The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Health & Fitness

Willowbrook Swim & Tennis Club: A Fun-Filled, Memory-Making Place for Families

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Mount Kisco, NY — Looking for plenty of summertime fun for the whole family? You’ve come to the right place when you enter Willowbrook Swim & Tennis Club. With its deep connection to the community at large, the club offers a wide range of compelling summer recreation programming to its members.

Willowbrook opened in 1965 as a solution for a community lacking a public pool. At the time, a vote was conducted to build a public pool in town but the decision was not approved. As a result, multiple swim and tennis clubs were constructed and put into operation around the Chappaqua area — including Willowbrook Swim & Tennis.     

Since 1965, Willowbrook has offered a family-friendly place where kids of all ages can disconnect from their devices, kick back, play, swim and engage outdoors.

Volunteers Mary Dempsey (left) and Verena Dunniganat at a June Ice Cream Social at Willowbrook Swim and Tennis     Inside Press Photo

And the adults love it too. Harriet Engel, President of the Board of Directors at Willowbrook, described the varied offerings, from monthly ice cream socials, regular wine and beer tastings to board games and bingo days. There’s even a book club!

At a post 4th of July event on July 6, members can enjoy a bounce house, a waterslide with treats like popcorn, snow cones, and cotton candy.

Along with its pool, Har-tru tennis courts, and the addition of two new pickleball courts, Willowbrook members also have access to Somers National Golf Club due to a reciprocity agreement between the two clubs.

Perhaps the most exciting feature of Willowbrook is its very successful swim team: every child has an opportunity to participate.  Engel mentioned, “Our swim team is the ‘winningest’ swim team in Northern Westchester.  A lot of the competitive swimmers around town got their start here; this was their very first swim team.”

Engel’s own three children started swimming at Willowbrook. “This was their very first swim team and now they all swim in college; that’s the case for many competitive swimmers in the area.”

In fact, the Horace Greeley High School Swim team was featured in this very press last year to acknowledge their achievement of being the first Horace Greeley team to win state championships three years in a row. Engel said, “Several of those boys got their start swimming here and still swim on the team here.”

The swimming success stories might well be attributed to the great staff and swim coaching Willowbrook offers.

One coach who has become positively legendary is Kelly Blacker. Blacker is the head coach at Willowbrook and a year-round USA Swimming Team swim coach with Storm Aquatics. Engel added, “Of the Chappaqua pool clubs, we’re the only one that has a USA Swimming swim coach who expertly teaches the strokes to the kids.”

Kelly Blacker, head coach at Willowbrook Swim and Tennis, and year-round USA Swimming Team Coach with Storm Aquatics   Inside Press Photo

Several kids, as young as five years old, got their start in the kiddie pool. They joined the swim team, and grew to be competitive college swimmers like Eric Engel, Oliver Engel, and Connor McHugh. Willowbrook members can take advantage of certified swim instruction lessons, tennis camps and clinics with coaches and staff  who are experienced and care deeply about the people and community.

Ultimately, Willowbrook is about family bonding and memory making. Engel said,” My family has been a member here for 20 years; my kids have grown up here, I think it’s a great family environment.”

Visit willowbrookswimtennis.com for more info.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

White Plains Hospital named 2023 Best Workplaces in New York by Fortune Media and Great Place to Work

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White Plains Hospital announced today that it is the only Hospital in New York to be named to Fortune media and Great Place To Work’s® list of Best Workplaces in New York. It is one of only 26 large companies (1,000+ employees) based in New York included on the list. White Plains Hospital was eligible for this honor following its certification as a “Great Place to Work” in 2022, a recognition it has received multiple times for meeting or exceeding national benchmarks for employee satisfaction.

“Our employees are our greatest asset, and it is because of their award-winning efforts that we have created such a strong culture of dedication, teamwork and compassion,” said Susan Fox, President and CEO of White Plains Hospital. “This achievement, combined with our passion for delivering the highest quality care, speaks to the culture of excellence that we have created throughout our organization.”

