Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Commack recently celebrated 13 graduates from its Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Training Program with a commencement ceremony.
Each graduate wore hand-decorated commencement caps with traditional maroon scrubs for the ceremony, which began with words of wisdom from Gurwin leadership, including Stuart B. Almer, President & CEO of Gurwin Healthcare System. The graduating class then paraded through the Gurwin hallways, to cheering staff and residents showing their support.
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“The need for CNAs has never been greater, especially in long-term care. Our training program enables Gurwin to grow our staff from within, ensuring they are well-trained and ready to join our clinical team,” said Almer. “We couldn’t be prouder of our graduating class – truly all the graduates of the CNA training to date – and we look forward to seeing their success as full-time CNAs.”
The CNA Training Program at Gurwin was created in late 2021 to combat the shortage of CNAs in long-term care. The program, approved by the NYS Department of Health, enables current employees in various non-clinical roles – including housekeeping, security, home care and resident care associate – to “earn while they learn” the Gurwin gold standard of clinical care in a supportive, hands-on environment at the 460-bed nursing and rehabilitation center in Commack. In addition, community members not currently employed at Gurwin are able to submit an application for the program, which is completely free to those enrolled. The program provides trainees with the promise of full-time employment at the Gurwin Center or its affiliate, Island Nursing and Rehab Center in Holtsville, NY, upon successful completion of the NYS certification exam, which they are able to take on-site.
Of the more than 80 graduates of the CNA Program to date, more than 50 have joined the Gurwin Healthcare System team as full-time CNAs or are pending test results prior to being hired into that role.
Within the graduating class was Jason Hernandez, a former Gurwin security guard who was interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare field and was inspired to begin through Gurwin’s CNA Training Program. He is now on track to fulfil his goal of becoming a Registered Nurse.
“Being a part of the CNA training program at Gurwin has been very rewarding. It feels amazing to help people,” said Hernandez. “I am so grateful to have been a security guard here because it helped me get my foot in the door and start the career that I have always wanted.”
The Jazz Loft, in partnership with Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Medicine continues its 2023 Summer Stage With A Purpose (Summer SWAP), an outdoor concert series of Thursday evenings throughout the summer, with a performance by vocalist Melanie Marod on Thursday Aug. 10 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Marod has performed at Birdland, The Blue Note, The Oak Room at The Plaza Hotel, and the Carlton. The band includes Michael O’Brien on bass; Paul Francis on drums; John Simon on sax and flute’ and Pete Smith on guitar.
The free event will be held on the front lawn of the Jazz Loft, 275 Christian Ave., Stony Brook and is a wonderful way to experience all that Stony Brook village and our community businesses have to offer.
“This series was born from the desire to have the Jazz Loft collaborate with Stony Brook University, and Stony Brook Medicine as a way to invest in the community and especially to nurture cultural development,” said Jazz Loft founder Tom Manuel.
“We are so proud that Thomas Manuel, a member of our university community, has established the Jazz Loft, which celebrates the history and performance of jazz,” said Judith Greiman, Chief Deputy to the President/Senior Vice President for Government and Community Relations. “We welcomed the opportunity to sponsor these shows, enabling our broader community to come together to enjoy extraordinary musical talent.”
The Jazz Loft will be offering a variety of refreshments for sale in the Basie Garden which is adjacent to the Jazz Loft. Attendees are welcome to bring their own chairs and blankets to set up on the lawn. The series continues with a performance by The Phoenix Big Band on Aug. 24.
This graphic shows how per unit water saving by dry cooling increases carbon emissions by each power unit globally, a significant issue for example in areas of India. Qin et al., 2023. Nature Water
Study published in Nature Water suggests integrating planning may reduce carbon emissions in the future
Water scarcity and climate change is a threat to energy security, as carbon emission reduction from water and dry cooling of power plants remains a major challenge worldwide. An international collaboration of scientists including Gang He, PhD, of Stony Brook University, used global power plant data to demonstrate an integrated water-carbon management framework that bridges the gap to coupling diverse water carbon-mitigation technologies with other methods. Their findings are detailed in a paper published in Nature Water.
Thermal electric power generation uses substantial amounts of freshwater primarily for cooling of power plants, amounting to 40 to 50 percent of the total water withdrawal in the U.S. and 40 percent in Europe. Meanwhile, power generation accounted for approximately 36 percent of the energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions across world economies in 2019. The authors note that consequently, the power sector has a high dependence on freshwater resources and demonstrates intrinsic water-carbon interconnections that have critical implications on reliable electricity output and energy security, particularly under climate change.
In “Global assessment of the carbon-water tradeoff of dry cooling for thermal power generation,” they conclude such integrated planning is crucial to address the complex interactions between water and energy systems. The team constructed a global unit-level framework to assess the impact of dry cooling—a vital water mitigation strategy—alongside alternative water sourcing and carbon capture and storage (CCS) under different scenarios.
According to He, a co-author and Assistant Professor in the Department of Technology and Society at Stony Brook University, the research team collected unit-level power plant data, which included basic power generation unit information such as fuel and engine types, installed capacity, cooling technologies and other details. Then they estimated carbon emissions and water withdrawal based on what is known of emission factors at plants and water intensity by the cooling technologies, fuel types and local meteorology.
