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Photo from Stony Brook Medicine

By Daniel Dunaief

[email protected]

While looking after the physical and mental well-being of patients who come in for care, Suffolk County hospitals are also focused on protecting staff, patients and visitors from the kind of violence that has spread recently throughout the country.

Over the past six months, hospital security staff and administrators have added a host of procedures to enhance safety and are considering additional steps.

“New measures have been put in place to minimize risk and better secure our buildings from a variety of threats,” Frank Kirby, Catholic Health Service line manager, wrote in an email. Catholic Health includes St. Catherine of Siena in Smithtown and St. Charles in Port Jefferson, among others.

“All Catholic Health facilities have an ‘active shooter’ contingency policy, which includes training for our employees on what to do in such an event,” Kirby wrote.

Executives at several health care facilities shared specific measures they have put in place.

The safe room

“Over the last six months or so, we have created something called the safe room,” said Dr. Michel Khlat, director at St. Catherine of Siena. Inside that room, hospital staff can hide and can find emergency items, like a door stop, medical supplies, gauze and first aid equipment.

St. Catherine recommends putting all the tables down in the safe room and hiding.

Khlat added that the hospital recommends that staff not open a door where another staff member knocks, in case a criminal is squatting nearby, waiting for access to the hospital.

Kirby added that Catholic Health facilities actively conducts drills across their hospitals, medical buildings and administrative offices to “sharpen our preparedness for any potential crisis that could impact safety and security.”

Catholic Health hospitals have onsite security guards and field supervisors who have prior military or law enforcement experience, Kirby added.

Northwell Health

As for Northwell Health, which includes Huntington Hospital, Scott Strauss, vice president of Corporate Security at Northwell, said the hospitals have an armed presence that includes many former and active law enforcement officers.

Strauss himself is a retired New York Police Department officer who, as a first responder on 9/11, rescued a Port Authority officer trapped by the fall of the World Trade Center.

Northwell is researching the possibility of installing a metal detection system.

Strauss suggested that the security program could not be successful without the support of senior leadership.

He suggested that staff and visitors can play a part in keeping everyone safe by remaining vigilant, as anyone in a hospital could serve as the eyes and ears of a security force.

The security staff has relied on their 15 to 35 years of experience to deescalate any potentially violent situations, Strauss said.

Northwell hospitals also offer guidance to staff for personal relationships that might
be dangerous.

“People don’t realize they’re in a poor relationship, they might think it’s normal,” Strauss said.

Across social media and the Internet, the communications team at Northwell monitors online chatter to search for anything that might be threatening.

“We evaluate it and notify the police as needed,” said Strauss.

Aggressive behavior

Strauss urged people who see something threatening online to share it with authorities, either at the hospitals or in the police force. “You can’t take a chance and let that go,” he said.

At this point, Northwell hasn’t noticed an increase in threats or possible security concerns. It has, however, seen an increase in aggressive behavior at practices and in
the hospitals.

In those situations, the security team investigates. They offer to get help, while making it clear that “threatening in any way, shape or form is not tolerated,” Strauss said. “There could be consequences” which could include being dismissed from the practice and filing police reports, Strauss said.

Anecdotally, Strauss believes Northwell has seen an increase in police reports.

When the draft of the Supreme Court’s decision that will likely overturn Roe vs. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that made it unconstitutional for states to restrict abortions, became public, Strauss was concerned about the potential backlash for health care providers.

So far, Strauss said gratefully, Northwell hasn’t seen any violence or threats related to the pending decision.

Stony Brook

Stony Brook University Hospital has an accredited and armed law enforcement agency on campus, in addition to a team of trained public safety personnel within the hospital, explained Lawrence Zacarese, vice president for Enterprise Risk Management and chief security officer at Stony Brook University.

Zacarese indicated that university officers are extensively trained in active shooter response protocols and are prepared to handle other emergency situations.

He added that the staff looks for ways to enhance security.

“Our training and security activities are continuous, and we are committed to exploring additional opportunities to maintain a safe and secure environment,” he explained in an email.

Kirby of Catholic Health Security suggested that hospitals do “more than provide care for surgical and medical inpatients. They also need to guarantee safety for all who enter our grounds.”

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Courtney Trzckinski, above, is an EMT in Port Jefferson and St. James and is a rising senior at Stony Brook University who recently took Medical Spanish. Photo by Stephanie Merrill

By Daniel Dunaief

[email protected]

As medicine becomes increasingly personalized, Stony Brook University Hospital is planning to provide the kind of personal services and connections that they hope will benefit the Hispanic population.

With people identifying as Hispanic in Suffolk County representing 19.6% of the total population, SBUH is building a Hispanic Heart Institute, which the hospital anticipates will open in the fall.

At the same time, undergraduates at SBU have had an opportunity to take two new courses in Spanish Medicine that focus on the language and culture of health care for a population whose background, experience and expectations often differs from that of a New York system.

“A patient who is addressed in their own language, even though a speaker is not necessarily fluent or proficient, enhances the experience greatly,” said Elena Davidiak, lecturer at the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literature at Stony Brook University. Davidiak teaches two Spanish Medicine classes at Stony Brook that she created for the university.

