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The following incidents have been reported by Suffolk County Police:

Centereach

■ Walgreens on Middle Country Road in Centereach reported that a man and a woman allegedly stole laundry detergent worth $375.

Cold Spring Harbor

■ A 2020 Jeep Cherokee was reported stolen from the driveway of a resident on Ridge Road in Cold Spring Harbor on June 9. The key fob had been left in the vehicle. The car was worth approximately $35,000.

■ A resident on Fox Hunt Lane in Cold Spring Harbor reported that his vehicle, a 2015 Chevy Camaro, was stolen from his driveway on June 8. The key had been left in the center console and the car was left unlocked. The vehicle was valued at $18,000.

Commack

■ Walmart on 85 Crooked Hill Road in Commack reported a shoplifter on June 6. A woman allegedly stole $193 worth of assorted household items.

■ Home Depot on Jericho Turnpike in Commack called the police on June 7 to report that a man allegedly stole a roll of landscaping wire, a Wyze doorbell, a coaxial cable and a Ring doorbell battery pack. The total value of the items was approximately $650.

■ A gang box was broken into at a building under construction on Hauppauge Road in Commack on June 8 and a Hydroguard brass mixing valve worth $3,000 was stolen.

■ A resident on Grace Park Drive in Commack reported that someone entered his unlocked vehicle on June 11 and stole his wallet containing cash and credit cards.

East Setauket

■ Walmart on Nesconset Highway in East Setauket reported a shoplifter on June 7. A person allegedly stole an air conditioner worth $216.

Huntington

■ A 2013 Infiniti worth $10,000 was reported stolen from a driveway on Old Town Lane in Huntington on June 7.

Huntington Station

■ Macy’s on Walt Whitman Road in Huntington reported a petit larceny on June 9. Two women allegedly stole assorted clothing valued at $700.

Melville

■ A resident on Louis Drive in Melville reported on June 9 that he left his 2020 Land Rover Range Rover running in his driveway unattended. An unknown person walking by got into the car and drove away. The vehicle was valued at $40,000.

Miller Place

■ A resident on Jonah Road in Miller Place reported that a dirt bike, 1999 Honda CR50 was stolen from a backyard shed on June 7. The dirt bike, valued at $900, was later recovered from a nearby wooded area.

Mount Sinai

■ A resident on Maureen Drive in Mount Sinai reported that someone entered his vehicle on June 6 and stole assorted golf clubs and equipment.

■ A resident on Ross Lane in Mount Sinai called the police on June 7 to report that someone had entered his unlocked vehicle parked in the driveway and stole a laptop, backpack, wallet and cash. Items were also stolen from a vehicle parked on Quail Run the same day.

Selden

■ Hope Lutheran Church on Dare Road in Selden reported the theft of a bench worth $200 from the church garden on June 8. 

■ BP Gas Station on Middle Country Road in Selden was the victim of a burglary on June 8. An unknown man allegedly broke the front glass door to gain entry and stole 60 packs of Newport cigarettes valued at $750 and assorted lottery scratch-off tickets worth $250.

■ Home Depot on Middle Country Road in Selden reported a shoplifter on June 11. A man allegedly stole a DeWalt table saw worth $650.

Shoreham

■ Multiple residents on Michelle Drive, Woodville Road and Tagliabue Road reported that their unlocked vehicles were entered on June 6 and 7 and items and cash were stolen.

South Setauket

■ Target on Pond Path in South Setauket reporter a shoplifter on June 10. A man allegedly stole a Haier Air Conditioner valued at $180.

■ A shoplifter was reported at Home Depot on Pond Path in South Setauket on June 7. A man allegedly stole a LG Air Conditioner valued at $459.

Stony Brook

■ A resident on Midfield Street in Stony Brook reported the theft of a 120 gallon propane tank from his backyard on June 8. The tank was valued at $300.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS.

— COMPILED BY HEIDI SUTTON

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Student activists and community members took to the streets of Port Jefferson Station on Saturday, June 11, to protest the recent proliferation of gun violence in schools nationwide.

Demonstrators held signs and organizers delivered impassioned speeches calling upon public officials to enact comprehensive gun reform policies. Local photojournalist Daniel Palumbo was on the ground during the event, capturing images of the demonstrators as the event unfolded.

— Photos by Daniel Palumbo

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METRO photo

The warm weather is here and that means more people are walking outside while others are taking to the streets on their bikes.

In some recreational areas, including several in our own backyards, walkers and bicyclists share the same paths. Sometimes the mixture can be a recipe for disaster.

