The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

COVID-19

What Local Businesses are Planning as the Curve Flattens and Restrictions Ease

by

As the coronavirus continues to spread all around the world, many local businesses have reported a massive drop in revenue as consumers remain at their homes. The virus has dealt a devastating blow for hundreds of restaurants and other small businesses as they are forced to close in response to public health guidelines. According to the U.S. Labor Department, as of May 14th, 36.5 million people have filed for unemployment in the past eight weeks bringing the unemployment rate to 14.7 percent in April – the highest since the Great Depression.

I had the pleasure of speaking with many local businesses from the surrounding area about their experiences with the coronavirus and how they have been adapting in these unprecedented times. As a resident of Chappaqua, I have patronized many local businesses and understand their value to the members of the community. While I spoke to the businesses (all generous/recent sponsors of the Inside Press which has also been working hard to stay the course), many expressed feelings of caution and worry even as they inch closer to “Phase 1” and “Phase 2” reentry dates. https://www.westchestergov.com/home/all-press-releases/8388-april-15-county-executive-george-latimer-gives-westchester-county-coronavirus-update-westchester-forward-phase-i

To date, many businesses have been applying for loans, first federal ones, and more recently a state option loan called New York Forward has been very specific to small businesses, and was announced by Governor Cuomo. https://forward.ny.gov/  Meanwhile, the owners of small businesses describe Herculean efforts between finding time to explore and pursue loan options while also keeping focused on creating new and unique solutions to handle the hurdles they face in a safe and secure manner, and just basically keep up with the day to day tasks involved in running a business.  From transitioning to virtual platforms to implementing curbside pickup, the local businesses are following emerging guidelines and figuring out how to continue to serve the community in whatever way they can, and prepare for any ‘new normal’ the future may bring. Here are eight businesses whose owners offered a glimpse into both current day challenges AND relaunch/reentry plans!

Armonk Tennis Club

Tim Shea, the owner of Armonk Tennis Club expressed the intense precautions that people have to take while at the club. “As soon as people arrive on the property, they are assigned a court to go play on. It is only singles at this point. When they get to their court, it is recommended that they have labeled their own tennis balls. We don’t have benches or water on the courts and we are sanitizing the nets everytime after people play – this is no longer the ideal club.”

Much like any other store or club, Armonk Tennis Club is ready to resume their day to day operations. “Physically we are ready to go back to last year within a day.” However, there is one caveat – “we don’t know what the new normal is.” Shea furthered this by expressing that “hopefully at some point doubles and group teachings are allowed and that social distancing can be maintained.” Armonk Tennis Club was the first recreational facility to close down in March. Despite that, Shea passionately explains that the club is “truly following the guidelines handed down by the county, which is taking their orders from the state.”

Aura Salon and Style Bar

“As a hair salon, it is very hard to know when we are going to reopen because it’s not listed anywhere,” explains Leticia Villagran, owner of Aura Salon and Style Bar. “It is really hard to prepare for the reopening – nobody was prepared for this.” However, Villagran seems more than ready for the challenges that lie ahead. Like many businesses, she is practicing curbside pickup for hair coloring agents and other supplies. Looking forwards, she has “ordered masks, sanitizers, and a very heavy duty UV lamp. Everytime I will use a comb or scissors, I will put them under the lamp for 10 minutes before using it on the next client – it is all about being safe.”

She has also ordered a disposable plastic shield for the chairs, but most important to securing the safety of her clients and workers is the structure of her salon. “The building I have the salon in is three floors, and this is going to be great because I plan on having a few stylists on each floor. This way I can have more clients while still being safe.” Villagran feels like she is confident to accommodate people in a cautious manner when her store reopens. “From the chairs to the tools that we are using we are going to be making sure that everybody is safe.”

Breathe Pilates and Yoga
ADVERTISEMENT

Breathe Pilates and Yoga

Adina Ellick, the owner of Breathe Pilates and Yoga in downtown Chappaqua described how her business has been dramatically altered due to the virus outbreak. “My business is completely virtual now. My hope is to lean into private sessions as soon as I am able with limited people in the studio at each time” she states. The state of her business also impacts how her clients approach their traditional yoga experiences. “I have some clients that don’t want any part of it, and they are waiting until the doors open again. However, I have other clients who have taken more classes than they have ever taken – they love the availability and accessibility. Finally, I have clients that I would have never been able to get.”

