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District Attorney Tim Sini (D). File photo by Victoria Espinoza

By Leah Chiappino

Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini (D) hosted a Town Hall Meeting via Zoom on Thursday, with over 300 constituents in attendance.

Sini first took a moment to acknowledge the difficulties the pandemic is having on people’s mental health and offered condolences to those who know someone who has lost their life to the virus.

“This is more than an inconvenience and will have a long-term impact on mental health, especially with those who have pre-existing conditions and substance abuse disorders,” he said.

The District Attorney, who himself tested positive for COVID-19 March 24, says he has made a full recovery after self-isolating for two weeks, while experiencing mild symptoms such as the loss of smell and taste. He added his diagnosis was not surprising, given the high contact nature of his position

“As of March 16, I was still in court, and doing community outreach and public engagement,” he said. “I am definitely one of the lucky ones.”

Sini is participating in an antibody testing program at Stony Brook Hospital to see if his blood plasma can be found with antibodies for the virus. He encouraged other survivors of the virus to do the same.

Sini reported that violent crime has seen a 24.3 percent reduction, and most other major crimes are down with the exception of commercial burglaries and motor vehicle theft. He says the rise commercial burglaries makes sense, as businesses are shut down and people are taking advantage. His office is coming up with a strategy to address the increase in the coming weeks. However, since March 23, 130 out of 188 handcuffed arrests have been the result of a domestic or child abuse crime.

“We recognize this challenge and we’ll come up with strategies to combat it,” Sini said. He added that prosecutors and victims advocates are mean to get in contact with those who have reported a domestic crime. They are also in coordination with safe shelters for domestic violence victims, most of whom are running and working with hotels if needed. The county has also granted an automatic extension on orders of protection until a victim’s next court date, or until a judge changes it. Victims can text 911 for help or call 631-853-4138 to obtain an order of protection.

The district attorney’s office is assisting enforcement of social distancing guidelines, as part of New York State on PAUSE executive order, made effective March 22. Sini said they would prosecute those who don’t heed warnings by Suffolk County Police, code enforcement officers or village Police, with charges of obstruction of governmental administration and/or disorderly conduct.

“If someone needs to be taught a lesson or made an example of, we’re willing to do that,” he said.

Throughout the call, Sini reassured the DA’s Office will continue operate at its fullest capacity

“We are getting things done,” he said. “You have enough to worry about, whether it be health, homeschooling your children, or finances. One thing you do not have to worry about is whether or not the DA’s office is keeping you safe.”

Sini said his office is continuing to invest in technology and update their protocol to ensure employees can work from home effectively. As of March 16, 80 percent of employees at the DA’s office was working from home, and the entire staff was working from home as of March 17. Suffolk County was the first County in New York state to allow essential hearings and arraignments to be done via Skype, with the necessary paperwork being shared via email.

Sini added the office is taking the time to invest in professional development and zoom-based training. 115 employees have taken Spanish language classes. The bureau is also reviewing strategy, policy development and long-term planning.

According to the district attorney, The Financial and Money-Laundering Bureau is aggressively vetting Personal Protective Equipment suppliers to the county to ensure there are no scams. The county has obtained and distributed 2.2 million pieces of PPE to healthcare workers. Justin Meyers, Sini’s Chief of Staff, is acting as a liaison to the county executive, as well as to hospitals working on expansion and coordinating the implementation of mobile testing sites and PPE Distribution.

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Town of Brookhaven's Cedar Beach. Photo by Kyle Barr

As summer approaches, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) is forming a working group to balance between public health precautions and summer recreational activities.

Bellone named Deputy County Executive Peter Scully as the chairman of a working group that will include town supervisors, village mayors in the east and west end of Suffolk and representatives from Fire Island.

The group will “work to develop guidelines and recommendations on reopening of municipal facilities,” Bellone said on his daily conference call with reporters. “We know it’s going to get more difficult as the summer approaches [amid] a strong desire to get back to a sense of normalcy.”

The county executive cautioned that Suffolk would not return to life as it was, as residents will live in a “different environment with different rules,” which will likely include the further deployment of face coverings, which can and have reduce the cost in terms of the number of lives lost to the disease.