To determine the Fortune Best Workplaces in New York™ List, Great Place To Work collected more than 170,000 survey responses from employees at Great Place To Work-certified companies. Hospital employees from all departments and job functions were asked to complete a survey that includes questions on leadership effectiveness, respect, fairness and employee pride in the community. White Plains Hospital scored significantly above the benchmark required to be certified as a Best Workplace.

“Fortune congratulates the Best Workplaces in New York,” says Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell. “In a challenging economy, these companies have demonstrated the increasing value of ensuring that employees feel valued.” Added Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work, “These great companies are laser-focused on their most valuable asset: their people. The result? Higher productivity and performance, and faster rates of innovation.”

About White Plains Hospital 

White Plains Hospital is a proud member of the Montefiore Health System, serving as its tertiary hub of advanced care in the Hudson Valley. The Hospital is a 292-bed not-for-profit health care organization with the primary mission of providing exceptional acute and preventive medical care to all people who live in, work in or visit Westchester County and its surrounding areas. White Plains Hospital has outpatient medical facilities across Westchester, including multispecialty practices in Armonk, Larchmont, New Rochelle, Rye Brook, Somers and Yorktown Heights; and Scarsdale Medical Group locations in Harrison and Scarsdale.

The Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission and in 2022, White Plains Hospital received a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) – the highest distinction offered by that federal agency. In addition, the Hospital received its third Magnet® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a distinction held by only two percent of hospitals in the country. White Plains Hospital has consistently received the Outstanding Patient Experience Award from Healthgrades®, and in 2022 became the only Hospital in Westchester to be awarded with an A Safety Grade from the Leapfrog Group for the 9th time.

https://www.wphospital.org/

https://www.wphospital.org/about-us/accreditations-and-awards/

NY Ketamine Infusions Opens Third Location In Westchester County to Serve Community’s Mental Health Needs

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In response to the increasing need for effective mental health treatment in Westchester County NY Ketamine Infusions (“NYKI”), the leading provider of intravenous ketamine therapy for major depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, anxiety and other debilitating mood disorders, announces the expansion of its treatment services.

NY Ketamine Infusions (NYKI) Westchester Team

With a successful track record of treating more than 5,000 patients in our two current locations in NYC and Long Island, NYKI has more clinical experience than any other ketamine center in the world.  NYKI offers personalized and private care to those suffering from mood disorders. Intravenous ketamine, a highly effective treatment alternative, can provide rapid relief in even the most complex cases of depression, PTSD, and other mood disorders. In 2012, Dr. Glen Brooks founded NYKI in New York City as one of the world’s first therapy centers dedicated exclusively to providing this breakthrough therapy. Dr. Brooks, a Board Certified Anesthesiologist, completed his training at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and taught at Yale University School of Medicine.

In multiple studies performed over the past 20 years by researchers at Yale University, Mt. Sinai, the National Institute of Mental Health and other major institutions, IV ketamine has proven to be a highly effective treatment helping patients who have not responded to either traditional psychiatric medications or psychotherapy–often with tremendous, life-changing results.

But it’s important to understand that intravenous administration of ketamine is the gold standard for treating patients with mood disorders such as treatment resistant depression, PTSD, and suicidal ideation. Delivery via other methods (intranasal and oral) is inconsistent and does not provide 100% bioavailability of ketamine. By administering ketamine intravenously, NYKI can deliver the precise dose and control the rate of infusion–important factors in ensuring an optimal outcome and patient experience.

At NY Ketamine Infusions, we are very focused on outcomes and are proud to report that 84% of our patients with treatment-resistant depression experienced noteworthy or significant improvement in their symptoms after undergoing ketamine therapy according to our OutcomeMD patient survey data (based on 2200+ patients seen since Jan. 2022).

Robert Glatter, MD

The Westchester clinic will be led by Robert Glatter, M.D., who has trained extensively with Dr. Brooks at the New York City location. With over 20 years of experience administering ketamine as an Emergency Medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, Dr. Glatter brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Not only is Dr. Glatter an expert in his field, but he is also a sought-after commentator on important breakthroughs in depression treatment and healthcare. He serves on the Editorial Board of Medscape Emergency Medicine and is a longstanding contributor to Forbes Healthcare and Innovation. He is frequently called upon by major media organizations, including CBS News, ABC News, NBC News, The Today Show, and WebMD, to provide medical commentary on a variety of topics.