Ellick also has some special ideas available for the public when her store reopens. “I will be offering re-entry packages when I open, virtual classes will still be available and I will be implementing a virtual package for those people who want more than just the studio.” At the end of the interview, she passionately asserted that she “wants people’s opinions. I want people to reach out to me – tell me their fears, tell me their desires. Tell me what I can do to help them move to the next phase of re-entering back into some sense of normalcy – we need to start to meld back together into a community.”

Chappaqua Paint and Hardware

“I think the face of retail is completely changed,” exclaims Peter James, the manager of Chappaqua Paint and Hardware. “We are sanitizing every 20 minutes. Masks are worn throughout the store. Gloves are worn throughout the store.” Chappaqua Paint and Hardware was deemed an “essential” business during this time, but regardless, “it is always safety first in everything that we do. Even before everything started, it was a matter of not only keeping our customers safe, but our staff healthy as well.” Chappaqua Paint and Hardware has also been adopting a phrase that is becoming part of the norm – curbside pickup. “You have to remodel your business because now you are taking a lot more phone calls – it’s definitely a change in the way that we are operating.”

James seemed to be optimistic about the future. “Once we do start opening up, it’s going to be a great thing.” He continued, referencing his fellow businesses in downtown Chappaqua, stating “There have been a lot of businesses that haven’t been able to open their doors and adding them back into the mix will invigorate people to start coming outside. It’s going to be nice to have a downtown that is rejuvenated and open for business.”

Eye Designs
ADVERTISEMENT

Eye Designs

Many businesses are adapting the best that they can to the ambiguous “new normal.” Jaime Herman, the manager of Eye Designs in Armonk states that “I haven’t really been open – it’s just been on an emergency basis – a few times a week. We have a lot of things in place for cleaning and disinfecting frames if someone touches them. We have masks, face-shields and everything necessary.”

Herman further explained that business has been almost “non-existent.” However, they are finding creative solutions to the problems presented. “I have been able to order contact lenses for people and have them be shipped directly to the patient so they don’t have to come in.” Eye Designs is in a precarious position as to buy eyeglasses “you really need to come in. That personal aspect is missing.”

Herman included that the store will be “offering $120 off for a complete pair of prescription eyeglasses.” Herman concluded on a positive note, exclaiming that “We look forward to serving the community, like we have for the last 20 years, and we hope to be there for the community throughout this process.”

Family Britches
ADVERTISEMENT

Family Britches

“This has been a big negative for any retail business, particularly one that relies on relationships,” Barry Mishkin, co-founder of Family Britches in Chappaqua explains. “Customers make appointments and come in, but everybody is staying home and following orders.” Most of their business at the moment has come from mail, phone and online orders. Despite this, Family Britches is committed to ensuring the well-being of their customers. “We are staying in touch with our clients and are reassuring them that everything is going to be okay. We have called over 1,000 people over the past nine weeks.” When the store reopens, they have “masks available, a UV light and hand sanitizer.”

Family Britches is devoted to providing the same personalized service that they have done in the past for their customers. “We are here to help and assist our customers. We are not like a department store where you ‘promote, promote, promote.’ We are here to fill their needs and we want them to feel comfortable going into a place where they can see and speak to the same people they have spoken to for years.”

Hickory and Tweed Ski and Cycle

Other business owners have detailed how the virus has been affecting them. Skip Beitzel, owner of the well-known Hickory and Tweed Ski and Cycle in Armonk was at loss for words when asked about how the bike shop is faring. “I can’t describe it. I just can’t describe it. The bike business is exploding – none of the vendors has any more bikes. Tuning bikes is all we are going to be doing from now into the summer – we don’t have anything else to sell.”

Beitzel went on to describe the retail aspect of his store. “I think we are going to be having appointment based shopping, but we are going to be doing more with online shopping and curb-side pickup – I’m hoping for the best, but I am strategically planning for the worst.” In the future, Hickory and Tweed will be offering half off for everything in retail for ski wear during the summer

Much like any business, Hickory and Tweed is dedicated to maintaining the safety of their customers by “listening very carefully to what the county executive, George Latimer has been saying. Everyday is unique and presents a different challenge.” Beitzel also hopes to learn from other businesses, stating that this process requires a lot of “learning by doing.”