“When you ask about whether you should continue those guidelines, think about how many people have died,” Bellone said. Indeed, that number climbed another 34 in the last day to 859.

The county, however, continues to share positive news, as the number of people entering hospitals with COVID-19 is lower than the number who are discharged, which reduces the strain on the health care system.

Another 90 people left hospitals and returned home over the last day. The number of people in the hospital fell by 30 to 1,411 people.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced today a regional group that will explore ways to reopen downstate New York. He also said New York would be working with surrounding states to plan reopening, with an emphasis not only on going back to the same place but improving on what came before.

“Let’s use this crisis, this situation, this time to actually learn the lessons … lets reimagine what we want society to be,” Cuomo said.

That downstate group will include representatives from Cuomo’s offices, Bellone’s offices, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), Nassau County Executive Laura Curran (D) and Westchester County Executive George Latimer (D).

On the economic front, Bellone sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to gain acess to the municipal liquidity facility, which could provide property tax relief to residents in Suffolk County.

“We are very hopeful we will gain access” to the ability of the county to do short term borrowing that would allow the county to provide tax relief for residents, Bellone said.

The county distributed 16,000 pieces of personal protective equipment yesterday, which included N95 masks, ear loops masks, goggles, and isolation gowns. Today, the county is distributing some equipment to east end migrant farm workers, who are a “key part of our economy and we want to make sure we are helping them to reduce the spread of the virus,” Bellone said.

The county executive also highlighted Nature’s Bounty, which donated 1,000 N95 masks last week, which the county has given to first responders and health care workers.

Finally, Bellone said the county continued to monitor a storm that might hit the island with heavy rains and high winds. He said the county would be watching the weather closely through the day and might need to close the hotspot testing sites that opened in the last few weeks if the storm posed a threat to those efforts.

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Stock photo
In the last 24 hours, the number of hospitalizations declined by 97 to 1,441 people.

“That is by far the largest drop we’ve seen,” County Executive Steve Bellone (D) said on his daily conference call with reporters. “That is great news.”

Contributing to that net decline was the discharge of 124 patients from county hospitals.
The number of patients in the Intensive Care Unit also fell by 10 to 508, while the number of people on ventilators also declined.

At the same time, amid expanded testing in hotspot areas, the number of new positive tests increased by 783 to 27,485.

For the past two days, Suffolk County has not been able to report on the number of deaths associated with the pandemic. Today, Bellone said that an additional 132 people had died from coronavirus, bringing the total to 865.

The number of people who have died in connection with the virus is “staggering,” Bellone said.

Separately, over the past week, the county executive has been speaking with other officials in the county about trying to provide temporary property tax relief.

“We have to protect taxpayers in this county and we do that by providing relief and preventing long term damage,” Bellone said.

Bellone has been exploring whether Suffolk County might access some of the relief through the Cares Act that created a new entity called the Municipal Liquidity Facility.

This facility enables states and local governments to borrow money in the short term to address cash flow and the loss of revenue caused by the economic shutdown.

“This is exactly the kind of vehicle we need,” Bellone said.

The problem, however, is that the facility is only available to counties with a population of two million or more, which is above the 1.5 million people living in Suffolk County.

Bellone plans to send a letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, asking that guidance for that facility change so that counties the size of Suffolk can access municipal funding that would also provide relief to taxpayers.

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Photo from METRO
Who benefits from stronger lungs? EVERYONE!

By David Dunaief, M.D.

Dr. David Dunaief

Until recently, many people thought COVID-19 was like the common cold or maybe like the flu. Now, most of us know somebody directly or indirectly who has been hospitalized with COVID-19. 

While social distancing and handwashing are critical to prevent its spread, strengthening lung function is crucial to preventing its progression to severe disease.

Among those with highest risk for severe COVID-19 are those with chronic obstructive lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, as well as those who smoke and vape.

What can we do to strengthen our lungs? We can improve lung function with simple lifestyle modifications including exercising, eating a plant-based diet with a focus on fruits and vegetables, expanding lung capacity with an incentive spirometer, and quitting smoking and vaping, which damage the lungs (1). Not only people with compromised lungs will benefit; studies suggest “healthy” people will also benefit.