The newly opened office is located at 222 Westchester Ave STE 306, in West Harrison, NY 10604. For more information, interested patients and families can visit the practice’s website at nyketamine.com or call 914-369-1569 for a free consultation.

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Preventing Eating Disorders

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By Dr. Rachel Levy Lombara

PREVENTING EATING DISORDERS

Eating disorders involve extreme emotions, beliefs, and behaviors regarding eating, food and weight. They are a serious health risk, with the highest mortality rate of any mental illness and occur in boys as well as girls from a variety of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. This article provides a summary of the eating disorders, major risk factors for their development (especially those we can influence), and suggestions for how to best protect children from developing them.

Denial and secretiveness can make eating disorders difficult to detect. Other than the obvious symptoms, any of the following may indicate a problem:

• Refusing to eat or denying hunger

• Excessive exercising

• Social withdrawal

• Development of lanugo (downy hair on body)

• Damaged teeth or gums

• Puffy cheeks (swollen salivary glands)

• Sores in the throat or mouth

• Scars or calluses on hands/knuckles

• Loose or baggy clothing (to disguise weight loss)

• Traces of vomit, laxatives, or unexplained missing food

If you are certain a child has an eating disorder, get professional help immediately. If you are concerned but not certain, be as nonjudgmental as possible when broaching the topic. Eating disorders are an illness. Treat them with the respect and concern you would any other illness.

Convey your genuine concern and desire to help. An ED is often a child’s best solution to a complex underlying problem, often a family one. If you are the parent, share in the responsibility for the problem (children are often the “identified patient” in a troubled family system) and be willing to seek help along with your child. With early detection and appropriate treatment, ED can be effectively resolved.

RISK FACTORS

• Low Self-Esteem: A potent risk factor for a range of behavioral problems, low self-esteem occurs when children hear and internalize negative ideas about themselves.

• Criticism and Teasing: Children whose parents and siblings are overly critical or who tease them about their appearance are at a higher risk for developing an eating disorder.

• Perfectionism: The belief that nothing-but-perfect-is-good-enough is fertile ground for developing an ED.

• Dieting: Excessive food restriction leads to binge eating (even in people without ED); think of the pendulum effect. Our “old brain” ensures survival by stockpiling food in the face of real or perceived threat of starvation.

• Family Conflicts and Lack of Emotional Support: Ongoing, unresolved family conflicts are toxic for children. Lack of emotional support due to a family conflict–or any other reason–can leave a child vulnerable to using food to regulate their feelings and environment.

• Rewarding Weight Loss: The overwhelming positive response and attention children get when they lose weight may cause children to take dieting too far.

• Genetics: Children with a first degree relative with an eating or mood disorder are at higher risk for the development of one themselves. D

• Transitions: Transitions like moving, changing schools or divorce are often “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” directly precipitating an eating disorder. Everyone experiences emotional distress during transitions but children without a good emotional support system are particularly vulnerable.

• Activities such as ballet, gymnastics, running, wrestling: When appearance and weight requirements are rigorous, children are at risk for eating disorders. Coaches and parents may unwittingly contribute to eating disorders by encouraging young athletes to lose weight.

PREVENTION

Too much outside control inadvertently distracts children from their internal instincts which, if heeded, naturally regulate eating and weight. (Think of a baby who eats with gusto then can’t be forced to take another bite when full.) Establishing healthy eating often requires parents do less not more. Consider the following suggestions:

1. Adults choose what food is bought, kept in the house and served at mealtimes. From these selections, children choose what and how much of what is served to eat.

2. Stay neutral about all foods. Demystify sweets.

3. Offer attention, praise, and hugs instead of food to placate or soothe a troubled child. When foods are used to reward children and show affection, they may start using food to cope with stress or other emotions.

4. Find things other than food, weight and body to talk about in social situations. Diet and weight talk can leave everyone feeling bad.