At the same time, Dr. Jorge Balaguer, associate professor of Surgery at the Renaissance School of Medicine, plans to create a Hispanic Heart Program that fills an unmet need to help cardiac patients of Hispanic descent learn about insurance, understand their medical options, and increase their connection with their health care providers.

The incidence of some forms of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death among the overall population, is even higher among Hispanics, according to a website created by Stony Brook that describes heart disease among Hispanics and Latinos.

For many people whose first language is Spanish or who come from a family with a strong Hispanic cultural identity, the connection to the health care system may be tenuous, making it difficult to navigate through the system, find the best care or advocate for their needs.

“There is a lack of follow up,” Balaguer said. “The whole health care maintenance is compromised. When you combine a [different] education, with a vulnerable situation, the Hispanic population doesn’t have the same medical safety net.”

Balaguer would like to add a full-time employee in the cardiology department who could answer questions in Spanish, help with insurance and various forms and field questions throughout the process of receiving heart-related care.

Cultural differences

Beyond the language barrier that could impede communication with Spanish-speaking patients, Balaguer and Davidiak suggested cultural differences could also affect the outcome of a medical interaction.

As an example, Balaguer suggested a general cultural phenomenon in Argentina where people don’t speak directly about the patient.

Rather, he said, the process of communicating is similar to the Billy Crystal, Robert DeNiro movie “Analyze This,” in which DeNiro’s character talks about a “friend” when he’s describing himself.

“You talk about someone else rather than the patient with the problem,” Balagauer said.

Hispanic patients sometimes have their own views on health care and their destiny, Davidiak said. Using the Spanish word “fatalismo” for fatalism, Davidiak described how some patients may believe their destiny is “somewhat predetermined.”

Health care providers need to take into account a patient’s beliefs, which affect the partnership between patient and doctor in developing an effective treatment plan.

In most American medical interactions, the culture is “businesslike and to the point,” Davidiak said. Many Hispanic cultures, however, expect a “warmup period,” which involves a more personal interaction.

In developing an interview project called “Understanding the Hispanic Patient” funded by the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at SBU, Davidiak heard numerous anecdotes in which people of Hispanic origin felt that their doctors didn’t see or hear them.

In one such interview, a pediatrician said a son’s eye color, which was blue, would change because “all Latino people have dark eyes.”

The mother, who was sitting in the room, has blue eyes.

“She felt she was not being seen at all,” Davidiak recalled. She wondered if the doctor was “going to do the same thing when taking care” of her son.

Class lessons

Courtney Trzcinski, a junior majoring in health science, was a student in Davidiak’s Medical Spanish class.

An emergency medical technician in Port Jefferson and St. James with plans to be a physician assistant, she has had patients as an EMT with whom she struggled to communicate.

Trzcinski, who studied Spanish from 8th to 11th grade at Mattituck High School, recounted an incident in which she was responding to a woman who was having medical complications after she had her tonsils removed.

“I was trying to tell her to breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth,” Trzinski said. Her Spanish didn’t match the need.

“Now that I’ve taken Medical Spanish, I know how to say ‘inhale,’ ‘exhale,’ ‘medications’” and other relevant terms, Trzcinski said.

A direct translation, she discovered, also doesn’t work, as the people she interacts with translated what she said literally.

Trzcinski, who has been an EMT for two years, said she feels more confident in interacting on the job in Spanish.

Volunteers welcome

As for the heart program, Balaguer is thrilled to have the support of Leshya Bokka, a rising second-year medical school student who is also earning her master’s in public health.

Bokka sees the Hispanic Heart Program as a “great way to bridge my interest in working with minority populations and trying to get involved in doing some things for the community.”

Coming from a family that immigrated from India, Bokka understands the language and cultural barriers that might prevent people from getting quality health care.

“We are also trying to set up health screenings to connect patients to our program,” she said. She urged residents to reach out by email to receive directional guidance at [email protected].

The program is trying to recruit medical students and anyone “willing to come help,” she said.

Balaguer said he is working with recruiting bilingual volunteers and Hispanic Language and Literature students with advanced command of the language for internships in the program. These volunteers could serve as Hispanic patient concierges, among other roles. 

Bokka recognized that this kind of service could be valuable to other underserved populations as well.

“The health care system is incredibly complex and cryptic and confusing,” Bokka said. “Everyone could benefit from having a service like this to guide them.”

She said she hopes this becomes a framework for other departments and that other communities can also forge a language and cultural connection.

The goal is to “make patients more comfortable when they’re in a hospital,” Bokka said, which can be scary, expensive and confusing. The program wants to make sure people can “voice their concerns and walk away with care that works.”

Measuring success

The Hispanic Heart Program will measure its success in a host of ways. The hospital can compare the number of Hispanic patient visits to the hospital and in outpatient clinical settings during the first trimester after launching the program compared with earlier periods, Balaguer said.

It will also compare the number of procedures done on patients.

Through surveys, the hospital can determine patient satisfaction with the Hispanic Patient Concierge program.

The hospital can also determine the number of patients who obtain insurance.

