Drivers need to proceed with caution when they spot deer on the side of roadway. File photo by Phil Schiavone
Deer grazing near roadways may look innocent but they can pose a possible hazard — even a deadly one — for drivers.
As fall arrives, the animals’ presence becomes an even greater danger. A higher percentage of deer are now more likely to dart out into the road as they are in the midst of their rutting season, which runs from October through December. Driving during dusk and dawn exacerbates the problem with reduced visibility.
According to a press release from AAA Northeast, there were 36,445 animal crashes in New York State in 2019, and the number of crashes has increased over the past five years. Suffolk County was found to have the third highest amount of animal crashes with 1,415. In 2019, Brookhaven had 423 animal crashes while Smithtown had 120.
The data was taken from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research, an affiliate with the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs, which does not cite which animals were involved in the crash. However AAA Northeast said in its press release that “data from New York and other states previous years found deer were involved in 88 to 98 percent of crashes.”
“Striking a deer can be extremely dangerous, with the animal possibly going through the windshield, seriously injuring or killing the driver and passengers,” said Robert Sinclair Jr., spokesman for AAA Northeast.
AAA Northeast recommends drivers brake gently and avoid swerving when encountering any animals.
“Going to the right could send the vehicle into a ditch, tree or light pole,” the AAA Northeast press release said. “Swerving to the left could result in a lethal head-on crash. Even hitting the brakes hard could send the front end of the vehicle into a nosedive, promoting the animal rolling up the hood and through the windshield.”
Other tips from AAA and insurance companies include:
● Be extra cautious when you see a deer-crossing sign along a roadway. The sign means that there have been deer-vehicle collisions near the sign location.
● Decrease speed when you approach deer near roadsides as they can bolt out or change direction quickly. If you see a deer, look for others as they are herd animals and usually travel in groups. Especially during rutting season when a buck may be chasing a doe.
● Move your vehicle to a safe place if you hit an animal. If possible, pull over to the side of the road and turn on your hazard lights. If you must leave your vehicle, stay off the road and out of the way of any oncoming vehicles.
● Call the police. Alert authorities if the animal is blocking traffic and creating a threat for other drivers. If the collision results in injury, death or more than $1,000 in property damage, you must fill out an official crash report and send it to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.
● Look for leaking fluid, loose parts, tire damage, broken lights, a hood that won’t latch and other safety hazards. If your vehicle seems unsafe in any way, call for a tow truck.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recommends not getting out of your car and approaching an injured animal as they can strike out with their legs or hooves. In Brookhaven, residents can call the Animal Shelter at 631-451-6950 to report deceased deer on the road or curbside. Town employees cannot remove animals found on front lawns, backyards or on driveways.
A classic car takes part in the Oct. 11 rolling car show in Commack and East Northport. Photo by Jennifer Castillo
A classic car takes part in the Oct. 11 rolling car show in Commack and East Northport. Photo by Jennifer Castillo
A classic car takes part in the Oct. 11 rolling car show in Commack and East Northport. Photo by Jennifer Castillo
A classic car takes part in the Oct. 11 rolling car show in Commack and East Northport. Photo by Jennifer Castillo
A classic car takes part in the Oct. 11 rolling car show in Commack and East Northport. Photo by Jennifer Castillo
Residents in Commack and East Northport were treated to a rolling car show Oct. 11. The show was the eighth one that took place this year and the last for 2020. Smithtown resident Patty Mancuso organized the events and started the Facebook page Smithtown Rolling Car show. “I started this because there were no car shows this spring, something me and my husband Phil really look forward to,” she said. “As I watched one SUV birthday parade after another pass my house while working from home, I dreamed of something better to watch.” Mancuso said after choosing what neighborhood to drive through, she would map out the route and contact residents through the Nextdoor app. During the last few months, the rolling car show has been spotted in Smithtown, Hauppauge, Dix Hills, Commack, East Northport and Kings Park. Photos by Jennifer Castillo
Residents on Long Island and elsewhere can’t call their doctor’s offices and ask to receive all of the same treatment that sent President Donald Trump (R) from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center back to the White House and the campaign trail.
Dr. Luis Marcos said SBU was planning to participate in the second Regeneron trial, but a general lack of COVID patients scrapped that idea. Photo from SBU
After officials said he tested positive for COVID-19 Oct. 2, the president received a combination of the antiviral drug Remdesivir, an antibody cocktail from Regeneron, and the steroid dexamethasone.
