Home Port Times Record

Hospitals allow family, friends to visit patients

by Daniel Dunaief - April 1, 2021

0 1856

In response to an easing of state regulations and their approach to patient care, area hospitals are relaxing restrictions about patient visitors.

Cheryl Miranda, director of Patient Experience at Huntington Hospital, has been planning the new visitation policy since the beginning of the month. Photo from Huntington Hospital

Starting this past Monday, Huntington Hospital will allow patients who do not have COVID-19 to have one visitor per day, between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. St. Charles and St. Catherine of Siena hospitals also allow one COVID-19 negative visitor per day during those same hours.

Huntington Hospital is responding to the medical, emotional and personal need its patients have for the support of family and friends during whatever health challenges they face.

“There is nothing like having your loved one at your bedside, holding your hand,” said Cheryl Miranda, director of Patient Experience at Huntington Hospital, which is a part of Northwell Health.

Family also provides helpful information, helping medical professionals know whether a patient’s behavior is different from normal

“As a nurse, I’ve always felt that family is part of the caregiving circle,” Miranda said. “The family knows their loved one better than anyone. They will help us provide better care.”

St. Charles Hospital and St. Catherine of Siena started allowing one hospital visitor per COVID-negative patient per day starting about four weeks ago.

Stony Brook is making several changes to its visitation policy.

As of April 1, the hospital is allowing two visitors for patients in labor and delivery, for pediatric patients and for patients in end-of-life situations. This will increase from one to two.

Patients receiving same day surgical procedures will also be allowed a patient visitor until a procedure begins. The visitor is required to wait outside during the procedure and then can return during the patient’s release from the hospital.

Inpatient child psychiatry will also allow a visitor, as will cancer center and outpatient offices.

Approved visitors to Stony Brook must wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth the entire time, will have symptom checks, including thermal scanning, will not be allowed outside the patient’s room, must maintain six feet of distance and must wash their hands on entering and leaving the room.

Hospitals had generally restricted most or all patient visitors over various periods in the last year amid the pandemic to limit the spread of COVID-19. Nurses throughout Long Island and the world have used tablets, phones and other technology to help their patients connect with family members, enabling them to see spouses, siblings, children, grandchildren and friends from hospital beds that often had them feeling isolated during their health battles.

Allowing visitors, who are still required to wear masks, will help hospitalized patients feel more normal and receive the kind of support that can brighten their day while shortening their hospital visit.

A hospital employee will screen patients on their way into the hospital, asking them questions about any possible symptoms and taking their temperature.

Visitors who are COVID-19 positive can’t enter. Additionally, visitors who come in from out of the state or whom they believe necessitates a screening will have a rapid swab.

“We are not asking everyone to be tested,” Miranda said.

The hospital is spreading the word about its new patient visitor policy by changing its on-hold messages, is sharing information on TV sets and is telling families directly during virtual visits that one person at a time can come to the hospital.

Patients can determine who visits, which includes family members and friends.

“There is nothing like having your loved one at your bedside, holding your hand.”

— Cheryl Miranda

Miranda said the medical staff is well-prepared for an increase in visitors through the hospital.

“I don’t have to tell anybody in this building to follow precautions,” Miranda said. “We’ve all been through this for 13 months now and there isn’t anyone” who needs reminding about personal protective equipment, hand washing or social distancing.

Initially, Huntington Hospital workers will escort visitors to patient rooms, reminding them about safety policies.

During visits, patients and visitors are expected to wear masks. If a family member comes during mealtime or brings food, the patient can eat, but should do so at a safe distance.

Miranda, who has been at Huntington Hospital for 20 years, realizes the suffering patients and their families have endured during the pandemic.

“To tell someone they can’t be here is an awful, awful thing,” Miranda said. “My heart goes out to the families that haven’t been allowed to be here” and to the patients who “haven’t been able to have their loved ones at their side.”

Miranda has been planning this new visitation policy since the beginning of the month.

The hospital has learned numerous lessons about health care, including by providing virtual support for patients.

In addition to bereavement support groups, which have been particularly busy as families mark the one-year anniversary of the loss of a loved one, the hospital is adding a long-haul support group.