On a financial level, the hospital can determine if the patients in the program provide profits and losses, while also factoring in donations and grants.

As for students, the program can consider the academic production of students who contribute to this effort as a part of their education.

Balaguer believes that these efforts will “help mitigate disparities” in health care.

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Port Jeff village trustee candidate on finding creative responses to local issues

Lauren Sheprow is running for Port Jefferson village trustee. Photo courtesy Sheprow

Lauren Sheprow, former media relations officer at Stony Brook University and daughter of the former village mayor Hal Sheprow, is running for trustee. During an exclusive interview last week, Sheprow addressed her family’s background in village politics, her experience in media relations, Upper Port revitalization, the East Beach bluff and more.

What is your background and why would you like to be involved in village government?

I’ve been working my entire life in public relations, communications and media relations — that’s about a 40-year career. I most recently was working at Stony Brook University as the Chief Media Relations Officer and prior to that I was at Mather Hospital and the public relations director for that hospital. I enjoyed those jobs immensely.

I retired from the University officially on December 31 and didn’t initially consider or think about running for trustee. My father was the mayor of Port Jefferson during a timeframe of 1979 until 1994. He was a trustee before that and a planning board chairman prior to that in the village of Port Jefferson. He also was an EMS and ambulance person for the Port Jeff ambulance. As I was growing up in that household with my siblings — I have a sister and five brothers — we all watched that, we saw him do that and it had a big impression on me. It was ingrained in me that it was an important thing to give back to the community. 

It had been in the back of my mind for a while that I did want to do something, whether it be as trustee or to do something in a different realm. I did not have time to do that while I was working at Stony Brook because that was a 24/7 job and I would never have had the time it takes to run for trustee, let alone serve. 

When I learned about and was reminded that these two seats are up for reelection, I started really thinking about it and thought that I could contribute based on my historic perspective because I grew up here and went to the schools here from pre-K to graduation. My children attended Port Jeff schools. I have twin girls who graduated in 2010 and a son who graduated in 2015. 

I’ve done a lot of volunteer work here and I’ve learned a lot about working within organizations to help things grow and improve and just foster community excellence. I was a youth baseball coach for the village of Port Jefferson, volunteered on the Port Jefferson recreation committee and I was appointed to the Country Club Advisory and Management Council. Now I am the president of the Tuesday Tournament Group, which is actually a league that’s run as a board-run program. That’s a lot of work, too.

All that said, the point is I’ve been giving a lot of my time and I’ve been noticing and recognizing where there are opportunities for the village to see strategic growth and opportunities for impact and change.

What are your key takeaways from your father’s time in public office?

Lauren Sheprow (right) at the Mayor Harold J. Sheprow Parkland dedication ceremony at the Port Jefferson Country Club. Photo courtesy Sheprow

My father’s legacy of community involvement has always had a tremendous influence on my choices in life. He juggled so much — with help from my mother, of course. He was first and foremost an aeronautical engineer at [Northrop] Grumman, which is what brought us to Long Island in the first place. He also served, largely as a volunteer, as mayor, trustee, planning board chair and on the ambulance company as a volunteer EMS.

He had such a tremendous impact on this community with the annexation of the Hill Crest, Pine Hill, Ellen Drive, Laurita Gate and Jefferson’s Landing developments, and the acquisition of the country club being his two most significant contributions. 

I hope to be able to emulate his community service and give back by being elected as a trustee of Port Jefferson village. 

How is your background in media relations applicable to the work of a trustee?

I really feel like as a trustee, one of the most important things you can do is communicate to your constituency and communicate in a way that is transparent, concise, responsive and addresses the questions you are getting with answers and then potentially solutions.

At Stony Brook and at Mather Hospital, we had numerous inquiries and activities that had to be addressed at the same time. It was like drinking from the fire hose at Stony Brook, so you had to prioritize, you had to find the information that was going to be responsive to the questions you were getting from all angles — including from faculty, from administration, from students and from the media. We were responsive and accountable to everyone, and we had to do it in a way that was with the consensus of leadership. 

We needed to get answers quickly, accurately and comprehensively. That really trained me for a lot of adversity. It trained me to work in a calm and thorough manner, not to be driven by agendas or a sense of urgency, but to be driven by getting the information you need that is right, accurate and has the consensus of the people who are working on the things you’re trying to learn about. 

I think that bringing that skill set to a position on the Board of Trustees in Port Jefferson will help me really dig into some of the issues that are being expressed by villagers right now and look for solutions that are supported by facts, law and the code. The code really defines how you can move through a process, so I think relying on the code and the law is a really important part of what it means to be a public official. 

In the same way that at Stony Brook that I would ask as many questions as I could and get as many responses from as many different sources as I possibly could to make sure the response is accurate, concise and responsive, I would do the same in this position as trustee and follow up and communicate in the same way I have done my entire career. 

Sheprow during her daughters’ graduation ceremony. Photo courtesy Sheprow

What are the most critical issues facing the village?

I think the most interesting things that are happening right now are the revitalization of uptown Port Jefferson, one. Two, what’s happening at the country club right now. I see opportunities in both areas. And the Mather Hospital project is another very interesting issue that’s going on right now. Those are three of the most important things going on in the village right now.