Why is this important?

This virus starts in the throat but may progress to the lungs attacking the alveoli, small air sacs that allow gas exchange to take place. When this occurs, patients get short of breath and may have to be hospitalized and placed on a ventilator. Two factors influence this: inflammation and fluid in the lungs.

Both asthma and COPD increase inflammation of the airways and the lung’s functional tissue (parenchyma) thus, potentially making these patients more susceptible to severe COVID-19.

Let’s look at the research, taking a three-pronged, or “forked,” approach: diet, incentive spirometry and exercise.

Diet Studies in Asthma

In a randomized controlled trial (gold standard of studies) of asthma patients, results show that after 14 days those who ate a low-antioxidant diet had less lung function compared to those who ate a high-antioxidant diet (2). Researchers measured lung function with one-second forced expiratory volume (FEV1) and predicted forced vital capacity (FVC). Additionally, those who were in the low-antioxidant diet group also had higher inflammation at 14 weeks, as measured using a c-reactive protein (CRP) biomarker. Those who were in the low-antioxidant group also were over two-times more likely to have an asthma exacerbation.

The good news is that the difference in behavior between the high- and low-antioxidant groups was small. The high-antioxidant group had a modest five servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit daily, while the low-antioxidant group ate no more than two servings of vegetables and one serving of fruit daily. Carotenoid supplementation, instead of antioxidant foods, made no difference in inflammation. The authors concluded that an increase in carotenoids from diet have a clinically significant impact on asthma and can be seen in a very short period. 

Diet Studies in COPD

Several studies demonstrate that higher consumption of fiber from plants decreases the risk of COPD in smokers and ex-smokers. Bear with me, because the studies were done with men or women, not both at the same time. In one study of men, for example, results showed that higher fiber intake was associated with significant 48 percent reductions in COPD incidence in smokers and 38 percent incidence reductions in ex-smokers (3). The high-fiber group ate at least 36.8 grams per day, compared to the low-fiber group, which ate less than 23.7 grams per day. Fiber sources were fruits, vegetables and whole grain, essentially a whole foods plant-based diet. The high-fiber group was still below the American Dietetic Association-recommended 38 grams per day. This is within our grasp. 

In another study, women had a highly significant 37 percent decreased risk of COPD among those who consumed at least 2.5 serving of fruit per day compared to those who consumed less than 0.8 servings per day (4).

The highlighted fruits shown to reduce COPD in both men and women included apples, bananas, and pears.

Incentive Spirometry

What is an incentive spirometer? It’s a device that helps expand the lungs by inhaling through a tube and causing a ball or multiple balls to rise. This opens the alveoli and may help you breathe better. 

Incentive spirometry has been used for patients with pneumonia, those who have chest or abdominal surgery and those with asthma or COPD, but it has also been useful for healthy participants (5). 

A small study showed that those who trained with an incentive spirometer for two weeks increased their vital capacity, right and left chest wall motion, and right diaphragm motion. This means it improved lung function and respiratory motion. Participants were 10 non-smoking healthy adults who were instructed to take five sets of five deep breaths twice a day, totaling 50 deep breaths per day. The brands used in the study are easily accessible, such as Teleflex’s Triflo II.

In another small, two-month study of 27 patients with COPD, the incentive spirometer improved blood gasses, such as partial pressure carbon dioxide and oxygen, in COPD patients with exacerbation (6). The authors concluded that it may improve quality of life for COPD patients.  

Exercise Studies 

Photo from METRO

Exercise can have a direct impact on lung function. In a study involving healthy women ages 65 years and older, results showed that 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise three times a day improved FEV1 and FVC, both indicators of lung function, in as little as 12 weeks (7). Participants began with a 15-minute warm-up, then 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise on a treadmill, followed by 15 minutes of cool-down with stretching.

What is impressive is that it was done in older adults, not those in their twenties and not in elite athletes. Since most of us don’t have access to a treadmill right now, note that any physical exercise will be beneficial. 

We should be working to strengthen our lungs, regardless of COVID-19. However, to potentially reduce our risk of severe COVID-19, this three-pronged approach of lifestyle modifications – diet, exercise and incentive spirometer – may help without expending significant time or expense. As Yogi Berra would say, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” There is no time to waste.

