money raised will benefit the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University and the university’s School of Communication and Journalism. Heritage will also donate all of its proceeds to the center.

“Hawkeye’s boots and dog tags are not only entertainment memorabilia from a beloved series, but the cherished keepsakes of a national treasure,” says Heritage’s Chief Strategy Officer Joshua Benesh. “And before that, they were the personal artifacts of real soldiers. They now take on a new life as a source of fundraising for a noble cause in which a noble man has invested so much of his time and resources, and we are honored to be even a small part of such a grand gesture.”

Alda kept the boots and dog tags for years in a closet because he did not know where else to store them.

“Then I realized that they could come to life again to be used to help the Center for Communicating Science because, probably, somebody would be interested in having a memento of the show,” he says. “I can’t think of a better use for them.”

When asked if it will be difficult to say goodbye to these last keepsakes from M*A*S*H he responded, “Not at all. Because I knew they were going to a good cause. They were going to do more good than sitting in my closet. They were screaming, ‘Let me out!’ I thought, what a great chance to put these boots and dog tags to work again. For 11 years, they helped promote the idea that human connection could be a palliative for war. And now they can promote the idea that a human connection can get us to understand the things that affect our lives so deeply.”

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