The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Not for Profit News

Getting a Good Night’s Sleep in Troubled Times

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Mount Kisco, NY–On Sunday, November 1st, at 2 a.m., clocks will be turned one hour back for Daylight Savings Time, so when the clock reads 10 am on Sunday morning, your brain and body will insist that it is really 11 a.m.

“Gaining’ an hour in the fall is much easier for our bodies than ‘losing’ an hour in the spring,” says Dr. Praveen Rudraraju, medical director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Northern Westchester Hospital. “For many, sleep has become more elusive in these uncertain times.

“Sleep specialists are seeing an unprecedented numbers of patients suffering from insomnia and other sleep disturbances due to the pandemic, which presents a unique set of multiple stressors,” he adds. “There’s no quick fix for the anxiety that’s keeping people awake as they worry about their jobs, income, the health and safety of loved ones, social isolation and an uncertain future. There is actually a hormonal basis for this kind of insomnia. Anxiety triggers the production of stimulating chemicals in the body that keep people awake.

To get the most out of sleep, Dr. Rudraraju says that both the quality and quantity are important. Most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep in order to feel refreshed and alert.  Sleeping less than five hours a night can raise the risk of cardiovascular disease by 40 percent, while chronic insomnia quadruples the risk of stroke. Numerous studies have linked poor-quality sleep to weight gain. Ghrelin, a hormone linked to hunger, increases when people sleep poorly. 

Dr. Rudraraju advises people to practice good sleep hygiene:

  • Do not drink caffeinated beverages after noon, and eat dinner at least three to five hours before bedtime to give your gut time to relax before you turn off the lights.
  • Limit alcohol to one drink with dinner.
  • Eliminate all food and beverages with caffeine, including soda and chocolate, before bedtime.
  • Bedrooms are for sleeping and intimacy. If possible, do not work in your bedroom.
  • Turn off devices, including the computer, television and phone an hour before bedtime because the bright light from the screen and the brain activity these devices require prevent the body from winding down for the evening and may delay sleep. Instead, relax by reading or listening to quiet music.
  • Regular workouts have been linked to better sleep, but avoid any strenuous activity within four to five hours of hitting the sack.

If you often wake up groggy, have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, feel sleepy all day long or snore, you may need a sleep study to assess the possibility of a sleep disorder. An at-home sleep study can find out if you do have a sleep issue, but an in-hospital sleep study can diagnose whether it is caused by an underlying medical condition.

One of the most common disorders is sleep apnea, typically characterized by loud snoring and feelings of constant tiredness. The condition interrupts a person’s breathing hundreds of

times a night, depriving the brain and heart of oxygen. Untreated sleep apnea increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, diabetes and mental illness. It also puts people at increased risk of heart failure, arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats, and increases the risk of driving accidents.

For more information or to make an appointment for a sleep center study, visit nwh.northwell.edu/sleep-center or call 914-666-1114.

News Courtesy of Northern Westchester Hospital and Northwell,edu

Diane von Furstenberg to Emcee U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum 2020 New York Virtual Tribute Event

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Chappaqua residents Stacey Saiontz and Howard Unger will be honored by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum tomorrow evening and iconic fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg will be the master of ceremonies for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s 2020 New York Virtual Event on October 14 at 6 p.m.

She will join a lineup of passionate speakers featuring Benjamin Ferencz, the last surviving Nuremberg prosecutor and the Museum’s partner in the Ferencz International Justice Initiative, and NBA All-Star Ray Allen.

The event will also include celebrity guests, including Jason Alexander, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Morgan Freeman, who will participate in the Museum’s pledge to Holocaust survivors–and to the future–to never forget.

Stacey Saiontz and Howard Unger at last year’s 2019 NY Tribute Event. Photo credit: Michael Priest for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

At a time of enormous challenges, the Museum’s mission to put this memory and its lessons to work in the world has never been more crucial. Just yesterday, the the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum issued a statement on Facebook’s new decision to ban Holocaust denial and distortion.

Stacey Saiontz of Chappaqua is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivor, Jack Feldman, who was featured in the HBO documentary “The Number on Great Grandpa’s Arm” with Stacey’s son, Elliott.

Stacey has championed the cause of Holocaust education through her support of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum by serving as a member of the Museum’s Education Committee and as a founding member of the Museum’s New York Next Generation Board.

Howard Unger, Chappaqua resident and Founder of the investment firm Saw Mill Capital, grew up hearing the story of his father’s survival of the Auschwitz and Dachau concentration camps, which inspired him to become involved in bringing awareness to modern-day genocide. Unger serves in many roles for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum including as: member of U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council’s Executive Committee, Chair of the Audit Committee, member of the Museum’s Committee on Conscience, Museum Benefactor and member of the Museum’s Strategic Advancement Committee.