LaGravinese Jewelers

“It’s pretty easy to control how many people are in the store at a time,” describes Debra LaGravinese, owner of LaGravinese Jewelers in Armonk. “We post on Instagram and social media that one or two people are allowed in the store at a time and we have curbside pickup. We have changed to manage within this.” Similarly to other local businesses, LaGravinese Jewelers is implementing curbside pickup into their adaptations to the restrictions of the coronavirus. In order to cope with the loss of business, LaGravinese has people “text me directly. I have repairs people left here so I would meet them or deliver them.” Debra is hopeful for the future of her business as “people still want to celebrate the good birthdays and graduations.” She continued stating that “June is usually one of our busiest months.” However, there are still some hindrances before things get completely back to normal. “Things have changed because my employees have kids who don’t have daycare that is open right now, so my hours are completely different.” She concluded stating “the best thing I can do is to make people feel safe and comfortable when they come.”

The Importance of the U.S. Post Office

by

My name is Maddie Stone. I am 13-years-old. As a kid, I know how special it feels to open the mailbox and discover a birthday card, party invitation, or a note of some kind. In fact, this spring, my English teacher at Fox Lane Middle School posted an optional word game assignment on our online learning platform. It was a lazy Friday, so I decided to play for fun. I did really well, and earned the highest score. It was cool, but I didn’t think much of it. A few days later, I opened my mailbox to a surprise. It was a letter from my English teacher. I tore open the envelope and found the nicest note congratulating me on my score (even better, there was a lollipop attached!). During a time of substantial stress and worry, it was truly nice to receive something so kind. But here is my point: this note would not have been nearly as special over email.

“We deliver packages, we deliver prescriptions, we deliver, for example, masks, which we need to cope with the pandemic, and we also are a way of communicating,” commented Millwood Post Office Postmaster General Susan Scholl. “Someone can communicate with a family member or a loved one being that we are under the strict guidelines to be quarantined.”

Unfortunately, too many of us take the U.S. Post Office for granted even though so much we should appreciate arrives in the mail–life-saving medical equipment, critical paychecks, letters from far away relatives, and so much more. Almost everything we need can be mailed to us in an envelope or a cardboard box. This is especially important to poor and elderly communities that may not have access to technology millions of other Americans enjoy without much consideration. The fact of the matter is the post office provides us with many services we may not be sufficiently thankful for, and it’s up to us to advocate for its continued support as the agency faces threat. A large part of this threat is that many people have found technological substitutes for tasks they may have once completed over mail, but it does not help that politicians are constantly belittling the post office. President Donald Trump told reporters in April the post office is “a joke.” He has also threatened to block the Postal Service from COVID-19 relief funds unless it begins charging large customers a whopping four times as much as current package rates. Needless to say, blocking the funds would be catastrophic.

“It is always the case that reaching voters by mail is essential even more so now when greeting voters at their doors or at train stations is inadvisable, but also the mail right now plays an exceedingly important role in running our elections for this upcoming primary,” observed David Buchwald, 93rd district state assemblyman, who together with candidates Asha Castleberry, David Carlucci, Dr. Evelyn Farkas, Allison Fine, Adam Schleifer, Mondaire Jones and Catherine Parker are the Democrat candidates vying for Congresswoman Nita Lowey’s 17th District chair. According to the League of Women Voters of New Castle, (LWVNC) there are also two candidates in the Republican Primary for the 17th–Yehudis Gottesfeld and Maureen McArdle Schulman. Specifics for candidate events as well as links to voting information, she added, can be found on the LWVNC website:  http://www.lwvnewcastle.org

There are so many reasons to save the post office beyond enabling us to vote in November, as critically important as the voting reason most definitely is. For one, about 470,000 people are career employees at the U.S.P.S. These are people’s jobs we are talking about. Also, perhaps the most obvious reason: we still need the Postal Service! People argue all companies are going entirely digital, but this simply is not true. Many companies, including large corporations we have grown to rely on such as Amazon, still depend on the post office; and by extension, so do we, the customers.

In thinking about which local business owner to interview for this piece, I realized I couldn’t think of an area entrepreneur who banks on mail service more heavily or for a more vital product than the woman who published the very article you’re currently reading.