In terms of the uptown Port Jefferson revitalization, the progress that’s going on there is tremendous. There’s a lot of interest from new developers. Attending the meetings of the Board of Trustees and following the progress, what I have learned is that there are new developers coming forward to propose new projects and to me that’s very exciting. Shovels in the ground means progress and creates excitement. It fosters the axiom that, “If you build it, they will come.” I believe that’s happening right now. 

The other issue or opportunity I see is bringing the country club back to all village residents. What I would love to work on is bringing the country club back to the community so that the community can enjoy it, not just as a golf course but as a place to foster a social and cultural environment. That’s what the purpose of the country club acquisition was originally, it’s in the original documentation. Let’s go back to the future and find a way to welcome all residents back to enjoy that facility in the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

And I’ll touch on the bluff for a second: the bluff and the country club are not one and the same. The bluff is village property. The village has got to safeguard its property, it’s got to safeguard those beaches and that groin. There is a roadway down to East Beach and there is a groin between that roadway and the country club parking lot. As the erosion continues, that groin will fail and you will lose access and you will lose the beach. That is one of the things that will happen if that bluff were not restored. 

It’s the village’s responsibility to take care of that property and this is the best way to do that right now. To me, it’s a no-brainer. And it’s not to preserve the building. It’s to preserve village property, the safety and security of village property. That’s what the role of the Board of Trustees is: to preserve and keep safe for the residents of the village, the property and the community.  

As trustee, my commitment is to get to the bottom of the issues at hand and proactively engage concerned villagers in the process.

— Lauren Sheprow

How can residents play a more active role in village decision-making?

Sheprow with twin newborn grandsons, Clayton and Wyatt, 2018. Photo courtesy Sheprow

The village offers ample opportunities to become involved in the decision making process, as is demonstrated by the numerous committees, councils and volunteer organizations that exist, including the page on the village website called “Get Involved.” 

There is an opportunity for a more robust and active recruitment for volunteers within these organizations — an experience I encountered while on the CCMAC and the Recreation Committee, which is currently dormant. 

Succession-planning on boards and committees is important, and village trustees as well as those board chairs should be thinking about that from the moment they begin their tenure, so when someone decides to resign or a term limit is reached, there is a resource already in place to step in with no down time. The Trustee Liaison to each respective committee or board should be responsible for that. 

It’s also clear that communication is an important factor and some in the village feel they aren’t getting the information they need to have an impact on decision-making. As someone who has worked in the strategic communications field for nearly four decades, I can say without hesitation that the communications resources and efforts from the village are robust and in accordance with village code. From the e-newsletter, to the YouTube Channel and streaming and posting to the archive live meetings, to the social media efforts, an incredibly responsive website, and other forms of email outreach, plenty of communications redundancy exists. 

What is also important is that residents know that if they want to express a concern or get involved, they will be acknowledged and responded to in a timely manner and can feel confident that their representative on the Board of Trustees will help resolve the issue at hand. As trustee, my commitment is to get to the bottom of the issues at hand and proactively engage concerned villagers in the process.

Sheprow was involved in the organization of the 40th reunion of the Port Jeff Class of ‘78, 2018. Photo courtesy Sheprow

Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers?

I love this community, but that’s not what makes me stand out because I know everyone that’s running for these two seats loves this community as well and wants to see it thrive. 

Vision, coming up with creative solutions that don’t add an extra burden on the taxpayers, and knowing how to get things done is what set me apart at Stony Brook and at Mather Hospital and will serve me well as a trustee. I’m a questioner, a problem-solver and a communicator, but I also understand how difficult it can be to navigate the bureaucratic labyrinth from working at Stony Brook for so long, and at Mather. Both entities provided me with great insights into how to get things done within the public sector. 

I will hit the ground running. I have been attending board meetings, following the planning board and zoning board of appeals issues, and I have engaged in conversations with a number of people to understand what is most important to them and thinking about how it may be addressed or how to raise it as an issue. This is my commitment.

 

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By Daniel Dunaief

Kelp, and other seaweed, may prove to be an oyster’s best friend. And, no, this isn’t a script for a new episode of SpongeBob SquarePants.

A thick, heavy leafy seaweed, kelp provides an environmentally friendly solution to several problems. Amid higher levels of carbon dioxide, the air has become warmer and oceans, including coastal regions, are more acidic. That’s because carbon dioxide mixes with water, producing negative hydrogen ions that lower the pH of the water.

Enter kelp.

A rapidly growing seaweed, kelp, which is endemic to the area, uses that carbon dioxide in the same way trees do, as a part of photosynthesis. By removing carbon dioxide, kelp raises the pH, which is helpful for the area’s shellfish.

The above graph shows pH scale measurements with and without kelp. The graph shows continuous pH (NBS scale) bubbling, and the addition of 4 x 104 cells mL-1 Isochrysis galbana added daily to simulate daily feedings of bivalves.  Image provided by Chris Gobler

That’s the conclusion of a recent study published in Frontiers in Marine Science by Stony Brook University Professor Christopher Gobler, Endowed Chair of Coastal Ecology and Conservation at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, and Mike Doall, Associate Director of Shellfish Restoration and Aquaculture at Stony Brook University.