Link to register for this free event: https://www.ushmm.org/online-calendar/event/nytrbutedinner1020

News courtesy of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

A Fresh Take on Learning in a Time of COVID

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Outdoor Classroom at Robert E. Bell Middle School
Outdoor Classroom at Robert E. Bell Middle School

 

 

 

 

In 2017, Robert E. Bell Middle School’s Student Leadership Council Advisors, Justin Olive and Meredith Green, challenged students to apply for a Chappaqua School Foundation (CSF) grant that would have a meaningful impact on the entire student body. They rose to that challenge with a proposal to transform the courtyard space, which had undergone a recent renovation, into a functional learning environment. The grant noted that forming “an alternative classroom environment centered on outdoor collaboration would be a refreshing change of pace” and would also help parents’, students’ and teachers’ concerns regarding “the isolating nature of devices.” The outdoor classroom was installed at the start of the 2020 school year and the goals that prompted its creation are timelier than ever due to the widely-felt impact of COVID-19.

Today, Olive is in a new role as staff developer & K-12 science coordinator and is looking at the space with fresh eyes. “This year, it’s even harder to create an environment where students have the freedom to move around and collaborate. This space will provide us with that opportunity,” he said. Outfitted with a variety of equipment including whiteboards, yoga mats, and crazy creek chairs, the courtyard now appeals to both form and function. As Green says, “These days, we are constantly reimagining what school looks like and having opportunities for outdoor learning experiences are invaluable. Kids are enjoying using it during lunch time and we foresee it becoming a useful space for us in the middle of this pandemic.”

As teachers and administrators forge a new path to learning, they are leveraging every resource available in new and inventive ways. Strategic partnerships between the schools, community and foundations such as CSF have never been more impactful.

– courtesy of the Chappaqua School Foundation

Open Door Names Armonk, Briarcliff Residents to its Boards

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Briarcliff Manor resident Marie Pennacchio and Armonk resident Noi Sukaviriya have been named to Open Door’s Board of Directors.

Two area residents have been named to key posts at Open Door Family Medical Center. Armonk resident Noi Sukaviriya has been named to the Open Door Foundation Board of Directors, while long-time Briarcliff Manor resident Marie Pennacchio has been named to Open Door’s Board of Directors.

Sukaviriya, a 17-year resident of the town and a long-time User Experience designer and researcher with IBM, plans to bring her corporate, design and technology expertise to the federally qualified health center. She is an expert in UX design, which focuses on the interaction between human users and everyday products and services. An extremely varied discipline, it combines aspects of psychology, business, research, design and technology. She presently leads an award-winning IBM Food Trust™ design team in providing food traceability solutions.

“Having spent many years in the corporate world, I’m really looking forward to working in the not-for-profit world and using my skills to support an organization like Open Door that plays such an important role in helping people who can’t afford health care,” she said.  “I was impressed by how forward-thinking the organization is in terms of technology, and look forward to assisting in this new realm of telemedicine.”

Meanwhile, Pennachio, a 29-year resident of Briarcliff Manor, brings her experience as a nurse, corporate executive, entrepreneur, and artist to her new role.  Pennacchio began her career as a hospital and private duty nurse before getting her MBA and entering the business world.  She later opened a successful marketing firm.  She also speaks Spanish, as do many of Open Door’s patients.

Pennacchio has been extremely active over the years in the community, serving as president of the Briarcliff Manor Public Library and spending many years as a family specialist volunteer in the Briarcliff Manor schools.  She has served as a girl scout troop leader and taught religion classes at local churches.

The Open Door model of treating the whole patient by bringing in staff specialists, such as a behavior health expert or nutritionist to address their health and wellness needs, appealed to Pennacchio as both a one-time health professional and product manager.

“Open Door is the absolute embodiment of holistic care,” she said. “I was truly impressed with their collaborative care model, which I believe has a direct relationship on the success rates in patient compliance for the myriad health issues they address. In an age of uncertainty in many domains for the population they serve, this model restores control for the patient in countless ways.”

Open Door Family Medical Center’s mission has remained consistent since 1972: to provide high-quality health care that’s affordable, accessible and efficient.

Today, the federally qualified health center cares for over 60,000 adults and children every year in Westchester, Putnam and Ulster counties – with more than 300,000 patient visits and over 400 babies delivered annually – regardless of ability to pay. In addition to primary medical care, Open Door offers integrated dental care, pediatric care, women’s health care, behavioral health care, and wellness programs in its Ossining, Port Chester, Sleepy Hollow, Mount Kisco, Brewster, Mamaroneck locations, eight School-Based Health Centers in the Ossining and Port Chester school districts, dental van, and a dental practice is in Saugerties. For more information, visit www.opendoormedical.org.