References:

(1) Public Health Rep. 2011 Mar-Apr; 126(2): 158-159. (2) Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Sep;96(3):534-43. (3) Epidemiology Mar 2018;29(2):254-260. (4) Int J Epidemiol Dec 1 2018;47(6);1897-1909. (5) Ann Rehabil Med. Jun 2015;39(3):360-365. (6) Respirology. Jun 2005;10(3):349-53. (7) J Phys Ther Sci. Aug 2017;29(8):1454-1457. 

Dr. 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.        

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Image from CDC

Paul Bolliger, a 911 operator, talked a pregnant mom in Bellport through the process of delivery, as an infant girl couldn’t wait for paramedics for her birth.

Yesterday morning at 7:20 am, Bolliger received a call from a woman in labor.

“He quickly realized this delivery was going to happen very quickly,” County Executive Steve Bellone (D), said on his daily conference call with reporters. “He immediately went into action,” providing step by step instructions through the process.

Bellone offered words of thanks to Bolliger and to “all the dispatchers throughout our county who do an incredible ob each and every day, not just during this crisis.”

In a continuing signs of light amid the darkness of the pandemic, Suffolk County reported a gradual continuation of positive trends.

The number of hospitalizations declined for the third day in a row and the fifth day in the last week, falling by 24 to 1,538. The number of residents in the Intensive Care Unit also fell by three, to 518, while ventilator use also declined.

“This is three days in a row where we’ve seen those numbers all going down,” Bellone said. “We’ll see if that trend continues.”

The number of patients discharged from the hospital who can recover at home climbed by 123, also continuing a trend over several days in which over a hundred people can leave hospitals and return to their homes.

Meanwhile, Bellone expressed dismay about a report in Newsday that indicated that some financial institutions are allowing homeowners to miss mortgage payments, but that they are then requiring those payments in a lump sum.

“The notion that there are institutions that would be [requiring a lump sum payment] is deeply disturbing,” Bellone said. “We will be looking at financial institutions and the programs that they are putting in place.”

Bellone said the County Executive’s office would highlight the programs where the banks are “doing the right thing,” while also sharing the names of the those who are putting undue financial pressure on their customers.

The county executive also urged residents who aren’t receiving help during the crisis to reach out to his office by calling 311 and reporting the financial institutions.

“We are going to put together those stories,” Bellone said. He will share information about financial institutions with the public at some point.

Bellone also thanked U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) for his support for local and state governments. Bellone added that the federal government is the only level of government that has the ability to prop up the economy in a time of crisis. When the federal government leaves that responsibility to cash-strapped states and local governments, the local taxpayers bear the burden which is “unacceptable,” Bellone said.

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Nursing homes have become a hotbed of discussion over the large percentage of their residents who have died from COVID-19 while in New York facilities. Stock photo

Slowly, the numbers in the fight against the coronavirus are moving in a favorable direction.

For the fourth time in six days, the number of hospitalizations in Suffolk County dropped. Residents in hospitals in the county declined by 23 to 1,562. The number of people in the Intensive Care Unit also declined by 16 to 521, while the number of people who are on ventilators also fell by 14 to 445.

“We hope those numbers will continue to go down,” County Executive Steve Bellone (D) said on his daily conference call with reporters.

In another positive sign, the number of people discharged from hospitals increased by 122, bringing the total number of people discharged from the hospital due to coronavirus infections to 2,134.

The county continued to provide personal protective equipment to first responders and health care workers. Yesterday, the county handed out 81,000 piece of personal protective equipment to fire, EMS, hospital and nursing homes. The county will hand out another round today.

Suffolk is also delivering additional masks to grocery stores and supermarkets to give to essential employees in order to protect themselves and their customers.

The county purchased 27,000 gowns that are expected to arrive tomorrow. Those gowns came from a domestic provider. Next week, the county is expecting a much larger shipment of 500,000 gowns, which the county bought from an overseas provider.

The gowns should “provide more breathing space for us,” Bellone said.