In a series of five laboratory experiments and a field study, Gobler and Doall showed that kelp lowered acidification, enabling better growth for shellfish like oysters. “There was better oyster growth inside the kelp than 50 meters away” Doall said, in what he and Gobler describe as the “halo” effect.

Gobler was especially pleased with the implications of the field experiment.“While showing that  [result] in the lab was exciting, being able to improve the growth of oysters on an oyster farm experiencing coastal acidification proves this approach can have very broad implications,” Gobler said in a statement.

Doall estimates that kelp farmers can grow 72,000 pounds per acre of kelp in just six months, during the prime growing season from December through May.

Doall, whose primary role in the study was to grow the kelp and set up the field experiment, said he grew kelp at the Great Gun oyster farm in Moriches Bay that were up to 12 feet long. Over the last four years, he has grown kelp in 16 locations around Long Island, from the East River to Fishers Island.

This year, the team conducted kelp studies in nine locations. The best growth occurred in the East River and in Moriches Bay, Doall said. He harvested about 2,000 pounds each from those two sites this year and is primarily using the kelp in a host of fertilizer studies.

Gobler explained that using seaweed like kelp could enhance aquaculture.

“The intensification of ocean acidification now threatens bivalve aquaculture and has necessitated a solution,” Gobler said in a statement. “We believe our work is foundational to a solution.”

Above, Mike Doall during a recent kelp harvest in Moriches Bay. Photo by Cameron Provost

One of the challenges of using kelp to improve the local conditions for shellfish is that it grows during the winter through May, while the growing season for shellfish occurs during the summer.

“That is why we are now working on summer seaweeds,” Gobler explained in an email.

Gobler and Doall are looking for similar potential localized benefits from Ulva, a green sea lettuce, and Gracilaria, which is a red, branchy seaweed.

“Most water quality issues occur during summer, so it’s important to grow seaweed year round,” Doall said.

The Stony Brook scientists, who have worked together since the early 1990s when they were graduate students, are also exploring varieties of kelp that might be more heat tolerant and will try to use some of those on Long Island.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is leading a project to hybridize these heartier strains of kelp, Doall said. GreenWave, which supports regenerative ocean farming, is also participating in that effort.

Gobler explained that they also plan to start earlier, which will extend the growing season.

While the different growing seasons for kelp and oysters may make kelp only part of the solution for reducing ocean acidification for shellfish, the different growing seasons makes the seaweed a complementary companion crop for commercial shellfish diggers.

Summer laborers who work on oysters can transition to kelp harvesting in the fall and winter.

A resident of Rocky Point, Doall lives with his wife Nancy, who teaches at North Coleman Road Elementary School in the Middle Country School District.

The Doall’s 23-year old daughter Deanna, who is a graduate of the University of Tampa, is currently traveling in Guatemala, while their 20-year old daughter Annie is attending Florida Gulf Coast University.

Doall grew up in Massapequa Park. As a 12-year old, he pooled his lawn mowing money with a friend’s paper route funds to buy a small boat with a 1967 10-horsepower Evinrude engine. The pair went out on bays to fish and, periodically, to clam.

Doall, who loves gardening and being in the ocean, described the two of them as being “notorious” for needing tows back to the shore regularly when their engine died.

The former owner of an oyster farm, Doall also enjoys eating them. He particularly enjoys eating oysters in the winter and early spring, when they are plump. His favorite way to eat them is raw on the half shell, but he also appreciates his wife’s “killer Oysters Rockefeller,” as he described it.

As for kelp, the current supply in the area exceeds the demand. The excess kelp, which farmers harvest to prevent the release of carbon dioxide and nitrogen that the seaweed removed from the water, can be composted or used for fertilizer, explained Gobler.

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SCPD 6th Precinct Officer Angelica Nebel with brother and sister Samson and Delilah. Photo from Town of Smithtown

The Town of Smithtown Animal Shelter partnered with the Suffolk County Police in the first Adopt with a Cop initiative, a new program where local law enforcement interact with rescue animals to help find deserving pets fur-ever homes. The Adopt with a Cop program is designed to promote shelter adoptions utilizing the Suffolk County Police Department’s vast social media fanbase. On Wednesday, May 25th, Sixth Precinct Police Officer Angelica Nebel reunited with familiar furry friends, met some new ones and had a few laughs with her very proud former colleagues. Officer Angelica Nebel worked for the Smithtown Animal Shelter as a kennel attendant just prior to enrolling in the police academy.

“This is an excellent program and I could not be happier that the SCPD chose our Smithtown Animal Shelter as their first Adopt with a Cop location. Between Instagram and Facebook, the SCPD boasts over 150,000 followers. Sharing our rescue pups, cats and rooster with this fanbase is critical in expanding the reach and possibly finding the perfect home for some of the most incredible creatures you will ever meet.” – Councilwoman Lisa Inzerillo

SCPD 6th Precinct Officer Angelica Nebel got a chance to meet and play with brother and sister Samson and Delilah, who were dumped on the grounds of the Kings Park Psychiatric Center after their owner died. Together, with help from Suffolk County Police Department, the Smithtown Animal Shelter hopes to find them a forever home together. However, if the right situation presents itself, both pups may be adopted separately.