Starting on Thursday, April 8 at 2 p.m., Huntington Hospital will offer support to people who have a lingering cough, ongoing debilitating fatigue, body aches, joint pain, shortness of breath, loss of taste and smell, difficulty sleeping, headaches and brain fog.

People interested in joining that group can email Kacey Farber at [email protected].

Dr. Jean Cacciabaudo, associate medical director at Huntington Hospital and a cardiologist, will sit on the long haulers support meeting. Cacciabaudo, who had COVID-19 and has some long haulers symptoms, will attend not just for herself, but to provide the physician’s perspective.

Miranda said the bereavement support groups have helped family members amid a loss.

“It’s the beauty of humanity, when we reach out and help each other,” Miranda said. “There’s no magic solution for grief and loss. For some people, it’s just about remembering all the wonderful things they had when they had that person and sharing that with other people. It’s about not being isolated. That’s a big key.”

Editorial: Assassination on Main Street, and the tragedy that followed

by TBR Staff - March 31, 2021

0 329

Crime-Scene-cop-car-police-w — File photo

Last week, a Shirley man was killed on the streets of Port Jefferson in broad daylight.

He was gunned down at 3:35 p.m., outside the Dunkin’ Donuts that many of us frequent on our way to work.

It’s a tragedy. No one deserves to die.

But here’s where another problem lies: The impact of social media when it comes to an incident such as the one on that Wednesday.

People began spreading rumors across Facebook, in private — and not so private — groups. They claimed there was an active shooter, a robbery gone wrong, a drive-by gunman attacking the innocent women and children enjoying the sunshine.

None of that was true.

It was mind-boggling, seeing what people were posting online while an active investigation was going on. They blamed the local government, the Suffolk County Police Department, the school district, the media — one resident even posted that this event in our village was all the fault of President Joe Biden (D).

Some residents began playing detective or journalist — they wanted to track down the guy who “soiled” our perfect little town. Some used it as a jumping pad for their own agendas.

Everyone made it about them.

Even a comment such as, “That could have been me dead,” is false. This was a targeted attack between two men.

We understand this was scary — we were frightened, too. But this was someone’s son, a brother, a friend. No matter what he got caught up in, someone lost their life the other day.

Stop meddling in what the police and local government are trained to do in these situations.

On Facebook, people shared photos of David Bliss Jr. dying in the street. In one of the photos, you see him lying there, covered in blood while people hold up their phone cameras around him.

How would you feel? Your last visions of the world are of people leaning above you, filming your last breath.

We are disappointed in the community. Instead of coming together, they are taking the event personally and spreading fear among others.

Let the mayor do her job. Let the police do their job and let the media do their job.

Things are kept private for a reason. Names and residencies are not released because an investigation is ongoing. Any leaked information can completely ruin a case.

And that’s the worst part. People began believing false rumor-filled Facebook threads and posts. The rumors caused anxiety and instead of coming together, it pulled people even further apart.

We found out the shooter was from Port Jefferson Station — not far from where he killed the 25-year-old man — and he was found within 72 hours thanks to the village cameras and hard work of law enforcement.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened on social media as we have seen it happen with other incidents across the Island, state, country and around the globe. And in those events, social media took over, too.

Only newspapers and their digital media check all facts. Social media does not.

It’s sad, it’s terrible, but it happened, and we need to grow from it.

We can all do better.

Go to TBR News Media for accurate breaking news.

D. None of the Above: Doing the right thing requires being prepared to act

by Daniel Dunaief - March 31, 2021

0 361

pexels-josh-sorenson-977603 — Photo from Pexels

By Daniel Dunaief

When I was in college, I learned an important lesson in class that had nothing to do with the subject I was studying. Many years ago, I attended an early morning anthropology lecture.

Pacing at the front and bottom of a semicircular stage, the professor shared details about the hungry ghost festival. In various parts of Asia and India, people practice a ritual in which they relieve the suffering of their deceased relatives by providing food. During this time, the professor said, people prepare meals and leave empty seats for ghosts, who ritualistically consume the food.

Seated next to a friend from our dorm, I was busily taking notes, not only because I wanted to do well on a future test, but because I also found the description fascinating.