Unfortunately, many on bikes pedaling at high speeds seem to be more concerned about quickly getting somewhere than about taking proper precautions to ensure pedestrian safety. Electric bikes have only compounded these issues.

It’s not uncommon to hear of someone taking a leisurely stroll and then being hit by a bike, thrown to the ground and ending up needing medical assistance. One walker on Trustees Road at West Meadow Beach recently needed stitches after being hit by a bike.

When sharing the road with cars, bikers know to stay to the right, ride in the same direction of traffic, be no more than two abreast and transition to single file when a car is passing. However, many seem to forget there are rules to follow when on a path without cars.

A general rule of thumb is for bikers to keep to the right. When this isn’t possible, if a person on a bike sees people walking ahead, especially if their back is turned to them, it’s common courtesy to not only slow down but also to say “on your right” or “passing on your left.” A better solution is to have a bell on the bike so you can alert people when you are coming down the path. 

Bicyclists should also avoid riding on sidewalks. One reason is that drivers aren’t expecting a person on a bike to be on the sidewalk, and sometimes can be caught off guard when someone comes pedaling onto the road.

Taking care when on wheels doesn’t stop with bicycles, as skateboarders should also use caution when sharing space with pedestrians.

Most importantly, bikers should take advantage of the designated bike paths that are opening up throughout the county. These paths provide bikers the necessary space to pursue their pastime in peace and comfort, reducing the risk of a critical biking accident on our roads. 

No one should come home injured due to the carelessness of another. Elected officials should continue working to ensure shared recreational areas are safe by adding bicycle paths to keep bikers to the right or adding speed bumps to slow down those on wheels.

Warm weather may be perfect for getting outside and having some fun, but the fun ends when someone gets hurt. Just a little bit of care and remembering public paths are meant to share can make for a better and safer day for everyone just trying to enjoy some recreational time.

And bikers, before you head for the road, don’t forget to put on your helmet!

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By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

Even as I type this, I’m sure my mom, and the parents of people in their 40s and 50s, are going to laugh.

You see, my daughter turned 21 recently. For me, her age comes as a bit of a shock, a take-stock moment and a time warp enigma.

I get it. She’s lived 21 years, but, somehow, her reaching that age seems to have happened suddenly.

I know it’s not all about me, but it is in this column, so, hang with me for a few more minutes.

I don’t remember many of my birthdays when I was younger. At her third birthday, I’m pretty sure I didn’t stop and say to myself, “When I turned three, I was wishing with all my might for a Big Wheel.”

That probably was what I wanted, but I don’t remember thinking that. In fact, I don’t recall other landmark birthdays all that vividly, even though my parents invited my friends over, sang to me, and insisted that I make a “really good wish” before I blew out the candles.

What I remember from that age was my ambivalence. I was uncomfortable with all the attention, but I enjoyed the excitement of opening new presents. One year, all I wanted was basketballs, so I got three of them from my obliging social group.

So, back to our daughter. She earned this milestone birthday, leaving behind a trail of bread crumb memories.

On the day of our daughter’s birth, my wife insisted that I stay with her in the hospital no matter what was happening with my wife, so that we brought home the baby that had been “cooking” as we called it, for all those months.

It wasn’t hard to find our daughter, who has a distinctive birthmark and was exactly twice the weight of the baby next to her in the pediatric unit.

She went through numerous stages on the journey from that first miraculous day to now. When we moved out to a suburb from Manhattan, she took a walk through a nearby wooded path. An inchworm dangled from a tree and landed on her small, thin outstretched finger.

She carried it, slowly and carefully back to our house, offering to show this miracle to our new neighbors. Having lived their entire short lives in the suburbs, they didn’t relate to this city girl’s fascination with small samples of nature and returned to their driveway activities.

She took us with her on a journey that included brief visits to ballet studios (that ended abruptly) and to gymnastics floors (that also didn’t take). We spent considerably more time on hot softball fields and in confined volleyball gymnasiums, where ear-piercing whistles blended with teams celebrating the end of each point.

We also attended numerous concerts, including jazz bands, where she overcame stage fright to play a tenor saxophone solo.

We went through phases where nothing I said was right, funny or even worth sharing. The silent treatment, the lack of communication and the dubiousness with which she interacted with us helped prepare us for the moment when her younger brother exercised his own need to push us away and assert his independence.