The Suffolk County Police Department highlighted an additional two dogs, two cats and a rooster as part of the adoption campaign.

  • Linx, a 2-3 year old well-mannered, housebroken German Shepherd, came to the shelter as a stray and requires a home with a strong alpha leader to meet his physical and mental stimulation needs.
  • The longest shelter resident Angel, who has spent almost half of her 8 years of life at the shelter, needs a home where she can be the only pet and with older human siblings.
  • Feline friends Chloe and Zendaya are two very special cats who are looking for families to care for them and their medical conditions, seizures and feline leukemia, respectively.
  • King James is a stunning black (hamburg) rooster who is new to the shelter. This dapper gentleman would love a home with some new friends.

To learn more about these and many other loving rescues up for adoption at the Smithtown Animal Shelter, please visit TownOfSmithtownAnimalShelter.com or call 631-360-7575.

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Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT) 

After three years, the Stony Brook University (SBU) Economic Development  Incubator Showcase returns in full force on Wednesday, June 8, from 9 a.m. to noon at the University’s  Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT) building.

More than 60 companies from the university’s incubation system in the areas of biotechnology, energy, IT and food will be on-hand to provide attendees the opportunity to speak with the SBU entrepreneurs and network with business owners, financiers and investors. Please find the list of companies here.

The event is free with pre-registration required and must be completed by June 7.

“The showcase celebrates the entrepreneurial culture built at the university and the individual success of each company at every phase,” said Peter Donnelly, Associate Vice President for Technology Partnerships. “Investors, government officials, attorneys, business services professionals, and the public can meet with Stony Brook incubator companies’ leadership to see first-hand the technologies these entrepreneurs are bringing to the marketplace.”

This event is a joint effort by Stony Brook University’s Centers of Excellence, Centers for Advanced Technology, Long Island High Technology, CEBIP & Calverton Incubators.  Directions to the CEWIT building can be found here.

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Nikhil Palekar, MD. Photo by Jeanne Neville/Stony Brook Medicine

Stony Brook Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease selected as the only recipient on Long Island, and one of only 10 NYSDOH-supported, hospital-based centers of its kind in New York State

Stony Brook Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease (CEAD) was awarded a new $2.35 million, state-funded grant over five years (2022-27 grant cycle) by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and renews on June 1. Of the 10 NYSDOH-supported, hospital-based centers in the state, Stony Brook Medicine is the only recipient of this competitive grant on Long Island and will continue to serve the growing needs of communities in both Nassau and Suffolk counties.

To qualify as a Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease, a hospital-based center must meet rigorous standards which are measured and reviewed annually. These include: high quality diagnostic and assessment services for people with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia; patient management and care; referral of patients and their caregivers to community services; training and continuing education to medical professionals and students on the detection, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

With scientific strides being made in identifying potential new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent Alzheimer’s and other dementias, Stony Brook’s efforts during this five-year grant cycle will also include a continued focus on research.

“The renewal of this important NYSDOH grant comes at a time when there are a growing number of people with Alzheimer’s disease in our state, many of whom reside in underserved communities right here on Long Island,” said Harold Paz, MD, MS, Executive Vice President Health Sciences, Stony Brook University, and Chief Executive Officer, Stony Brook University Medicine. “It reinforces the strong reputation Stony Brook has built over the years, as an expert in diagnosis, care, training and resources, and as an institution committed to being at the forefront of research and clinical trials seeking effective treatments and a cure.”

A Growing Population of 65+

According to the DOH, 410,000 New Yorkers age 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2025, this number is expected to increase to 460,000 New Yorkers needing care for Alzheimer’s disease. Long Island has the second-highest age 65+ population in New York State after New York City. On Long Island’s East End, approximately 36 percent of homes have at least one person in the household who is over 65 years of age.

“We are honored once again to be recognized for all that our team and community partners have accomplished as we continue to serve this vulnerable population,” said Nikhil Palekar, MD, Director, Stony Brook Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease. Dr. Palekar, who joined Stony Brook in 2017, has been instrumental in developing the Center’s mission and services.

An expert in the treatment and research of cognitive and mood disorders in older adults with grant funding from National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Alzheimer’s Association and Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, Dr. Palekar encourages people who are having trouble remembering, learning new things, concentrating, or making decisions to get screened and diagnosed — the sooner the better. “When the brain is unable to function well, your entire health starts to suffer. If you’re having memory issues, you’re probably forgetting to take your medications for blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, causing a worsening of chronic medical conditions,” he noted.

Cognitive Screenings, Clinical Trials, Federally Qualified Health Center Partnerships

The Stony Brook Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease, part of the Stony Brook Neurosciences Institute, now offers free cognitive screening clinics to the community at CEAD’s offices at Putnam Hall on the campus of Stony Brook University, as well as at Stony Brook’s Advanced Specialty Care location in Commack. The Stony Brook CEAD staff is also available to conduct free screenings in communities on Long Island upon request. Each individual screened will receive the screening results on the spot so that they can bring the results to their primary care physician for further assessment and treatment if needed.