He says that from their global data the CO2 emission and energy penalty from dry cooling units were found to be location and climate specific, and ranged from 1 to 15 percent of power plant output. Additionally, efficiency losses were high under climate changes scenarios.
On a positive note, the team discovered potentially promising solutions to alleviate water scarcity around the power plants – such as increasing accessibility to wastewater and brine water that can provide viable alternatives to dry cooling and reduce energy and CO2 penalties.
Additionally, He and coauthors concluded that CCS emerged as a valuable tool to offset CO2 emission tradeoffs associated with dry cooling, especially when alternative water sourcing alone is insufficient in certain power plant regions.
However, He stresses that the issue is complicated globally, as CCS could demand more energy and thus more emissions, and wastewater could be useful but has its limitations and may not be available near some power plants.
The authors are concerned about the potentially increasing water-carbon tradeoffs with dry cooling. They write: “Facing increasing water concerns, dry cooling has been and may continually be promoted as an emerging freshwater mitigation technique in some major economies in the next few decades along with renewable energy transitions.”
He says the research leading to the paper underscores the urgency of integrated power sector planning in the face of dual water-carbon challenges and “highlights the importance of considering climate-specific factors and interconnected systems to achieve sustainable energy solutions.”
The work was led by Dr. Yue Qin of Peking University. He’s research contributing to the paper findings is supported by the Global Energy Initiative at the ClimateWorks Foundation.
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.
On Monday Aug. 7 the St. James Fire Department, 533 North Country Road, St. James will host a community blood drive from 2 to 8 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. Come help address the critical blood shortage and do your part to save a life. For more information, call the fire department at 631-584-5760 or New York Blood Center at 1-800-933-2566.
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.
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.”
There’s no room for fairy tales in real estate. Many headlines have occurred because many articles compare today’s real estate market with the last few years, which experts have dubbed the “unicorn” years where home prices reached unsustainable record highs.
A few years ago, a frenzy in the market began. We saw record high sale prices and incredible opportunities for both buyers and sellers. Sellers sold above top dollar and buyers had the lowest mortgage rate at their fingertips. The market seemed too good to be true but it all really happened. As we return to a more normal market you may ask yourself “Did I miss out on selling my home for a great price? The answer is “No! You haven’t missed out on selling your home for top dollar!” Inventory is still so low that there is not much competition for sellers.
Inventory has been low for a long time, and plenty of potential buyers remain on the market. The lack of inventory has maintained a market that favors sellers and buyers.
Homeowners thinking of selling would be wise to get their houses on the market. With a lack of inventory and a great amount of buyers, there is still competition for homes on the market.
“When supply is so low, your house is going to be in the spotlight. That’s why sellers are seeing their homes sell a little faster and get more offers right now. If you’ve thought about selling, now’s the time to make a move.” – Keeping Current Matters
Takeaway
Overall inventory is very low. Sellers are still selling for top dollar and buyers are still lining up to buy homes on Long Island. If you’re thinking of selling in the near future,Autumn is the ideal time to take care of minor maintenance around your home. You’ll want to have your furnace inspected, change the air filters, inspect chimneys, trim trees and clean the gutters. For sellers, the time is right.So … let’s talk.
Michael Ardolino is the Founder/Owner Broker of Realty Connect USA
Emma Clark Library, 120 Main St., Setauket presents a Shed the Meds event on Tuesday, Aug. 8 from 4 to 7 p.m. The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office hosts this safe way to properly dispose of unused medications. Proper disposal is essential to protect the environment and ensure that old drugs don’t end up in the wrong hands. Please note: The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office cannot accept any liquids, needles, creams, or ointments of any kind. They are only accepting unused or expired medications from individuals (not large quantities from a doctor’s office or health care facility). Questions? Email [email protected]
Visitors to the information booth will be able to inscribe the name of a loved one lost to overdose on a purple rock. Photo courtesy of Leg. Kara Hahn's office
The Suffolk County Police Department is teaming up with parents who have lost a child to overdose or fentanyl poisoning to offer Narcan training and support at upcoming farmers markets.
This new outreach program, spearheaded by Deputy Police Commissioner Risco Mention-Lewis and Carole Trottere, a mother who lost her son to fentanyl poisoning, is aimed at arming people with the training to save lives while also normalizing the conversation of addiction—an issue that touches many Long Island families.
In addition to offering Narcan training to individuals, parents will host an informational station and provide people an opportunity to inscribe the name of a loved one lost to overdose on a purple rock. The memorial rocks will be placed in parks and other locations as a reminder of lives lost to an overdose.
Members of the department conducted this event at the Port Jefferson Farmers Market in May and trained 100 people in Narcan.
The department will continue to attend community events to spread awareness and offer this life-saving training, including at the Patchogue Farmers Market, corner ofNorth Ocean Avenue and Division Street in the LIRR parking lot on Sunday, August 6from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at the Three Village Farmers Market on the grounds of the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Counry Road, Setauket on Friday, August 25 from 3 to 7 p.m.
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