Remdesivir has become more widely used in hospitals on Long Island.
The last two months, “all patients admitted to the hospital may qualify for Remdesivir according to the clinical judgment of your doctor,” said Dr. Luis Marcos, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University.
The patient population that is most likely to benefit from Remdesivir includes residents who are over 60, have diabetes with hypertension and have been admitted to the hospital with mild pneumonia.
Patients who have liver disease or kidney failure may not be prescribed the intravenous drug.
Typically, Remdesivir, like other antiviral drugs, benefits patients who have contracted COVID-19 within a week, because the medicine stops the replication of the virus.
Patients who received Remdesivir after an infection that lasted more than 10 days may not benefit as much because the drug won’t reverse damage done to the lungs.
The side effects of antivirals typically last one to two days.
Dexamethasone is also available and used in hospitals including Huntington Hospitals and Stony Brook.
As a steroid, dexamethasone has “multiple side effects,” said Dr. Michael Grosso, Chief Medical Officer at Huntington Hospital. “It is only given when the benefit is expected to significantly outweigh the risk and so there’s going to be that assessment in every case,” Dr. Grosso said.
Patients with diabetes are likely to experience “more trouble with their blood sugar control if they’re receiving dexamethasone,” Grosso added.
Dexamethasone can also produce sleeplessness and, in some cases, psychiatric disturbances, doctors added.
The monoclonal antibody cocktail from Regeneron the president received has had limited use, mostly through clinical trials and in compassionate care cases. It has not received approval from the Food and Drug Administration, although it has applied for emergency use authorization.
Stony Brook was planning to participate in the second trial of Regeneron, with Dr. Bettina Fries, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, as the principal investigator and Dr. Marcos as the co-principal investigator. The hospital did not participate because it didn’t have enough cases.
Marcos said the cocktail of antibodies block the virus actively causing inflammation.
The good news with the Regeneron treatment is that the side effects appear minimal, Marcos said.
Regeneron is unlikely to reverse the damage in the lungs caused by the virus. In managing patient care, doctors try to slow or stop the progression of pneumonia from the virus.
Marcos said patients who are asymptomatic or have minor symptoms shouldn’t race to take the more widely available Remdesivir or Dexamethasone because 99% of patients with COVID infection do not have pneumonia. Those patients with a mild upper respiratory infection may not need anything but Tylenol.
Patients who are developing more severe symptoms can come to the hospital to determine the best medical response.
“If you have fever or you don’t feel that great, of course, come to the Emergency Room, we can evaluate you, and decide what to do next. For mild, mild cases, I don’t think we should be using Remdesivir,” Grosso said.
A drone shot of Long Island Innovation Park in Hauppauge. Photo from Town of Smithtown
Hauppauge’s new mixed-use complex will cater to young professionals working in and near the industrial park as businesses in the park evolve and change.
HIA-LI’s new vision is to add mixed-used developments to the Long Island Innovation Park area. Photo by Julianne Mosher
The Hauppauge Industrial Association of Long Island rebranded the former Hauppauge Industrial Park’s name to Long Island Innovation Park last year with plans to give it a modern facelift. It is not only the second largest industrial park in the country after Silicon Valley, but it also employs more than 55,000 people across Long Island.
Part of HIA-LI’s new vision was to add mixed-used developments to the area surrounding the park, with hopes to bring young, bright and career-driven people to work. The plan will blend housing and commercial real estate, making it an easy one-stop shop for college graduates to live, work and play all near their job.
Town of Smithtown spokeswoman Nicole Garguilo said plans for Long Island Innovation Park are heading toward a groundbreaking, but with no site planned construction as of yet. It will obviously take a few more years to be completely finalized.
But it has been a long process, beginning a little over three years ago, when James Lima Planning + Development strategists surveyed how the development could impact the area and economy. The proposal was published in 2019.
According to the report, the park already accounts for 8.2% of Long Island’s gross domestic product and houses 1,350 companies. The district encompasses about 1,400 acres of land and generates over $19 million in annual tax revenue for the town.
Garguilo said last month the overlay district was approved, which cites 13 potential properties that fit within those parameters.