That’s when the professor became distracted. Someone from the audio visual department was quietly packing up equipment at the back of the room.

“Excuse me,” the professor yelled to the man. “What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry,” the man said.

“Well, you should be,” the professor barked back.

The man continued to try to pack up the materials quietly. The noise, which I barely heard from a seat that was much closer to the back of the room, was still too much for my professor.

“You’re sorry, but you’re still disrupting my class!” he shouted.

“I’m packing up the material. I work for the university. One of the other classes needs it now,” the man replied. “I’ll keep it down.”

“No, this is ridiculous,” the professor said through gritted teeth. “I won’t tolerate this. You will leave.”

The man stood still, unsure of what to do. In that moment, I felt like I had a choice: I could either say something to support the man in the back of the room or walk out of the class. By doing and saying nothing, which is what I did, I felt like I was accepting the professor’s behavior.

When the man spent one more minute doing his work, the professor demanded to know where he worked so he could show up and bother him while he was trying to concentrate.

All these years later, I still think of that small moment. These types of incidents require a readiness to think, speak or act, especially to something that disturbs or distresses us. It’s akin to what coaches say all the time in sports: know what you’re going to do with the ball before it comes to you. If you have to think too much about your next move, it’s going to be too late.

A recent anti-Asian incident in New York City, in which security guards watched as a man knocked down and kicked a 65-year-old woman on her way to church, reminded me of the need to be prepared to do the right thing, even when someone wrongs someone else.

We are more likely to act when we are prepared to help, even if the moment creates discomfort for us.

Nowadays, we all have an opportunity to support each other, particularly amid anti-American attacks on members of the Asian American community. These cowardly verbal and physical assaults will become less prevalent if perpetrators know we’re all prepared to stand up for our friends and neighbors who have become the target for random anger during the pandemic. Asian Americans are not an enemy of the rest of us any more than our heart is the enemy of our body. We should stand with, and for, each other.

Between You and Me: History may be sending us a solution to our border and underpopulation crises

by Leah Dunaief - March 31, 2021

0 285

Kennedy_greeting_Peace_Corps_volunteers,_1961 — President Kennedy greets Peace Corps volunteers in 1961. Wikipedia

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

Here is an idea that you may find goofy. It has to do with the unaccompanied young people hoping to enter the United States at our southern border and our sperm count crisis.

I don’t know how many of you remember when President John F. Kennedy called to our young and proposed the Peace Corps initiative exactly 60 years ago. How we responded stands as one of our finer moments as a nation.

In that program, those wanting to make a difference in the world could volunteer to work in other countries on health campaigns, encourage entrepreneurship or teach English to name a few possible jobs.

Today, the opportunity still exists to serve in over 141 countries (as of 2018), and what was required then still is: resiliency and heart. Those who entered the two-year program had appropriate skills and found the experience gratifying, even life changing.

Now I propose turning the idea on its head. The unaccompanied minors gathered at the border, mostly 16-to-17-year-old males, probably have little in the way of skills except for two assets: youthful energy and desperation. These are both of powerful value.

The government could offer them the following path into the country: They would agree to be assigned to families in different cities and towns and to help those families as directed. This proposition might be of particular aid in agricultural settings but certainly not limited to those. They would not be paid but would enter into a work-study program in which they might gain education, room and board. They would provide much needed work to those who have lost immigrant helpers on farms, in hospitality jobs and childcare, for example, over the past few years due to limitations on foreign workers imposed by the government.

In return for their efforts, these young people would earn, in due time, a path to citizenship, just as there once was an offer to foreign-born males during WWII to enter the army in return for naturalization. There is still such a pathway today which they could eventually opt for.

A reverse Peace Corps program would require a complex administration in which the families offering such a position would be carefully vetted, as would the young people entering the country. And monitoring within the country would of necessity be in-depth and ongoing. The young people would have to be protected from gangs seeking to force them into their ranks, as well as from exploitive families. Duties would have to be carefully laid out, with hours and goals met.

It occurs to me that there have been such immigration programs in history, most recently the Kindertransport that brought some 10,000 children up to the age of 17, whose lives were in mortal danger from Nazi atrocities, to England between 1938-1939. After the war, several thousand remained in Britain, and as adults “made considerable contributions to Britain’s services, industries, commerce, education, science and the arts for the defense, welfare and development of their country of adoption.” [Wikipedia.]