So, here she is, at 21, driving a car, preparing for her senior year of college, making friends, gainfully employed during the summer, and filled with so much of the same wonder that defined her earlier years. In fact, these days, instead of carrying inchworms on her now manicured hands, she maintains several ecospheres filled with snails on a small table in her room.

When children act out, parents sometimes caution them that they may one day have a child just like them. In her case, I certainly hope so. I couldn’t wish anything better for our now 21-year-old.

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With the cost of food spiraling out of control, public officials are scrambling for answers. 

A May report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates food prices have climbed 10.8% since April 2021, the highest 12-month increase in over four decades. The surge in food prices nationwide is being driven by a number of factors occurring both domestically and abroad.

Both Ukraine and Russia are major international exporters of grain, including corn, wheat and soy, among other staples. The price of these products has surged exponentially due to the war, affecting markets globally. 

“Food prices in the United States are going up because the oil to deliver the food, the cost of fertilizer, and the cost of planting and harvesting are all going up,” Martin Cantor, director of the Long Island Center for Socio-Economic Policy, said in a phone interview. “All of that has to do with inflation, it has to do with oil and gas, and it has to do with the war in Ukraine.”

New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) addressed growing concerns over food prices. He said that the state Legislature has recently passed legislation that eliminates the fuel tax. This, coupled with actions at the county level, may help offset increases in food prices. 

“The main thing that we’ve been able to do in this recently passed state budget is to remove — at least temporarily for the rest of this year — the 16-cent state tax on fuel,” he said. “When you live around here, for most people, you need a car to get your food, so these escalating costs are related.” He added, “We’ve also authorized in the state budget the commissioner of agriculture to sharpen his pencils to see what he can do to bring more food to market.”

The Suffolk County Legislature has also suspended its tax on fuel, effective June 1. State and county measures combined, Englebright said residents are now seeing a 26-cent reduction per gallon of gasoline. 

‘It’s very important that we focus now on funneling the money that we have in the state budget into these communities, not only to help the business owners, but to help the residents survive through this process and through this inflation.’ — Jodi Giglio

Despite the elimination of these fuel taxes, prices nationwide continue to swell. State Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead) said local residents are being hit particularly hard due to the already high cost of living on Long Island. 

“We pay the highest taxes and the highest utility rates here on Long Island,” she said. “It’s very important that we focus now on funneling the money that we have in the state budget into these communities, not only to help the business owners, but to help the residents survive through this process and through this inflation.”

The recently enacted state budget will offer residents some relief in the form of direct cash payments through the New York School Tax Relief Program (STAR). Giglio said she and her colleagues in Albany appropriated an additional $2.2 billion in the state budget and expedited the delivery of these checks to help residents deal with inflation and rising costs. 

“The $2.2 billion is for homeowner tax rebate checks,” she said, adding. “It’s a one-time check for STAR-eligible homeowners, and it’s for individuals and for families. New Yorkers are going to start getting these checks right away and they should be hitting within the next couple of weeks.”

This is tough. We’re in a really tough place with food prices, and families at the poverty level are suffering the most. — Kara Hahn

Elevated food costs will detrimentally impact food pantries as well. Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) expressed concerns that rising food costs will only compound the existing problem of food insecurity, making it even harder to feed those in need.

“Food insecurity has been a growing problem on Long Island,” she said. “We support a number of food pantries across Suffolk County. I’ve been part of supporting Long Island Cares and Island Harvest, trying to make sure that there is not food waste.” She added, “This is tough. We’re in a really tough place with food prices, and families at the poverty level are suffering the most.”

‘People will inevitably try to make their anguish heard and understood, and one way to do that is at the ballot box.’ — Steve Englebright

Midterm elections loom large as Long Islanders consider ways to get food on the table. At the current rate, food expenses will be at the top of the priority list for a sizable voting bloc. Englebright acknowledges that if food prices are not alleviated soon, there may be significant electoral consequences at all levels of government this November. 

“People will inevitably try to make their anguish heard and understood, and one way to do that is at the ballot box,” he said. “That is a possibility but I hope that the sense of urgency does not require that people use that as the only way to have a sense of empowerment, and optimism in the hope that we’re able to use the instruments of government, limited as they may be, to help offset some of these costs and give people a chance to put food on the table.”

Cantor reiterated these sentiments. He suggests voters are much more likely to vote for the opposition during times of great tribulation. “The reality is that when people are angry, hungry and can’t work, they usually vote the incumbents out,” he said. “When everything you touch costs more than you make, that gets you very angry and very upset. The poor and the middle class are going to get hurt the most.”