“The buffer had to be 1,000 square feet between residential and commercial property,” she said. “It has to be far enough away from residential area, so we don’t interrupt the quality of life in the Hauppauge industrial zone.”
The overlay also must be on a vacant lot or property.
As the park has aged over the years, so have its occupying companies, Garguilo said.
“Commerce and economic trends have changed, leading to vacant properties, which was becoming visibly apparent when driving through the park,” she said.
So came the facelift.
“HIA in trying to reimagine what the park could be in the century we’re living in, came up with a master plan for the park to plan for the next 50 years,” Garguilo said. “Obviously industry has changed, you no longer have big warehouses, we’re seeing high tech, pharmaceutical, laboratories. … The park — if it’s going to survive and continue to produce the taxes to support the school districts — they need to evolve their park and what the parks going to look like.”
The report said the park supports the Hauppauge school district with approximately $44 million in annual tax revenue.
In building the mixed-use complex, it would “be able to attract the right high-end companies to the park,” she said, with many of the companies offering discounted housing as part of their benefits package.
“Sixty-eight percent of Long Islanders from 18 to 34 years of age planned to leave the region within the next five years,” Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) said at a press conference last month. “Smithtown is especially vulnerable to this exodus of young people, which would decimate the local economy, leaving behind an aging population incapable of filling local jobs.”
Garguilo said from the beginning, this project was nonpartisan, gaining support from politicians from both sides of the political spectrum.
“Everybody was instrumental in piecing it together from town, to the county and to the state with support from the Long Island Builders Association and Suffolk County IDA.”
However, some local residents claim it will cause more harm than good, saying it will cause an increase of traffic and an influx of new students to the district. “During the one opportunity the community had to voice their opinion, people were adamantly against it,” James Bouklas, president of the We Are Smithtown civic group, said. “The only ones supportive were the developers and politicians.”
Garguilo noted the study claims otherwise, mentioning that young people will stay in the same vicinity where everything they need is available.
“This vicinity is not impacting traffic,” she said. “[The Lima study] shows a slight uptick in traffic on weekends, but for the most part they want to be able do all of that and then walk home.”
She also said they are not expecting families to move into these workforce apartments, but rather use it as a stepping-stone for future homeownership.
“Statistically when a person moves to a town into an apartment or otherwise, when they’re ready to settle down they’re twice as more likely to stay in the town where they started their roots,” she said.
Chris Pendergast celebrates his 70th birthday at 89 North Music Venue in Patchogue with family and friends. Photo by Elliot Perry
At St. Louis de Montfort R.C. Church in Sound Beach, Monday, Oct. 19, those who came to mourn the passing of Chris Pendergast filled the pews, or at least as much as they could while trying to distance due to COVID-19.
Founder of ALS Ride for Life and renowned North Shore figure, Pendergast passed Oct. 14 surrounded by friends and family. He was 71. The nonprofit he founded reported Monday, Oct. 12, that Pendergast was starting to receive home hospice care. The organization announced his death Wednesday afternoon.
Authors Dr. Christopher Pendergast and Christine Pendergast
ALS Ride for Life started when Pendergast embarked on a ride with his electric scooter from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to Washington, D.C., 22 years ago to raise awareness about the disease and raise funds for research. After a few years, the ride was contained to New York state — from Riverhead to the Bronx — where participants stop by schools along the way that take part in the organization’s presentations throughout the school year.
Pendergast, a Miller Place resident and former Northport elementary teacher had lived with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, for 28 years. When doctors diagnosed him, they thought he only had a few years to live.
Many who gathered together to pay respects to the Ride for Life founder have been touched in some way by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a debilitating condition that, over time, paralyzes a person and eventually leads to their death. Father Francis Pizzarelli, director of nonprofit Hope House Ministries, led the funeral Mass at the church, and said to those gathered that his own brother had been diagnosed with the disease at 36 years of age several years ago. Without even knowing it at the time, the Pendergast family reached out to his brother to offer him advice and comfort, something that made “a profound difference in his life.”
Not only did he defy those odds, but he would spend more than two decades after his diagnosis raising millions for ALS research and spreading awareness for it.
Chris’ wife of close to 50 years, Christine Pendergast, said beyond all the work he’s done over the past two decades in advocacy and fundraising, he will be remembered by her and her family as a loving father.