Now back to our own situation. Not unrelated, there has been a serious drop in births in the United States over the past half century, in part due to economic circumstances and even to declining sperm count as a result of ongoing pollution. We have learned from previous recessions that for every one percent increase in unemployment, there is a reduction of one percent in the birthrate.

The current pandemic is anticipated to bring a baby bust, not a baby boom. Even before COVID-19, underpopulation was expected by some researchers, as our falling birthrate was most recently below the 2.1 babies per woman (2019) required to sustain our population through birth alone.

We are, after all, a nation of immigrants, and those seeking to enter our country, by and large, bring the aforementioned energy and grit, determined to realize the “American Dream.” They are an easy way to solve the need for more people. The ultimate goal here is for any such policy to be done according to the law.

New county vaccination site opens in Hauppauge

by TBR Staff - March 31, 2021

0 309

bellone presser; kimberly brown — County Executive Steve Bellone stands outside the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge where a new vaccine rollout will begin in a couple of weeks. Photo by Kimberly Brown

By Kimberly Brown

A new COVID-19 vaccination site finally opened at the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge, where the vaccine’s mass distribution will be given out to hundreds of residents in the upcoming weeks.

The latest expansion will help Long Island recover from the consistent 4% positivity rate that surged to a height of 12% during the second spike of the coronavirus outbreak in February.

“The numbers have declined since, but they are not declining any further at this point,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) said March 24. “We have undoubtedly hit a plateau and are stubbornly maintaining this approximate 4% positivity rate.”

Predicting the positivity rate would drop down to 1% by March, Bellone said his predictions did not happen. The hospitals are still hovering around 400 COVID patients and even with vaccine quantities increasing, officials are continuing to see the positivity rate at a steady level.

According to Bellone, the reason for the consistently high percentage in COVID cases is due to warm spring weather creating an overall eagerness to leave quarantine, making opportunities for locals to catch the virus.

“The fact that many people are getting vaccinated and that spring is here, people are rightly feeling optimistic and positive,” Bellone said. “That is leading to more people coming out, which is a positive thing, but we do need to be cognizant of the fact that the virus is not gone and that there are still risks.”

So far, the county has vaccinated more than 400,000 residents with at least their first dose, but expects to see a rapid increase in vaccination supply in the upcoming weeks.

Despite the positive outcome of Suffolk County opening up its latest mass vaccination site, other areas on the Island, such as the Twin Forks, remain some distance away from distribution points. Bellone said he is aware of the problem.

“We’ve gone to great lengths to get to every corner of the county,” he said. “We even took a plane to Fishers Island to make sure we can get residents, who are isolated, the vaccine.”

Hundreds come together to show unity with the Asian community

by Rita J. Egan - March 29, 2021

0 375

1 of 13

On a spring-like Saturday afternoon, local residents from all walks of life took time out of their day to rally in support of the Asian community.

The south side of the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge on Saturday, March 27, was filled with hundreds decrying recent hate crimes against Asians in the country. Many held signs featuring messages such as “Stop Hate Spread Love,” “End Racist Violence,” “Make Racism Wrong Again,” “Hate Is A Virus, Love Is The Vaccine” and more.

The rally was organized by Suffolk County Human Services. The event featured speeches from representatives of civil rights organizations and elected officials, including Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D), U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY1) and Suffolk District Attorney Tim Sini (D).

Bellone said he was glad it was a sunny and warm day, but it would be a beautiful one even if it was raining.

“It’s a beautiful day because we are all gathered together as one, as Americans from all backgrounds, to stand up and speak together in one voice to say that hatred and intolerance is unacceptable,” the county executive said. “We will not accept it here in Suffolk County. We will not accept it anywhere in this country.”

Bellone said anyone who attempts a hate crime in the county would be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

“We are gathered here today, one another in solidarity, to fight against these vicious brutal acts of violence that we have seen many of our brothers and sisters — our fellow Americans in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community — have been subjected to, verbal assault and physical violence,” he said. “And we are here to say today that this is unacceptable. We will never tolerate acts of hate like this here in Suffolk County.”