Bellone said he appreciated the ongoing quick and effective action of emergency services personnel. Several fire departments put out a brush fire in Manorville near Brookhaven National Laboratory, which started yesterday around 12:30 pm.

“Our fire departments and emergency agencies responded to the scene and they did an outstanding job in putting that out,” Bellone said. “Even in a global pandemic, [these emergency crews] are responding every day.”

Responding to questions about whether Long Island beaches and summer facilities would be open this summer, Bellone deferred any such decision until a later date.

“The amount that we have seen change in our understanding of what’s happening and the response and what works and what doesn’t is “dramatic” since the start of social distancing and New York Pause, Bellone said. “We need to tay the course. It appears we are plateauing. We are hopeful we will see the trajectory of the numbers going down.”

Separately, the number of Suffolk County Police officers who have tested positive for coronavirus is 81, with 49 returning to work.

As of Wednesday, the number of times the police have checked on people who might not have been following social distancing guidelines was 618, with 55 who were not in compliance. The police have not issued any summonses during these checks.

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METRO photo

By David Dunaief, M.D.

Dr. David Dunaief

We need help, and we need it fast. Not just for COVID-19, but also for diabetes, for the combination of the two is much worse than either disease alone. Type 2 diabetes can have devastating effects that can potentially result in patients dying prematurely from cardiovascular complications (1). COVID-19 symptoms can range from asymptomatic to severe or result in death.

Now combine diabetes with COVID-19 and you are at much higher risk of severe viral symptoms that require hospitalization and ICU admission. According to the CDC, about one-third ICU patients infected with COVID-19 have diabetes (2). 

Keeping patients out of the hospital

We know containment is critical to control COVID-19, but it’s equally important to get ahead of the mitigation of symptoms curve; we need to control the chronic diseases that exacerbate the virus’s severity. And Type 2 diabetes is one of the largest contributors. 

We can treat and reverse diabetes by empowering patients with lifestyle changes, especially diet. This is such an issue that the Mexican Deputy Minister of Health recently alluded to the fact that poor diet over at least the last 4 decades has resulted in more diabetes and obesity making people much more susceptible to COVID-19 and progressing to severe COVID-19 (3). 

It is tempting while staying at home for most of the day to want reach for comfort foods. Don’t do it. In fact, take the opposite approach and improve your diet. A whole food plant-based (WFPB) diet has been shown time and time again to prevent, treat and reverse diabetes potentially resulting in patients getting off their drugs and achieving levels that are considered normoglycemic, or non-diabetic. 

Let’s look at the evidence. 

Treating and reversing diabetes

Drugs help treat glucose, or sugar levels, and help reduce the risk of microvascular diseases such as diabetic retinopathy (eye disease causing blindness); nephropathy (kidney disease); and peripheral neuropathy, which can result in amputation. A few medications can even reduce macrovascular risk, or cardiovascular disease. Still, diet is still the best tool we have for reversing diabetes overall, with only beneficial side effects.

With COVID-19, those whose glucose is not under control are at highest risk of severe disease that results in a progression from hospitalization to ICU and the need for a ventilator to increased mortality risk. High sugars may have negative impacts on the white blood cells, which makes patients more susceptible to infection from viruses (4).

Medications’ impact

Diabetes medication alone can help control sugars, but it can’t reverse diabetes. In fact, studies with medication alone may actually increase the risk of death from polypharmacy, or too many medications. In the ACCORD trial, patients were put on an average of four diabetes medications. Researchers stopped the trial early after 3.5 years, because of a 22 percent increased rate of mortality (5). Patients did not reach their HbA1C (a three-month sugar reading) target of under 6.0 percent, because the increased death rate occurred at around 6.5. This was a large randomized controlled clinical trial with 10,251 patients, a mean age of 62.2 years, and mean HbA1C of 8.1 at baseline. 

Reversing Type 2 diabetes: plant-based dietary approach

On the other hand, studies with a WFPB diet, have shown significant reduction in sugars and potential reversal of diabetes. These include a small retrospective study and small randomized clinical trial comparing a WFPB diet to the American Diabetes’ (ADA) recommended diet. 