“While everybody is remembering Chris as an ALS advocate and fighter, at the end of the day he was my husband, our children’s father and our grandson’s poppy,” she said.
Monday’s funeral Mass was one of somber remembrances, and tissue boxes were always close at hand. But at the same time, both Pizzarelli and the Pendergast family looked for ways to say though he may be gone, his life should serve as an example.
Pendergast’s daughter, Melissa Scriven, said during the funeral Mass her father was a supremely intelligent man, one who was exacting when it came to her homework as a child. Before he was diagnosed with the paralyzing disease, Pendergast was a handyman, able to “fix anything, even if it was with duct tape.” Her dad’s favorite meal to make when his wife was working late was “tuna noodle casserole, warm, with crushed Doritos … so my brother and I didn’t really like it when my mom worked late.”
During a funeral that was filled with music, some of which were songs Pendergast loved in life, Scriven played one she said was her dad’s favorite, John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” in which everyone’s tears dried ever so briefly as they joined in the chorus: “Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.”
Pendergast Leaves Lasting Mark
The founder of ALS Ride for Life became an icon and symbol for the North Shore for never giving up. Even as he lost the ability to speak and had to communicate with an eye-to-speech device, his determination never seemed to relent. Just this year, Pendergast, alongside his wife Christine, released the book “Blink Spoken Here: Tales from a Journey to Within” about his life since his diagnosis in 1993.
Ray Manzoni, chairman of the board for ALS Ride for Life based in Stony Brook University, knew Chris for many years, as both their kids went to school together in Miller Place. It was one day after both he and Pendergast were together after Mass that the educator told Manzoni he was likely to die in a few years, and that he wanted to raise awareness.
Pallbearers lift Pendergasts casket into the car that will take him to his final resting place at Washington Memorial Park in Mount Sinai. Photo by Kyle Barr
Since then, the organization has raised over $10 million for advocacy and research. Their yearly Ride for Life trips were later accompanied by visits to close to 90 school districts on Long Island.
“Anyone who knew him, I believe he helped us all to live a better life,” Manzoni said. “He was a teacher of gifted and talented kids, and he took this terrible disease and turned it into amazing positive life.”
Paul Weisman, a member of ALS Ride for Life, was diagnosed with the disease in January 2013. Getting introduced to Ride for Life, he started going out with the nonprofit’s founder during their school trips. He would also visit some districts without Pendergast. The organization and its founder gave him a real purpose, “something to strive for, something bigger than myself, to raise as much awareness to fight this disease.”
“Meeting Chris, he gave me hope that three to five years might not be true, that there may still be life here,” Weisman said.
Pendergast had four mantras: Never give up, never lose hope, always remain optimistic and be willing to defy the odds. Weisman loved that last one so much he had it tattooed on his left arm. Upon showing his new ink to the Ride for Life founder, Weisman said his mentor and friend smiled.
“Chris could smile and light up a room,” he said. “We all want to do something with our lives, but he certainly did.”
Pendergast’s roots on the North Shore ran deep, so much so that he became renowned in local school districts. He traveled from classroom to classroom, auditorium to auditorium, helping young people from elementary on up understand ALS but, more importantly, serve as a role model for what bravery truly looked like. Manzoni said students would often embrace Pendergast after these talks. As the years fell by, young students who were inspired by the Ride for Life founder would internalize his message. The board chairman said one time an EMT stopped by the side of the road during the annual ride and told Pendergast how his example inspired them to want to help others.
“If you had the honor of meeting him, riding or walking next to Chris in his ALS Ride for Life from Montauk to Manhattan, or hearing his story of determination, you walked away a better person,” Miller Place Superintendent of Schools Marianne Cartisano wrote in a statement. “He left you with the lasting impressions that made you want to be more tolerant, kinder, more understanding and compassionate toward others. His fight against the devastation of ALS left you inspired, knowing him filled your heart and being in his presence left you humbled.”
ALS Ride For Life Talks Future Efforts
Despite the passing of its founder and leader Chris Pendergast, ALS Ride for Life isn’t thinking of slowing down anytime soon.
Manzoni said the organization wants to continue its fundraising efforts, starting with himself getting on a bike later this month and hitting the road, going to school districts they have visited before the pandemic. He plans to spend enough time at each to wave to children and “hopefully greet someone who has supported our program and to say ‘thank you’ to them, give them banner in recognition.” The organization has also developed a revised packet on how, even during a pandemic, people can support ALS over the school year.