Zeldin, who has been criticized for not supporting in the House a resolution condemning anti-Asian hate related to the COVID-19 pandemic, received criticism at the rally, including from state Sen. John Liu (D-Flushing). The state senator said he was happy to see U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY3) there who voted in favor of the legislation.

“Not every Congress member you will hear from today, voted for it,” he said. “People want to be held accountable. I’m in office, I expect you to hold me accountable. I may not be his constituent, but I’m going to hold Congressman Zeldin accountable for voting ‘no.’”

“We need everybody who says they support us to actually support us,” Liu said.

When Zeldin spoke at the podium his wife, Diana, who is Asian American, stood by his side. Some of the people in attendance at first jeered when he began to talk.

Zeldin said the rally wasn’t a partisan political one.

“We all have to stand together in these moments to come together and rally against the violence when you are targeting someone because of their religion or their color of their skin, or where they come from,” he said. “Every American, and especially as we are reminded in this crowd of people who love our community and our country, who come here for the American Dream to pursue hope and opportunity. All of you are here not just for this flag but for community, and for each other to make a difference.”

Also, speaking at the event was Shaorui Li, president of the Asian American Association of Greater Stony Brook. The East Setauket resident was born in China and immigrated here more than 20 years ago.

During her speech, she said since last year there has been a 150% increase of crimes against Asian Americans.

“Why are Asians being treated this way?” Li asked the crowd.

In a phone interview the day after she said, “I wanted them to think, because we’ve been too quiet.”

Li said she was touched to see people from all ethnic backgrounds at the event as well as various elected officials from the area.

“I said to everyone, not only Asians, but African Americans and Latino Americans, I wanted to ask them to be with us together because in the past there have been different opinions. But this definitely shows how being minorities being together, we can get the support we need,” she said.

UPDATE: Man arrested in Port Jefferson death

by Julianne Mosher - March 28, 2021

0 2785

The crime scene outside Dunkin' Donuts in the village. Photo from Margot Garant

Suffolk County Police have made an arrest for the shooting death of a man in Port Jefferson on March 24.

Homicide Squad detectives charged Joseph Garcia, 19, of 11 Market St. in Port Jefferson Station, with Murder 2^nd Degree.

Garcia was held overnight at the 6th Precinct and is scheduled for arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip on March 28. The investigation is continuing.

On March 24, David Bliss Jr., of Shirley, was killed from a gunshot wound in front of 122 Main St. at approximately 3:35 p.m.

Bliss was transported to St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson where he was pronounced dead.

The investigation is ongoing. Detectives are asking anyone with information on this incident to call the Homicide Squad at 631-852-6392 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.

Hometown History: Shutterbug — John M. Brown’s snapshots of early Port Jefferson

by Kenneth Brady - March 28, 2021

0 625

This photo by John M. Brown shows what is now the village’s East Main Street and captures the Port Jefferson Hotel on the left. The view is toward the Baptist Church and the intersection with Prospect Street. Photo from the Kenneth C. Brady Digital Archive

By Kenneth Brady

Two boys are shown sitting on a dock. The west shore of Port Jefferson Harbor is pictured in the background. Photo by John M. Brown. Photo from the Kenneth C. Brady Digital Archive

Amateur photographer John M. Brown recorded life in Port Jefferson, his images conveying what it looked like and felt like to live in the village at the beginning of the 20th century.

Simple cameras, then for sale in Port Jefferson, had democratized photography, once largely the realm of professionals, enabling Brown and other laymen to take pictures of their surroundings.

Brown’s work contributes to our understanding of Port Jefferson’s past, but is unique in offering the unvarnished perspective of a common man, not the stylized view of a commercial photographer.

His straightforward snapshots of the village capture a variety of people, places, objects and events including bathers at the East Beach, Petty’s Confectionery, an American flag and sailboat races, respectively.

Brown’s direct photographs also include views of Port Jefferson’s yacht basin, Methodist Church, post office, ferry Victor, Athena Hall, residents, Parker’s Pond, school, Overton’s Agricultural Implements, and bank, all combining to create a shutterbug’s portrait of the village during the early 1900s.