In a small retrospective study, the results showed a reduction of HbA1C from 8.2, which was a similar baseline as with the ACCORD trial, to 5.8 (6). Remember, the goal of the ACCORD trial was to get patients below a HbA1C of 6.0. These results occurred over a mean of seven months. In addition, patients were able to stop all of their diabetes medications and reduce their total number of medications from four to one.  The side effect was better health with a significant reduction in high blood pressure to normal levels, as well.

The weakness of this study was that it was retrospective (looking backward in time), only had 13 patients, and there was no control arm. However, it suggests that this type of diet is powerful to reduce and reverse type 2 diabetes. The foods used in the nutrient-dense WFPB diet included a non-starchy vegetable-rich approach, with an emphasis on dark green leafy vegetables, whole fruits, beans, and limiting grains, especially refined grains, and limiting starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes, winter squashes, corn and pumpkin. 

In a larger study, results showed that a high fiber diet in patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension significantly reduced HbA1C, fasting glucose, systolic (top number) blood pressure, branchial-ankle pulse wave velocity, serum cholesterol and waist-to-hip ratio, ultimately reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (7). The participants were considered to be having high fiber if they increased their consumption 20-25 percent above recommended daily allowances. The fiber came from foods, not supplements, including vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains. There were 200 participants over a six-month duration. 

A third study, which was a randomized controlled trial comparing the 2003 American Diabetes Association (ADA) diet to a low-fat vegan diet showed that a low-fat vegan diet significantly reduced the HbA1C compared to the 2003 ADA diet in a 74-week study (8). There were 99 type 2 diabetes patients in the study. A “side effect” of the low-fat vegan diet was that it also significantly reduced cholesterol. 

Preventing diabetes

There have been numerous studies demonstrating that a WFPB diet reduces the risk of diabetes. One of the best was the Adventist Health Study 2 (9). The results showed that a vegan diet reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 49 percent. This study is interesting because the different groups were very similar and it showed that small changes could have a big impact. Semi-vegetarians, pesco-vegetarians, and lacto-ovo vegetarians all had a reduced risk of diabetes compared to plant-focused non-vegetarians, but not as much as vegans. 

In a more recent study, results showed a 30 percent reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes for those who ate a predominantly whole food plant-based diet including fruits, vegetables and whole grains (10). Participants were still eating some animal protein daily. This was over a 2-to-28 year period in a metanalysis involving nine observational trials.

In conclusion, the best way to reduce your risk of severe COVID-19 is to control and reverse chronic disease. Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases that may contribute to getting COVID-19 and progressing to a severe form. A nutrient-dense WFPB diet has been shown to potentially reverse type 2 diabetes. While you are mostly housebound, empower yourself by taking action to reduce your risk of getting COVID-19 and especially the severe disease. We have the tools: it starts with what you put on your plate.

References:

(1) Lancet 389(10085):2239–2251. (2) CDC.gov. (3) Reuters.com April 4, 2020. (4) Medscape.com March 18, 2020. (5) NEJM 2008;358:2545-2559. (6) OJPM 2012;2(3):364-371. (7) ACC Middle East Conference 2019 Presentation. (8) Am J Clin Nutr.2009 May; 89(5): 1588S–1596S. (9) Diabetes Care. 2009;32:791–796. (10) JAMA Int. Med. Online July 22, 2019.

Dr. 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.       

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U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer said there is need to increase the PPP loan funding, but he and Republicans have disagreed how. File photo by Kevin Redding

The federal Small Business Administration announced the government’s Payment Protection Program, which initially put up $349 billion in funds for small businesses across the country, has run out of funding in just eight days since it came online.

Thousands of loans are still being processed, and both government and small business owners are calling for more funds to be added to the bill, which was meant to stimulate small businesses and help keep more from filing for unemployment.

Around 41,000 loans have been approved for New York State out of 1.7 million. However, many businesses were left short of approval or didn’t manage to file in time. Others, who filed early as possible, found their early attempts confused with both misinformation and lack of clarity from banks and federal agencies.

Bernie Ryba, the regional director of the Stony Brook Small Business Development Center , said during a live stream with the Rocky Point Sound Beach Chamber of Commerce April 16 there are growing signs of the economy deteriorating “faster than anticipated,” and the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, passed at the end of March, may not be enough.