“ALS is not going away, and we have to continue the fight,” he said.
There are even talks of doing a documentary film on Pendergast’s life, something Manzoni said the organization is wholeheartedly all for.
Weisman, still an active member of Ride for Life, said one of his last conversations he had with Pendergast was “to keep going until we found that cure for ALS,” he said. “He firmly believed, as I do, that there’s a major breakthrough coming somewhere around the corner … it’s up to us to finish it.”
Weisman added that while the pandemic has made their normal school trips much more difficult, they have some preliminary ideas to host online talks instead.
“Chris laid down 28 years of work,” he said. “Now it’s up to us.”
With the approaching emotions of the holidays, Suffolk County residents may face persistent and unwanted changes in their lives, from not seeing a cherished family member to remaining confined to the same house where they work, live, eat and study. Between now and the end of the year, TBR News Media will feature stories about the impact of the ongoing pandemic on mental health. The articles will explore how to recognize signs of mental health strain and will provide advice to help get through these difficult times. This week, the article focuses on youth.
In a normal year, when school is out, the number of referrals Dr. Sharon Skariah, Director of Child Adolescent Psychiatry at South Oaks Hospital in Amityville, declines during the summer.
Dr. Sharon Skariah says parents should recognize their own issues in order to help their children. Photo by Sharon Skariah
That’s not the case this year, as children continued to seek help for mental health challenges caused by the loss of a parent, the loss of financial or health security and the decline in social contact amid social distancing.
“We’ve been seeing significant anxiety and depression,” Skariah said. “Part of that is the prolonged time that [children] have been out of school.”
Skariah expects that the ongoing pandemic losses and restrictions will likely continue to cause those figures to increase.
Several mental health professionals shared their dos and don’ts for parents with grieving children.
Grieving Dos
For starters, Skariah suggests that parents should recognize their own anxiety and depression.
“If they find that they are themselves overwhelmed with the chaos of the pandemic, they should be aware that their own anxiety and mood can play a role in their children’s behavior,” she said.
Dr. Meghan Downey, clinical psychologist and Director of Northwell Health’s OnTrackNY, urged people to maintain a routine.
“Often, a holiday can exacerbate our stress levels,” Downey said. “Changes to our routine can increase stress. Continuing with the same sleep wake routine, normal eating and [finding time] for joy and relaxation provide a good foundation for managing grief.”
Based on prior group traumatic events, like the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the SARS virus, Skariah said the restoration of order happens over time and depends on personal and predisposing factors.
She urged families to be genuine and open and actively listen to what children say. Downey suggests children need to feel that they are allowed to mourn.
A support network can and should consider showing empathy, care and concern. Approaching people when they are calm, rather than in a distressed state, can provide some mental health relief.
People who are experiencing grief also can benefit from staying connected, even through holiday letters, phone calls, or a card, Downey said.
When Downey gives presentations to children and educators in school, she advises people working with young children to allow them to play death, to display their emotions through play.
Grieving Don’ts
Telling children platitudes like “time heals all wounds” may not be helpful for someone who is “acutely grieving,” Skariah said.
Downey added that telling children that a loved one is “sleeping” or that they should “stop crying, other people might get upset” provides mixed and confusing messages.
Telling children that “at least [the person who died is] not in pain anymore, they are in a better place” often doesn’t help and distracts people from feeling their emotional intensity, Downey said.
Downey cautioned youths, and their adult guardians, to manage over-indulgent behavior, such as with food or with excess spending.
While those indulgences provide temporary relief, they can also contribute to feelings of guilt, which can exacerbate grief, Downey cautioned.
Bradley Lewis, Administrative Manager for School Based Mental Health Services for South Oaks Hospital, said he has received numerous requests during the pandemic for support related to COVID-19.
Lewis said Downey’s presentations to some of the 11 school districts went beyond the thought of death, but include losses in other areas, like access to friends, senior awards dinners, and graduations.
“A lot of families appreciated the opportunity to learn more about grief and loss, to understand the different types of grief their children might be going through,” Lewis said.
With parents, Lewis urges parents to “end the stigma of mental health,” he said.
Kieran Brown, center, stars as Spookley in the Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts' latest outdoor production at the Smithtown Historical Society.