Hope’s Door Partners with ‘Stop COVID-19’ Special Operations Group D

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Effort Helps the Northern Westchester Domestic Violence High Risk Reduction Team 

On Friday, May 29, Kevin Hansan, Pound Ridge Supervisor, Nicole Engel, Pound Ridge Director of Operations and Emergency Management, and Pound Ridge Police Chief David Ryan received and opened two pallets containing 500 protective face shields that were donated by Amcor, an international manufacturer of packaging solutions. Amcor, in an effort to support essential workers during a time of crisis, has repurposed one of its manufacturing sites to produce face shields. These shields, donated by the Amcor Flexibles North America Healthcare team, will be now used by police officers and emergency service providers throughout northern Westchester to enhance their protection against COVID-19.

Officer Tom Traudt, Pound Ridge Police Department; Chief David Ryan, Pound Ridge Police Department; Barbara Turk, Director of Development, Hope’s Door; Nicole Engel, Director Operations and Emergency Management, Pound Ridge; Kevin Hansan, Supervisor, Pound Ridge; and Cecily Tyler, Stop COVID 19 Special Operations Group.

The donation happened rapidly and is a testimony to how collaboration can have a true impact in a time of crisis. In April, Cecily Tyler, a member of Stop COVID-19 Special Operations Group (the “SOG”), reached out to Barbara Turk, Director of Development and Community Relations of Hope’s Door, to see how the SOG might help. Aware of the paucity of personal protective equipment for police officers and emergency service workers responding to domestic violence calls, Turk confirmed the demand for face shields with Janmarie Brown, Director of Community Services at Hope’s Door and a member of the Northern Westchester High Risk Reduction Team. Brown suggested Turk call Robi Schlaff of the Westchester County Office for Women, and Chief David Ryan of the Pound Ridge Police Department, to identify the best way these face shields could help county workers. The SOG reached out to Amcor, which was moved by the mission of the Westchester Domestic Violence High Risk Team, and organized the donation. Working together, they effected the delivery.

According to Chief of Police Dave Ryan, the incidence of violence in the home is on the rise during this pandemic.  The situation is dire, with victims and children trapped in their homes 24/7 with their abusers.  Chief Ryan recognizes the difficulties that victims face in seeking help while under such tight controls. “What we’re trying to do is work with our partners in government, other service providers, other law enforcement agencies, as well as domestic violence victims and survivors, to find new ways that victims can reach us for help,” he says.  “With these face shields, officers and emergency service providers who respond to domestic violence calls can now feel safer entering the premises with these face shields and their fabric masks. We are very grateful for the donation,” he added.

Lionel Charpentier, of Amcor, participating in the activity via Zoom from Chicago, said “You are doing great work, the thing we are doing here is helping you to do it more safely.”

“I am honored to be a part of this collaboration that is crossing state lines and service sectors and demonstrating both the altruistic spirit and determination to help as many communities as possible during this global pandemic,” said Tyler. 

Hope’s Door is a domestic violence agency located in Hawthorne, NY, whose mission is to end domestic violence and empower its victims to achieve safety, independence and healing from the trauma of abuse.  Hope’s Door has remained fully operational throughout the pandemic and the NYS PAUSE, with counselors and lawyers operating remotely and virtually. The Hope’s Door shelter operates 24/7/365, regardless of the pandemic or other external interruptions. Hope’s Door reopened their offices on Monday, June 8, 2020 after 12 weeks of working remotely.

The shields were made and shipped to Pound Ridge in Westchester County, NY by Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, medical, home- and personal-care, and other products.

Stop COVID 19 Special Operations Group (the “SOG”) helped coordinate Amcor’s donation to the Westchester Domestic Violence High Risk Team. The SOG was started by a group of healthcare executives to accelerate the deployment of solutions and technologies against the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences. Recent events have highlighted the tens of thousands of unseen front-line workers and volunteers that provide support to marginalized communities. Many of these heroes do not have the basic personal protective equipment. Stop COVID 19 Special Operations Group is focused on helping them complete their mission of improving the lives of others, critical in times like today.  Supporters of Stop COVID-19 SOG leading this initiative include Lorraine Marchand, Julia Monfrini Peev, Angela Rossetti, Maria Siambekos, Cecily Tyler and Michael Williams.

This news is courtesy of Hope’s Door.  Visit:  https://hopesdoorny.org/

 

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