He added banks have already been ordered to not accept any more applications.

“It demonstrates the extent of the damage small businesses have experienced over the past three weeks,” he said. 

Ryba said the SBA was not staffed to handle the number of applications. From acceptance of application to approval was going to be 30 days, but he said that number has gone out the window due to the incredible number of applications.

Some have also criticized who have been able to apply for loans, and how quickly they received it. Politico reported that a number of large chain restaurants ate up millions of dollars in loans meant for small businesses. Such chains as the companies behind Potbelly Sandwich Shop and Ruth’s Chris Steak House, each received $20 million and $10 million in loans respectively. While the loans were meant for companies with 500 or less employees, this rule was expanded to allow companies to apply as long as they didn’t have more than 500 employees in a single location.

While both Republicans and Democrats agree more funds need to be added, the parties are bickering back and forth about how much. The GOP has proposed an additional $250 billion to the PPP program, but Dems stymied that, arguing the bill, which U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) called CARE 3.5, should also include $100 billion for hospitals, $150 billion for state and local governments and a boost to food assistance. Republicans have blocked that effort in return.

Schumer, the senate minority leader, said in a live streamed conference with Long Island Association President and CEO Kevin Law April 17 that there could be two additional COVID-related bills in the near future.

Meanwhile, Ryba said his small business center, which also has offices in SUNY Farmingdale, will be receiving around $1.1 million in federal assistance so they can hire additional staff in order to handle a larger number of business owners looking for advice.

Law said the thing of biggest importance isn’t the long term of the whole U.S. economy, but making sure that these small businesses and average people have money in their pockets to deal with the short term. He also questioned whether the government may allow some different types of nonprofits to apply for aid through PPP, as currently only 501c3’s are applicable. Schumer said they would look into allowing 501c6’s and others to also apply for any further aid in the future.

Schumer agreed, saying the government’s focus should be twofold, adding the government needs to approve the PPP extension “so their money gets out there faster, it is job number one. Testing — if we don’t get it done we’re not going to recover. Those are the two biggest things.”

More from Schumer and Law’s Conversation

People are facing multiple hurdles during the ongoing coronavirus crisis, but Law said those people need help from the federal government.

With people’s $1,200 checks for people making under $75,000 a year finally going out, Schumer said that should not be the end of such funds to everyday Americans. He added he thought the wage limit should be raised to people making around $99,000 a year.

“If you have a wife who is a hospital worker, you’re making more than [the $75K] but you still need help,” he said.

In terms of mortgages, Law said while there was something being done for those with federally backed mortgages, he asked if there was anything being done for those with more locally or commercially backed mortgages.

“We need some kind of commercial forbearance for both commercial and tenants,” Schumer said. “I pushed for this in CARE 3.” (The bill called the CARES Act passed March 30.)

The LIRR is currently asking for an additional bailout, with ridership now down by 97 percent, but services are continuing for essential workers, especially those working in health care. Schumer said he wants to provide more assistance to both the LIRR and to the Suffolk and Nassau bus systems.

For other municipalities, he said bills he called CARE 4 and 5, the first of which he expected to come up in the first few weeks of May, will also include more money for townships who have also experienced revenue shortfalls from the coronavirus.

Law also suggested the federal government look into creating some kind of public works program in the vein of President Franklin Roosevelt’s post-Great Depression programs in the 1930s and 40s, specifically for public and infrastructure works such as roads, bridges and sewers. Schumer agreed with the idea for when things finally start to open up.

“We’re going to have to stimulate the economy, and the best way to do that is through infrastructure,” the senator said.

 

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Stony Brook's Mobile Stroke Unit is continuing operations despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Photo from SBUH

Amid the start of new coronavirus testing at hotspots including Wyandanch and North Amityville today, the number of residents testing positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 increased by 960 in the last 24 hours to 24,483.

At the same time, hospitalizations have declined by 45 patients to 1,585.

“That is the key number we have been watching,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) said on his daily conference call with reporters.

The number of people in the Intensive Care Unit also fell by 25 to 537, while the number of people intubated also declined.