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By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but I tested positive last night for COVID,” was the text message from one of our staff in Wednesday’s morning mail. “My sister tested positive, and I was not feeling good so I tested. I am figuring I will work from home the rest of the week and should be OK to return Monday … I just have a headache and a really bad sore throat. No cough. [Not to worry] I wore my mask [this past] Monday and Tuesday at work because I was not feeling good.” 

These are the two ways the landscape for businesses has changed. 

First, at any moment, COVID can alter the day’s lineup. The wildly contagious coronavirus can attack anyone, even those who have been vaccinated, those who have also been boosted and those who have already suffered with a previous bout of the disease. No one is safe, unless they have stayed in a cave alone for over two years, and hence no establishment or sports team or orchestra is immune from shake up on a daily basis.

The second change is made possible by the ability to work remotely. Not every worker can do so. Conductors cannot drive trains remotely, sanitation workers cannot clean remotely and surgeons cannot remove an appendix remotely. At least not yet. But many jobs do lend themselves to being discharged from afar. And this has led to some unintended consequences.

Workers have discovered that they sometimes enjoy doing their jobs from home. Yes, they might miss the socializing that is a part of the office scene. And they might feel like they can come up with new ideas better in an in-person gathering. But they really like working on their own timetable, with time out for a walk or to throw in a wash. Of course, the typical work schedule is altered. They can sit at the computer well into the night, with no separation between work time and free time. And they can be with their families more, for better and worse. 

So some in my office, who can perform their jobs from home, are asking to do that. In fact, they are requesting and getting software that enables access to their desk computers at work. They can then tap into the key items they need to complete their tasks. That also suggests they are still there. Which reminds me of the early days, when I worked at a large corporation, and we might leave a few minutes early but hung our sweaters on the back of the desk chairs to give the impression we were returning. 

One staffer even asked if she could borrow a desk chair from the office. She says it makes her feel totally comfortable when working in her house. It used to be that workers tried to transform their office space into reminders of home, with photos, pillows, plants and the like. Now we have the opposite. Employees are transforming their home workspace into their offices.

As you can tell from the text I quoted, we have no expectation of sick days. We assume that if we are conscious, we can still produce whatever we are responsible for producing. Where before we might have had food trays brought to us in bed, now we have our laptops perched across our midriffs if we remain horizontal.

What will happen next?

For some, working remotely is a dream come true. My oldest grandson has a terrific job that can only be done remotely, and he feels immense freedom to live anywhere he chooses. That’s not so different from when I had just graduated from college and decided where I wanted to live, knowing that wherever I moved, I would be able to find a job because there were more jobs than people to fill them in the 1960s. For others, a hybrid work week seems ideal: the best of the office for two or three days, and no commuting the rest of the week. Only those with no choice may be peeved.

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Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are investigating a motor-vehicle crash that killed a teenager and seriously injured two others in Commack the afternoon of June 15.

A teenager was driving a 2008 Ford Mustang northbound on Indian Head Road when he swerved to avoid another vehicle and lost control. The Mustang struck a 2015 Jeep Wrangler that was traveling southbound near Carldon Road at approximately 3:45 p.m. A female passenger in the Mustang, Isabel Carella, 17, of Smithtown, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Mustang, Dominic Crocitto, 17, of Kings Park, was transported via ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of serious physical injuries. A passenger in the Mustang was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip with serious physical injuries. A third passenger from the Mustang was transported to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the Jeep, Annalise Wilkes, 19, of Commack, was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

 

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From left, Richard Risi, Sabrina Lopez and Michael John Ruggiere in a scene from the show. Photo by NanMagna/The Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island

The Mikado: A Long Island Fantasy, a new approach to the classic comic opera, will appear for one night only in Commack when the Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island brings its 2022 production of the beloved show to Suffolk Y-JCC on June 17.

Directed by Tony Tambasco and with the orchestra conducted by music director Stuart Watarz, this all-new Mikado recasts the most famous of the Gilbert & Sullivan operas to be set on Long Island’s Gold Coast in the 1920s, the era of Prohibition, the flappers, silent movies and The Great Gatsby.

“I have attempted to recover the spirit of Gilbert & Sullivan’s intentions with a production that holds a mirror up to the present day, while also engaging in light-hearted fairy-tale-telling,” Tambasco said. 

“Setting The Mikado on a fantasy Long Island of 100 years ago allows us to activate the `Gatsby’ mythology that is a part of the cultural heritage of Long Island in the service of telling Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic fairy tale of a community overcoming the nonsensical cruelty imposed on its people.”