The Stony Brook Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease also offers a variety of clinical trials in support of groundbreaking research studies on aging, memory, and dementia. Stony Brook has been selected as a study site for several clinical trials, including monoclonal antibody therapy trials that target amyloid plaque for the treatment of mild Alzheimer’s disease.

Another new initiative of the Stony Brook CEAD is the establishment of partnerships with several federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) on Long Island to help meet the needs of unserved and underserved people spanning communities from the east end to those bordering Queens. Stony Brook CEAD will provide free cognitive screening assessments, educational resources, training for physicians, and opportunities to participate in research studies and clinical trials, which will help improve early diagnosis and quality of life for people in these communities living with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.

For more information about the Stony Brook Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease, visit ceadlongisland.org.

About the Stony Brook Neurosciences Institute:

Stony Brook Neurosciences Institute is the regional leader in diagnosing and treating a full range of brain, neurological and psychiatric disorders in adults and children. As a tertiary care center, we also serve as the “go-to” medical facility for community physicians and other specialists in the region who have complicated cases and seek advanced care for their patients. We bring the expertise of renowned specialists together with the use of sophisticated technology to deliver high-quality, disease-specific, comprehensive care for patients, while providing peace of mind to their families. This care includes access to various resources and therapies to assist with rehabilitation and reintegration into everyday living during and after treatment. The Institute features more than 15 specialty centers and programs — several that are unique to our region — and more than 70 research laboratories dedicated to the study of various neurological and psychiatric disorders and diseases. The Institute also provides challenging yet supportive educational experiences that prepare graduates to practice in a variety of clinical and academic settings. To learn more, visit www.neuro.stonybrookmedicine.edu.

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This map shows of the status of marine protected areas in the United States. Credit: Sullivan-Stack et al., Frontiers in Marine Science 2022

By Daniel Dunaief

Time is not on our side.

That’s one of the messages, among others, from a recent paper in Frontiers in Marine Conservation that explored Marine Protected Areas around the United States.

In a study involving scientists at universities across the country, the researchers concluded that the current uneven distribution of MPAs do not offer sufficient protection for marine environments.

Left, Ellen Pikitch holds gooseneck barnacles in The Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, an MPA in Washington State.

 

“The mainland of the United States is not well protected” with no region reaching the 10 percent target for 2020, said Ellen Pikitch, Endowed Professor of Ocean Conservation Sciences at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University and a co-author on the study. “The mid-Atlantic is one of the worst of the worst in that regard. We’re not well positioned and we have no time to waste.”

Indeed, the United States, through the administration of President Joe Biden (D), has committed to protecting 30 percent of the oceans by 2030. At this point, 26 percent of the oceans are in at least one kind of MPA. That, however, doesn’t reflect the uneven distribution of marine protection, Pikitch and the other authors suggested.

As much as 96 percent of the protection is in the Central Pacific Ocean, Pikitch explained. That compares with 1.9 percent of the mainland United States and 0.3 percent of the mid-Atlantic.

“We are denying the benefits of ocean protection to a huge portion of the U.S. population,” Pikitch said. “This needs to change if we want the full spectrum of marine life in U.S. ocean waters and to obtain the many benefits to human well-being that this would provide.”

The researchers in the study used a new science-based framework called “The MPA Guide,” which Pikitch helped create. This study represents the first application of this guide to the quantity and quality of marine protection around the United States.

The Guide, which was published in September in the journal Science, rates areas as fully, highly, lightly or minimally protected and is designed to bridge the gap between scientific research and government policies.

Jenna Sullivan-Stack, a research associate at Oregon State University and lead author on the paper, credits Pikitch with helping to create the guide.

Pikitch made “key contributions to this work, especially putting it in context relative to international work and also thinking about how it can be useful on a regional scale for the mid-Atlantic,” Sullivan-Stack explained in an email.

“These findings highlight an urgent need to improve the quality, quantity and representativeness of MPA protection across U.S. waters to bring benefits to human and marine communities,” Sullivan-Stack said in a statement.

Pikitch said MPAs enhance resilience to climate change, providing buffers along shorelines. Seagrasses, which Long Island has in its estuaries, are one of the “most powerful carbon sequesters” on the planet, she explained.

Pikitch suggested there was abundant evidence of the benefits of MPAs. This includes having fish that live longer, grow to a larger size and reproduce more. Some published, peer-reviewed papers also indicate the benefit for nearby waterways.

“I have seen the spillover effect in several MPAs I have studied,” Pikitch said.

To be sure, these benefits may not accrue in nearby waters. That depends on factors including if the area where fishing is allowed is downstream of the protected area and on the dispersal properties of the fished organism, among other things, Pikitch explained.

Lauren Wenzel, Director of NOAA’s Marine Protected Areas Center, said the government recognizes that the ocean is changing rapidly due to climate change and that MPAs are affected by warmer and more acidic water, intense storms and other impacts.

“We are now working to ensure that existing and new MPAs can help buffer climate impacts by protecting habitats that store carbon and by providing effective protection to areas important for climate resilience,” Wenzel said.