By Heidi Sutton
In perfect harmony with autumn and Halloween, a special little pumpkin patch has sprouted in Smithtown; one that sings and dances and teaches us that the things that make you different make you special.
In partnership with the Smithtown Historical Society, the Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts presents a socially distant outdoor production of Spookley the Square Pumpkin: The Musical on the society’s grounds through October.
Based on the animated film Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano and Tom Hughes and the book The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Troiano, it tells the story of a square pumpkin living in a round pumpkin patch and his struggle to fit in.
Kieran Brown stars as Spookley
It’s Halloween and all of the pumpkins at Holiday Hill Farm are hoping that Farmer Hill will choose them as the Pick of the Patch this year, the highest honor a pumpkin can receive. Jack Scarecrow introduces the audience to the top contenders —Big Tom and Little Tom who are attached by a vine and Bobo the perfectly round and pretty pumpkin. When a square pumpkin named Spookley appears from under a leaf he is immediately bullied by Little Tom who convinces the other pumpkins to shun him because he looks different.
Spookley makes friends with Jack and three spiders, Edgar, Allen and Poe, who encourage him to try out for the Pick of the Patch contest but he has lost his confidence because of the constant teasing. When a mighty storm appears and all the round pumpkins start rolling away toward the river, Spookley realizes it is up to him and his square shape to save the day. Will they stop teasing him now? Will he win the contest?
Directed by Jordan Hue, with musical direction by Melissa Coyle, choreography by Courtney Braun and costumes by Ronnie Green, the professional young cast of 13 give a flawless performance and succeed in bringing this sweet treat and its important message to life during National Bullying Prevention Month.
Special mention must be made of Kieran Brown who is perfectly cast as the soft-spoken and kind Spookley and Max Lamberg as Little Tom who steals the show with his incredible personality. This adorable show has it all — a terrific cast, wonderful songs and an important lesson. Your kids will love it!
The cast: Gabrielle Arroyo, Ava Bernardo, Gabby Blum, Kieran Brown, Max Lamberg, Emmerson Lebrecht, Stephanie Nigro, Dylan O’Leary, Logan O’Leary, Adrienne Porti, Savannah Shaw, Ari Spiegel, and Justin Walsh Wiener
The Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts presents Spookley the Square Pumpkin: The Musical in the open air outdoor performance space behind the Smithtown Historical Society’s Roseneath Cottage, 239 Middle Country Rd., Smithtown on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 31. Running time is one hour with no intermission. Masks are required and costumes are encouraged. Tickets are $18 per person. For a complete schedule and to order tickets, visit www.smithtownpac.org.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. Photo by Julianne Mosher
After weeks of warnings and missives about an upcoming budget shortfall, Suffolk officials finally published this upcoming year’s budget, one that has to take into consideration an apparent $437 million deficit over the next two years. Cuts won’t be instituted until the middle of 2021.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) revealed a 2021 recommended operating budget of $3.197 billion, representing $33 million less than the current year’s budget. It is a reaction to a total revenue shortfall of $325 million in 2020.
In a proposed budget released Oct. 9, the county would be letting go 500 full-time employees. The county exec said it would also mean a reduction in health care and mental health services, the loss of two full classes of trainees at the police academy and the elimination of 19 bus routes.
Most cuts will be implemented July 1, 2021. County officials said this gives time in case some federal aid is received in the future.
“We have submitted a COVID-19 budget with cuts that would have been unimaginable just a short time ago,” Bellone said on a call with reporters Oct. 13. “These cuts should not happen, these are cuts that are devastating in many ways and would in effect undermine our recovery.”
The budget accounts for a sales tax loss from 2019 to 2020 of an estimated $131.7 million. The anticipated sales tax for 2021 is still $102.5 million less than 2019’s figures.
Among other losses across the board, the one increase seems to be property taxes from a real estate boom on Long Island. Suffolk County received $4 million more than last year, and anticipates $18.6 million more in 2021 than this current year.
In expenditures, contractual expenses and employee benefits are also set to marginally increase.
The county expects a negative fund balance for 2021 of about $176.98 million. Overall, Bellone said Suffolk could be looking at a cumulative $460 million deficit within the next year.