The score is packed with famous songs, including the lovely ballad “The Sun, Whose Rats Are All Ablaze,” the rattling patter song “I’ve Got a Little List,” the ingenious trio “I Am So Proud” and the wistful “Titwillow.”  The story is a merry farce that’s as funny now as it was in 1885 when the show premiered, and virtually defines the idea of “fun for the whole family.”

The cast includes more than a dozen of the company’s finest singers and dancers, more than meeting the challenge of  the production. 

Richard Risi plays Nanki-Poo, the wandering minstrel who’s secretly the son of the all-powerful Mikado (Lloyd Baum).  Sabrina Lopez is Yum-Yum, Nanki-Poo’s secret love, with Michael John Ruggiere as her guardian Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner.  Tamara Shyngle and Delaney R. Page play Yum-Yum’s schoolmates Pitti-Sing and Peep-Bo, with Kenneth Kopolovicz as the pompous Pooh-Bah and Jordan Breslow as the wily Pish-Tush. Patricia Gallagher plays the fearsome aristocrat Katisha, who claims Nanki-Poo in marriage and won’t take “No” as an answer.

The most popular comic opera ever written, the only one of the Gilbert & Sullivan operas popular even in non-English-speaking countries and the first ever to be made into a movie, the show has been a hit on Broadway as The Hot Mikado (1939), and has even had a movie—“Topsy Turvy” (1999)—made about its creation. It remains arguably the most popular work of music theater ever.

The Mikado: A Long Island Fantasy will be presented on Friday, June 17 at 8 p.m. at Suffolk Y/JCC, 74 Hauppauge Road in Commack. Admission is $30, seniors and students $25. For further information, call 516-619-7415 or visit www.gaslocoli.org.

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A growing divide has emerged between the people of the North Shore and the Long Island Rail Road, and it is time for the local community to bridge this gap.

In board rooms and public meetings throughout this area, local officials today express similar frustrations about their various dealings with this public railroad company.

On Monday night, Port Jefferson Village trustee Bruce Miller described the complications that arose during a recent meeting with LIRR reps as neither party could agree on a common path forward. A day later, Brookhaven and state officials traveled to Stony Brook train station, echoing the decades-old call for the electrification of the Port Jefferson Branch line.

Local elected officials are most familiar and best equipped to handle the plights of their constituents. Yet in communities throughout this area, our leaders are meeting resistance with LIRR, whose leadership changes too often. While LIRR rightly devotes much of its energies to the more heavily traveled Ronkonkoma Branch, the residents of the North Shore pay taxes and have an interest in this company, too. 

LIRR officials should be aware of the frequency of riders who travel inland to the main line in the center of the Island. This suggests residents here are rejecting the railways in their own backyard for a longer drive to the train station — albeit a faster and more direct  commute into Manhattan. The unintended consequences of this are greater congestion on our roadways and more pollution generated by cars. This burdensome commute impairs our quality of life, costing us more energy and placing unnecessary strain on our physical and mental health.

For decades, the people of this area have asked LIRR to electrify the Port Jefferson Branch. Today, as the cost of diesel fuel surges exponentially due to inflation, this transition is more necessary than ever before. Despite the preponderance of evidence that electrification will reduce air and noise pollution, that it will cut costs for the railroad and the taxpayer, and that it will deliver a better ride for the people of this community, electrification has been nothing more than a pipedream.

There is no better time than right now to electrify the line. With a flood of infrastructure stimulus cash from the federal government, the opportunity is ripe for the taking. We must thank our representatives who are fighting to secure a better ride and remind them to keep applying the pressure. 

At some point, LIRR must soon give in and when it does, it will be for the better.

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The second in a two-part series, this article highlights the strain COVID-19 has placed on a mental health care system that was already resource-constrained. Mental health care workers, from social workers to psychologists, psychiatrists and emergency medical teams, have responded to the increasing need for their services, cutting back on vacation times and dealing with patients who threaten violence against themselves and others. During the pandemic, health care workers who focused on the emotional well-being of patients also sought balance in their own lives. To borrow from the TV show “Law & Order,” these are their stories.

For some, running half marathons, spending time with family, meditating and communing with nature helps. For others, staying connected and reaching out to the kinds of services they themselves provide also offsets the growing strains in their work.

Health care workers have shouldered the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic for more than two years, reaching out well beyond their job description to help patients amid a period of intense uncertainty that threatened their physical and emotional health.