5. Encourage diversity by accepting your own and other people’s bodies as they are.

6. Do not participate in jokes that belittle another person, especially jokes based on appearance.

7. Be critical of messages from the media. Marketing is intended to make us feel as if we need whatever is being sold, even if that means making us feel bad about ourselves first.

8. Compliment children on things that truly matter, not a number on the scale.

9. Reduce competition. Your child does not have to the be the thinnest or best at anything to deserve your love and adoration.

10. Listen for and address thinking errors. How children interpret and respond to events, particularly difficult ones, powerfully predicts susceptibility to eating (and other) disorder. Inaccurate beliefs, negative thinking and faulty assumptions (termed cognitive distortions) left unchecked can leave a child feeling depressed and vulnerable to a host of self defeating behaviors.

SUMMARY

The value our society places on an unrealistically thin ideal creates a baseline of dissatisfaction, putting children at risk for the development of an eating disorder. The best prevention tips work by fortifying a child’s self-esteem. Self-esteem is nothing more than a collection of thoughts that together form a general belief in oneself as capable, likable and worthy. Children often see themselves as the adults in their lives see them. As their mirror, ensure good health by making sure that your own focus is on your child’s strengths and unique abilities.

Cognitive Distortions:

All-or-Nothing Thinking. Seeing things in black and white categories: “I blew the test,” in response to a single error.

Overgeneralization. Seeing a single negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat: “I’m always late”-when rarely are such absolutes true.

Jumping to Conclusions. Assuming a negative outcome before sufficient data is available: “I’ll never get chosen” – unless one is either a mind reader or a fortune teller, it is impossible to know the outcome.

Disqualifying the Positive. Rejecting positive experiences or feedback as “not counting” to maintain a negative belief.

Personalizing. Seeing oneself as the cause of some negative external event: “The team lost because of me” when really everyone played a roll in the loss.

Catastrophizing. Exaggerating the importance of negative things: “My vacation is ruined” in response to a flight delay.

Labeling. Instead of describing an error, attaching a negative label: “I’m selfish,” rather than I want to enjoy my new doll today but will happily share it tomorrow.

Emotional Reasoning. Assuming negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things really are: “I feel fat” when one isn’t actually overweight.

Should Statements. Trying to motivate with “shoulds” as if one must be punished to get something done.

Mental Filter. Picking out a single negative detail and dwelling on it exclusively so that your vision of all reality becomes darkened: focusing on a single error in an otherwise beautiful performance.

TYPES OF EATING DISORDERS

ANOREXIA NERVOSA involves refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height, feeling or intense fear of becoming “fat” even though often dramatically underweight and, in menstruating females, loss of menstrual periods.

BULIMIA NERVOSA involves binge eating (eating an abnormally large amount of food in a discrete period of time) followed by purging to prevent weight gain. Purging is usually done by vomiting, laxatives, diuretics or excessive exercise. The bingepurge cycle feels “out of control” and is accompanied by dieting and extreme concern with body weight and shape.

BINGE EATING DISORDER involves recurrent episodes of binge eating. While there is no purging, sporadic fasts, repetitive diets, and feeling shame or selfhatred following a binge are common.

EATING DISORDER NOS is used to describe subclinical or mixed symptom eating disorders, as in someone who binges and purges but not frequently enough to warrant a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa.

Rachel Levy Lombara, Ph.D. is available to provide a seminar on the prevention of eating disorders in children, free of charge, to your nonprofit group or organization. Please contact her at (914) 773-4223 or DrLevyLombara@aol.com with your request.

For additional information:

·The American Psychological Association: http://www.apa.org

·The National Eating Disorders Association Helpline: 1-800-931-2237 Burns, D. Feeling Good . Harper, 1999.

The Yale Guide to Child Nutrition , Ed. by W. Tamborlane. Yale University Press, 1997.

Healthy Food and Exercise Choices inside Chappaqua’s Schools

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By Gina Faustini

For the parent or guardian who wonders whether their child is making healthy choices in the school cafeteria or changing into sneakers for gym class – you may not need to wonder anymore. It appears that students in the Chappaqua School District are consistently being trained in how to lead a healthy lifestyle.  The district says they have made great strides toward creating a wholesome environment, whether in the classroom, the gym, the cafeteria, or even after hours during extracurricular activities.