The drop in hospitalizations marks the third time in five days that the closely watched gauge has declined, while the increases in the previous two days were smaller than the weekly average in the prior week.

Bellone suggested that these numbers could suggest a “leveling off,” albeit at a high level.

Suffolk County continues to add hospital beds, increasing capacity by 39 to 3,425, with 744 ICU beds.

The number of beds available is now 655 overall, with 112 ICU beds.

The “good news,” Bellone said, is that 152 people were discharged from the hospital in the last day.

At the same time, the county continues to suffer losses stemming from the virus. In the last 24 hours, 40 people have died, bringing the number of deaths to 693.

Earlier today, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) extended New York Pause to May 15, which means that schools and non-essential businesses will remain shut through at least that period. Starting tomorrow, residents of New York will be required to wear face masks when they are in public places and they can’t maintain social distancing of at least six feet.

Bellone mentioned several initiatives the county has started to manage the economic and employment recovery.

He described the potential need to change the Suffolk County Tax Act, which is a law that’s been on the books for 100 years that blocks the county’s ability to access tax funds until the middle of the year.

“Because of that, the county has to borrow money to get through the first six months of the year,” Bellone said.

Bellone announced that the county has created a COVID-19 Fiscal Impact Panel, which will analyze the ways the virus is causing damage to the county’s finances. Emily Youssouf, who Bellone described as an “expert in private and public sector finance,” will chair that panel. Youssouf had been a board member for the New York City Housing Authority under the Bloomberg Administration.

Stony Brook Announcements

Stony Brook University said it will continue to operate its two Mobile Stroke Units. The specialized ambulances are available every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The units allow patient triage and treatment in the field. Clinicians aboard the ambulances can administer a medication that minimizes brain injury at any location and then, when necessary, can transport the patient to the closest facility.

With a stroke, time is critical to save brain cells, explained Dr. David Fiorella, Director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular Center and founder of the mobile stroke centers.

Separately, Stony Brook University Hospital recognizes the anxiety patients feel when each health care professional who comes into their rooms is wearing a mask and, often, a face shield that hides most of their face. In one unit of the hospital, care givers will begin wearing staff ID pictures on their gowns so patients can see the face of the staff member providing care. The idea may extend to other areas of the hospital after a pilot period.

The idea, called the Face Behind the Mask, came from Nurse Practitioner April Plank after she started working in a COVID unit

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Printers at Stony Brook University were donated by the Comsewogue School District. Photo from Deniz Yildirim

By Deniz Yildirim

The Comsewogue School District is helping Stony Brook University in the fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. Comsewogue found out about the project from David Ecker, a professor and director of iCREATE at Stony Brook University. Ecker was inspired by an article he read about a good samaritan producing face shields for a hospital upstate and thought if he could we do it with a 3D printer? He went out the next day with his wife to gather supplies from Joan Fabrics, Home Depot and Staples. He produced a sample face mask that was so impressive, Stony Brook University asked him to make five thousand more. That Sunday morning, Ecker met with his team at Stony Brook University. 

“I designed stations; a station for inspecting the 3D-printed models, another for putting on the weather stripping, inserting the foam, cutting the elastic to size and finally adding the face shield.” Ecker said. “This process allows multiple people to work at the same time while still practicing social distancing.” 

Comsewogue was excited to lend a helping hand by providing over 1,000 yards of filament, the material used to make the frame of the face shield. Comsewogue also delivered five of its MakerBot Replicators and 3D printers for Stony Brook to borrow for this project. Vincent Verdisco, an art educator for over 20 years who teaches Auto-CAD in several of his courses said, “it’s so rewarding to be able to help out during this crisis.” 

Verdisco has been working with Ecker to help improve the mask designs for this project. 

“Now more than ever we have to support one another and it’s nice to show my students the real-life application of what we study in my courses,” Verdisco said. A list of materials and links to the designs are available for free at https://nyinnovate.com/faceshields. 

“It’s a great community effort and I am so thankful we can do this,” Ecker said. “We are doing what we love, innovating to help the front line medical professionals in any way possible.”

Other school districts or organizations want to lend their 3D Printers should contact [email protected].

Deniz Yildirim is a librarian at the Terryville Road Elementary School.

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