The cost to health care workers, including those who work in behavioral or mental health, has been considerable, as time at the hospital and speaking with patients remotely cut into their personal lives and threatened their own sense of balance.

“It was very difficult to be a doctor through the storms of COVID,” said Dr. Stacy Eagle, director of Psychiatry at Port Jefferson-based St. Charles Hospital. Health care workers had to “deal with a lot of mental health issues” during the last few years.

Indeed, hospitals throughout the area offered varying levels of support while their staff were on-site, including meditation rooms and aroma therapy. They also suggested personal health checks and provided on-call services for employees who might be struggling amid concerns about their health and the well-being of family members and their patients.

While the general public has tried to push COVID into the back of their minds, attending sporting events and movies, going to restaurants and returning to patterns and activities that are reminiscent of life in 2019, health care workers have increasingly needed mental health support.

Employee Assistance

Over the last several months, Stony Brook University, which has an Employee Assistance Program, has seen a rise in the number of staff reaching out for help.

During the pandemic, Stony Brook launched an employee helpline for those who need mental health support, including psychotherapy and/or medication management. Compared to last year, Stony Brook is seeing a two-folded increase, or triple, the number of employees reaching out for services, according to Dr. Adam Gonzalez, director of Behavioral Health and associate professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health at Stony University Renaissance School of Medicine.

“There are high concerns about employee burnout, resignations and departures from health care,” Gonzalez wrote in an email. “Most concerning is the risk for suicide — the ultimate consequence of burnout.”

Stony Brook has an employee support team that implements wellness initiatives, including daily mindfulness meditation sessions, yoga and stretching, and confidential one-on-one support by a faculty and staff care team and employee assistance program.

Dr. Poonamdeep Gill, director of the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program at Stony Brook Hospital, said the mental health team is “seeing more patients who are sicker from a mental health standpoint. People are really struggling. It does take a toll on you.”

Gill said Stony Brook is proactive with staff, making sure they can access services. The university also encourages staff to check in with their leadership team if they are feeling burned out or struggling.

Dr. Michel Khlat, director of St. Catherine of Siena in Smithtown, said he has seen some of the same health care fatigue that has beset hospitals and other health care facilities throughout the country.

“Staff members have gotten overwhelmed with the volumes,” Khlat said. “Some are altering their occupations to see more outpatients. Some are reverting to part-time and per diem work.” He has had a few friends in Florida who are seeing the same phenomenon, with health care workers quitting or cutting back on hospital time and going into private practices.

Bounce forward

The Northwell Health System has been working on the support of all health care workers, including in mental health, said Dr. Vera Feuer, associate vice president in School Mental Health. Northwell has adopted a stress first aid response, peer support, and a resilience model to recover from stress and trauma.

The military developed stress first aid to deal with situations like the pandemic, in which there is ongoing stress with an uncertain ending. That, Feuer said, differs from a single event, like 9/11, where something traumatic occurs and survivors build back from it.

The pandemic has involved over two years of continuous stress and this feeling of uncertainty, she added.

Stress first aid teaches people to support each other in resilience and to “bounce forward,” Feuer said. “It is difficult to maintain in a busy, stressful environment.”

Finding balance

Doctors suggested they engaged in a wide range of activities to help with their own mental health.

A believer in the value of nutraceuticals and supplements, Dr. Jeffrey Wheeler, the director of the Emergency Room at St. Charles Hospital said he also works on focused breathing.

Eagle, his colleague at St. Charles, urges people to pursue some of their hobbies, such as reading or painting. She also recommends staying off of or limiting social media, particularly for younger children who might find the information and the reaction to postings unnerving.

Stony Brook’s Gill believes in physical activity and exercise. She ran a half marathon a few weeks ago on Long Island.

“I make sure I stay active,” she said. “We need to take care of ourselves before we can take care of other people.”

Stony Brook’s Gonzalez stays closely connected to family, friends and work colleagues.

“I also try to stay active and explore nature,” Gonzalez said. “I regularly practice mindfulness [which is] tuning into the present moment in a nonjudgmental way.”

Gonzalez enjoys a good TV show or movie to disconnect and unwind as well.

Northwell’s Feuer said she’s worked harder than she ever had, but, at the same time, she feels fulfilled by the hope and meaning in her work.

For Feuer, the silver lining is the attention to mental health, which “we know has been a problem for a long time. I’m hoping the right resources and interventions” will help those who need it.

To read the first of this two-part series, “Mental health strain for Long Islanders,” visit tbrnewsmedia.com.

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