The researchers made several recommendations in the paper. They urged the creation of more, and more effective, MPAs, urging a reevaluation of areas with weak protection and an active management of these regions to generate desired results.

They also suggested establishment of new, networked MPAS with better representation of biodiversity, regions and habitats. The researchers urged policy makers to track areas that provide conservation benefits, such as military closed regions.

The paper calls for the reinstatement and empowerment of the MPA Federal Advisory Committee, which was canceled in 2019.

While the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has no plans to reinstate this committee, is it “considering ways to expand the dialogue and seek advice from outside the government on area-based management,” Wenzel said.

The paper also urges the country to revisit and update the National Ocean Policy and National Ocean Policy Committee, which were repealed in 2018 before plans were implemented.

Wenzel said that the United States recently joined the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, a multi-national effort to ensure the country commits to developing a national plan within five years to manage the ocean under national jurisdiction sustainably.

In terms of enforcing MPAs, the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries supports enforcement that fosters voluntary compliance through educating sanctuary users and promoting a sense of stewardship toward the living and cultural resources of the sanctuary, Wenzel added.

“The sanctuary system’s goal is to provide a law enforcement presence in order to deter and detect violations,” she said.

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries works with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of the Interior.

In terms of the impact of the paper, Pikitch said she hopes the paper affects policies and ignites change.

“We need to ramp up the amount and quality of protection in U.S. ocean waters, particularly adjacent to the mainland U.S. and the mid-Atlantic region,” she said.

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Photo from Staller Center

In their only New York appearance, 16-time Grammy award-winning musician, composer, and producer David Foster and acclaimed singer, television and Broadway star Katharine McPhee will bring their viral Instagram sensation “The Kat & Dave Show,” direct from their living room to Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts for one live show, Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.

In her first appearance at the Staller Center since 2010, McPhee will perform some of her biggest songs from American Idol, Smash, and Broadway’s Waitress. ‘The Kat & Dave Show” will also showcase Foster’s hit songs created for countless music legends including Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, Dolly Parton, Chicago, Hall & Oates, Gloria Estefan, and many others.

“We are thrilled to welcome back Katharine McPhee and for the first time, David Foster,” said Alan Inkles, Director of Staller Center for the Arts. ‘The Kat & Dave Show,’ their ‘quaranstream’ Instagram Live concerts, delighted legions of fans during the early days of the pandemic. The combination of these two powerhouse entertainers is sure to be a treat for our audiences.”

Tickets for “The Kat & Dave Show,” starting at $62, are on sale online at www.stallercenter.com. For a limited time, ticket buyers can receive 10% off by using code KAT10DAVE. 

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Patrick M. Lloyd, DDS, MS Photo provided by Ohio State University

Stony Brook University has named Patrick M. Lloyd, DDS, MS, as Dean of the School of Dental Medicine (SDM). Lloyd’s appointment, effective July 1, was announced by Hal Paz, MD, executive vice president of health sciences at Stony Brook University and chief executive officer, Stony Brook University Medicine. Lloyd joins Stony Brook after a decade spent as the dean of the College of Dentistry at Ohio State University.

Dr. Lloyd succeeds Margaret M. McGovern, MD, PhD, who was named Interim Dean of the School of Dental Medicine on Dec. 1, 2021. While at Ohio State some of Lloyd’s accomplishments included increasing college funding support for student research, forming a college-wide workgroup to identify priorities and develop strategies to improve the school’s environment, and initiating the CARE (Commitment to Access Resources and Education) program aimed at recruiting and supporting dental students from underserved communities in Ohio, and oversaw the planning, design, and fund raising for a ninety-five million dollar expansion and renovation of the college’s clinical and administrative facilities.

Dr. Lloyd is an international lecturer on a variety of issues related to geriatric dentistry and has published widely on treatment strategies for the aged dental patient. His diverse clinical experience includes private practice in prosthodontics with an emphasis on care of the older adult and educating and training students in the area of special patient care.

Dr. Lloyd is a graduate of Marquette University School of Dentistry and earned his specialty certificate in prosthodontics from the V.A. Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as well as a master of science from the Graduate School of Marquette University. After completing his specialty training, Lloyd served as chief of dental geriatrics and directed a fellowship in geriatric dentistry at the Milwaukee V.A. Medical Center.

In 1985, he was appointed to serve as national coordinator for geriatric dental programs for the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 1992, he joined the faculty at Marquette University, where he was head of the Special Patient Care Clinic. He held that position for four years before being named executive officer of the Department of Family Dentistry at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry in 1996. In 2004, Dr. Lloyd was named dean at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry before heading to Ohio State University, where he has been the dean of the College of Dentistry since 2011.

“Dr. Lloyd’s vision and extraordinary experience positions him well to lead the next era of Stony Brook’s School of Dental Medicine and build upon the School’s focus to advance its dental education, research, patient care, and service to the community,” said Dr. Paz. “He has the strategic acumen and leadership skills to ensure we meet the highest professional standards, provide the best education and training experiences to our students and residents, and high-quality care for our patients.”

 

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