This year’s budget was originally set to roll in back in September, but it has since been delayed until the start of this month. The projected budget also may be another general cry for help to the federal government. Suffolk officials also decry the withholding of state aid to the tune of $1.9 billion to local municipalities.
Cutting employees would save about $25 million next year. The bus route cuts, along with reductions to the Suffolk County Accessible Transportation bus service affecting a total of 2,500 riders of both systems, will save $18 million. The police class cuts will save approximately $20 million, while a 50% cut across the board for contract agencies, which include substance abuse clinics, mental health providers, domestic violence shelters and gang prevention programs, would save another $8 million in 2021 and annualized savings of $16 million.
The budget also shows an overall 1.9% increase in taxes for the police district, though that remains under the New York State tax cap.
Bellone has constantly reiterated Suffolk’s need for federal funds over the past few months, holding press conference after press conference to reiterate loss of services because of COVID-19-induced budget shortfalls. Republicans in the Legislature, however, have consistently attacked the executive for what they have called fiscal mismanagement over the past few years, citing Suffolk’s bond downgrades and a report from Tom DiNapoli (D), the New York State comptroller, saying Suffolk was the most fiscally stressed county in the state in 2019.
Bellone, on the other hand, claimed he inherited in 2012 a $500 million deficit but that the County finished 2019 with a surplus. He added the county would have been on track for $50 million surplus in 2020 that would have wiped out the accumulated deficit prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Suffolk did receive $257 million in CARES Act funding in April, as well as an additional $26.6 million for public transportation. Officials have said most or all that funding has been spent or earmarked, and it does not help cover overall losses.
Suffolk County Police 5th Squad detectives are investigating a crash that killed a St. James woman who likely suffered a medical emergency while driving Oct. 11.
Nancy Prete was driving a 2018 Nissan Frontier westbound on Montauk Highway at the intersection of North Prospect Avenue when she suffered an apparent medical emergency and veered off the road, striking a utility pole at approximately 5:10 p.m., according to police.
Prete, 76, was transported via ambulance to Long Island Community Hospital in East Patchogue where she was pronounced dead.
The vehicle was impounded for a safety check. Detectives are asking anyone with information on the crash to call the 5th Squad at 631-854-8552.
SC Legislators join Dr. David Fiorella, fourth from right, in congratulating the Mobile Stroke Unit’s efforts after it was launched last year. Photo from William Spencer’s office
In March of last year, Dr. David Fiorella went before the Suffolk County Health Committee chaired by Legislator William “Doc” Spencer (D-Centerport) and announced the launch of Long Island’s first Mobile Stroke Unit program aimed at reducing death of stroke victims. Fast forward 18 months and Fiorella has reported to the same committee Oct. 1 that since deployment, the MSU has been on over 1000 total calls. Findings during the first-year show Stony Brook Medicine’s units have successfully facilitated the diagnosis and rapid delivery of time-critical therapies to stroke patients at the point of care resulting in substantially improved outcomes.
“We are also very grateful to all of the members for the Suffolk County Legislature for their help in promoting the program’s success and look forward to further improving upon these outcomes and expanding this program to service even more residents of Suffolk County in the future,” said Fiorella, a neurointerventionalist and Director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular Center and Co-Director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular and Comprehensive Stroke Center.
Fiorella also mentioned their intent to locate two more stroke units to add to the current slate located at Long Island Expressway Exits 57 and 68. Each unit is equipped with telehealth capability to communicate with physicians at Stony Brook University Hospital. When a suspected stroke call comes in, the mobile stroke unit is dispatched and the team works quickly to determine the type of stroke the patient is experiencing using the features on board including a CT scanner and CT angiogram. Once that is determined, first responders in the unit can begin administering time-sensitive stroke treatments.
Data from the program further shows stroke patients transported by the MSU had much greater rates of discharges directly from the hospital to home after treatment, higher rates of independent clinical outcomes after stroke and much lower rates of death from stroke when compared to national averages, county average, and Stony Brook’s own data preceding the MSU program.
“The work that Dr. Fiorella and his team are doing is extraordinary,” Spencer said. “The reduced time it takes their units to reach and care for stroke victims is yielding measurable improvements to the lives they touch.”
Spencer also noted the legislature’s goal in expanding the program.
Strokes are a major public health concern nationwide. Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States suffers a stroke and every four minutes someone dies on one, according to the American heart Association.
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