Opening in 1900, the First National Bank was located on the corner of Main and East Main streets. This image by John M. Brown shows the building without its 1922 addition. Photo from the Kenneth C. Brady Digital Archive.

Described in the Port Jefferson Times as “an enthusiastic photographer,” three of Brown’s one-of-a-kind shots of the Aug. 2, 1902 launching of the schooner Martha E. Wallace at the village’s Mather and Wood Shipyard were even made into printed post cards and then sold by local stationers.

Brown was appointed Port Jefferson’s postmaster in 1900 and served in that capacity until 1916. During his tenure, the village’s post office was upgraded to second class and its employees were required to take civil service examinations, a Postal Savings Bank was established, and Parcel Post was introduced. In 1911, the Port Jefferson Post Office opened at its new address, 202 Main Street.

Brown’s house in Port Jefferson, often the subject of his photographs, was moved to 105 Tuthill Street in 1929 from its former location on the northeast corner of Main and Tuthill streets where the New York Telephone Company subsequently built an office on the choice site.

Brown resided at his new address until March 1940, dying there at the age of 86. He was buried in Port Jefferson’s Cedar Hill Cemetery where his wife, Evelyn, had been interred in May 1930.

Kenneth Brady has served as the Port Jefferson Village Historian and president of the Port Jefferson Conservancy, as well as on the boards of the Suffolk County Historical Society, Greater Port Jefferson Arts Council and Port Jefferson Historical Society. He is a longtime resident of Port Jefferson.

Eagles overwhelm Royals

by Bill Landon - March 27, 2021

0 433

Rocky Point senior Kelly Logue looks to get a shot off as Mattea Rabeno defends in a home victory over Port Jefferson March 25. Bill Landon photo

1 of 23

The Port Jefferson Royals at 0-6 had their hands full looking for that elusive first win of the season on the road against the 5-1 Eagles of Rocky Point, but that first taste of victory wasn’t to be. Port Jeff fielded a short roster resulting in a 7 on 7 contest without the luxury of substitution. The Eagles rattled off four unanswered goals in the first half and peppered the scoreboard with four more in the second for an 8-0 shutout.

The win lifts the Eagles to 6-1 in Div II just beyond the half way point with 6 games remaining.

Photos by Bill Landon

PJS/Terryville Chamber of Commerce spotlight: Backstage Studio of Dance

Port Times Record

by TBR Staff - March 27, 2021

0 1337

pjst chamber winner, — Gwenn Capodieci, co-owner of Backstage Studio of Dance, was the recipient of two recent awards. Photo from PJSTCC

By Joan Nickeson

Backstage Studio of Dance, located at Three Roads Plaza in Port Jefferson Station, is the winner of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce Small Business Award.

Additionally, ‘Backstage’ has won the runner-up award of the Small Business Recovery Grant from the Brookhaven Coalition of Chambers of Commerce. This second place win is an exception this year.

“There were just so many deserving applicants, we needed to make accommodations,” said B.C.C.C. board member, and PJS/T Chamber of Commerce President, Jennifer Dzvonar.

With the news of her wins, co-owner Gwenn Capodieci said, “We are honored to be chosen by the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce and the B.C.C.C. The grants will help us acquire training equipment and studio improvements for our students and student teachers.”

Additionally, they need an advertising sign to better reach students during registration days.

Capodieci explained their dance education philosophy and reflected on their success at building up students’ resiliency.

“I have personally seen shy students blossom and their confidence and strength improve as they go through our programs,” she said.

In fact, when they put COVID-19 restrictions into place last March, she and the staff put 62 of their dance classes up on zoom, at their scheduled time.

“We knew these kids needed consistency in their lives,” she said. “The students will benefit from these grants in a variety of ways this year.”

Backstage Studio of Dance is currently in the midst of their 35th year. They’re located at the intersection of routes 347 and 112, at Canal Road. Contact them at 631-331-5766 or backstagestudioofdance.com.

Joan Nickeson is an active member of the PJS/Terryville community and community liaison to the PJS/T Chamber of Commerce.

Prev 1...301302303...604 Next

Page 302 of 604