Each school has unique and original ways of keeping their students fit and healthy.  And although it got off to a slow start, there has been a huge reform period regarding health standards within the district over the past few years. “When I first started in the late ‘90’s, it was common to see burgers, fries, and soft drinks in the cafeteria,” said Martin Fitzgerald, head principal of Robert E. Bell Middle School, “Today, if I saw a student drinking from a soda can, it would stick out to me, because it’s just unheard of.” What the district seems to have learned is: if you offer the students a side of French fries, they will eat it and enjoy it. However, if you offer them a baked potato, they’ll eat it and enjoy it as well–just in a different way than the French fries. “This is where the district has been amazing,” said Fitzgerald, “We have excellent healthy fare here.  We have taken it to another level.”

Toward Balanced Lives

Consumer science classes teach Chappaqua students how to prepare nutritious meals and lead a balanced life in terms of healthy eating and physical activity.  This is where the students would learn, as per French fries vs. baked potato example, why it’s good to enjoy the baked potato and how it is beneficial for their health, when chosen over the fries.

It’s safe to say that ‘Sloppy Joe Day’ is either extinct or very rare in the Chappaqua cafeterias.  However, it 
was not a quick transition, according the Fitzgerald.  It took years of research, assimilation and nutritional education before the conversion could really be complete.

Part of that conversion is how the district embraces sustainability.  Bell, Seven Bridges Middle School, and Douglas E. Grafflin Elementary School have all had a garden or greenhouse available to students.  Bell students had the chance to top pizza with their very own veggies grown right in the school garden.

The district says it is taking initiative and working to embed a healthy mindset in their students at a very young age, in hopes of instilling that mindset for life.  Students are encouraged to embrace community involvement and support local establishments, which makes for a healthy way to keep busy when school is out.

“Many of our students involve themselves in community service, either through school clubs such as SHARE (Students Have A Responsibility Everywhere) or on their own,” said Andrew Selesnick, former principal of Horace Greeley High School. “Their contributions to the community are just one more way that the students stay healthy of mind as well as body.”

Just as a healthy evolution has taken place within extracurricular activities and the school cafeteria, physical education has made quite the transition.  With less focus on victory and more on physical health gym class in the Chappaqua district is no longer specifically for those with a competitive edge.

“Walking For Life”

“For next year, a course that previously focused on meditation techniques has been reworked and is now titled ‘Walking for Life, Mindfulness, and Relaxation’,” said Selesnick. “The change was made in response to the latest research on the value of something as simple as walking.”

District-wide, it appears that there is one common theme for the recent changes in the physical education department.  There is a strong emphasis on encouraging a mind-body connection with every student.  Also, Chappaqua schools want to encourage inclusion and connecting with one another–even when they are on opposing dodge ball teams during gym class…

“We make sure we don’t blur the line between physical education and coaching,” said Fitzgerald, “We want to give the students a range of exposure to a variety of activities.”

The environment of after-school sports has changed just as much as gym classes have.  In the Chappaqua schools, especially in the lower grades, competition is not as much a concern as having an enjoyable and social experience is.  It may be stereotypical for school athletic departments to say that they care about the “team experience” more than winning, but in the case of the lower Chappaqua schools, it appears to really be what goes on, with good reason.

“At the middle school we have a non-cut policy; we are all about inclusion and giving a range of opportunity,” said Fitzgerald.  “I believe, philosophically, that having a program that highlights being active, social, and connected rather than competitive brings more kids to the team.”

Chappaqua’s lower schools believe that by taking every student who tries out for a team, they are more likely to come out of their shell and advance both physically and socially.

The more students that are encouraged to play sports while in middle school, the more that will move on to participate in high school–simple as that. This could account for the fact that, according to Selesnick, Greeley students are involved in the athletic program “in very high numbers.”

“The children are coming up more and more with awareness of sustainability and overall health,” said Fitzgerald, “It’s a K-12 experience in the district.”

Gina Faustini is in her junior year at Quinnipiac University. She is majoring in Media Studies, and worked for Ruby Media Group this past summer.