“Basically, if the U.S Post Office closed,” said Grace Bennett, publisher/editor of The Inside Press, “it could mean the end of at least the print end of my business.” The magazines have always been a huge ‘selling point,’ in their ability to reach its audience by mail, and at a reduced shipping cost,” explained Bennett.

In addition, direct mail catalogues and flyers on everything and everyone from dry cleaning to jewelers would impact business strategies perhaps to such a degree where  the business owner may worry they may not adapt their business model adequately or in enough time if the agency were to close or shrink to an unrecognizably small size.

“The lives of the American people have changed dramatically over the last two months,” said Northeast Area U.S. Postal Service Spokesperson George B. Flood. “In the midst of the constant upheaval, one constant has been our employees’ commitment to fulfilling the vital public service mission of the Postal Service. Whether it be the letters or packages containing much needed medicine, goods, benefit checks, test kits, or important information, postal employees continued to deliver every day for the American people.”

Hopefully these inspirational words from Flood will motivate people to support the Postal Service, and, along with it, every business, organization and individual that relies on such a critical agency.

Northern Westchester Hospital’s Emergency Chair: 50 Percent Decline in ER Visits Impacting Patients with Life-Threatening Conditions

by

Dr. James Dwyer, Chair of Emergency Medicine at Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), discussed the alarming decline in visits to the ER among patients with serious, life-threatening medical conditions, including heart attacks, strokes, and appendicitis.

“We are seeing similar scenarios over and over again,” said Dr. Dwyer in an interview this week. “A patient, for example, who has abdominal pain is afraid to come into the Emergency Department, so they tough it out and think: ‘it will go away, it will go away..,’ and then by the time they realize it won’t, they come in with a ruptured appendix as opposed to catching the appendicitis before it’s ruptured and getting to the operating room earlier.”

Dr. James Dwyer, Chair of emergency Medicine (standing) with Michael Pancoast (seated) at the triage station just inside the emergency room at Northern Westchester Hospital.
Photo courtesy of NWH

According to Dr. Dwyer, ERs around the country are seeing a drop in overall patient volume due to patient fears about COVID-19. As a result, untold numbers of people may be dying at home or risking long-term health consequences by ignoring serious symptoms.

Meanwhile, “when appendicitis (removal of the appendix) is performed as a routine procedure, the outcomes are outstanding; most of the people are out the same day,” said Dwyer. In contrast, a life-threatening rupture can spread infection in the abdomen requiring more involved surgery and longer recovery times.

Since the pandemic started March 11, about 50% of the appendicitis cases have presented as ruptured–a normal scenario is 5-10 percent,” he elaborated. “1 in 2 ruptured versus 1 in 10… people are definitely waiting to get this taken care of.”

NWH is seeing about a 50 percent drop to their usual ER volume, Dr. Dwyer said. At NWH, the ER typically sees more than 80 patients per day and is now seeing as few as 30. “The decline in ER visits among people with serious, life-threatening conditions, including heart attacks, strokes, infections and trauma, is taking a toll on the health and wellbeing of people in the United States and around the world.

Dr. Dwyer said some patients experiencing symptoms may not be calling their doctors because they are afraid their doctors will tell them to go to the Emergency Department. “It’s possible not enough people experiencing symptoms are reaching out to their primary doctors,” he said adding that the many excellent practitioners in the area could properly discern symptoms and steer patients to the ER, as needed.

Financial Asset Management Corporation (May 2020 version)
ADVERTISEMENT

“I saw a patient who had been short of breath for six days before he decided to see his primary doctor;  when he finally saw him,  he found a very rapid heart rhythm, an atrial fibrillation. We immediately admitted him to the hospital.”

“We need people to understand that it is safe to go to the ER, and far more dangerous to stay home and wait for serious symptoms to disappear.”

Before coronavirus, 12% (just over one in 10) people with stroke symptoms waited one day before visiting the ER; now, 25% (one in four) wait at least one day, despite symptoms that can include loss of vision, speech, sensations and weakness on one side.

Surviving stroke, he explained, is very time dependent. “For those who present early– within 4.5 hours–we can give medication that breaks up the clot. The window for treating more severe stroke–via an endovascular procedure to open up the blood vessel–is traditionally within six hours, and in a small minority of cases, up to 24 hours.”

“The earlier you get these therapies, the more successful they are at preventing a bad outcome,” he said.

“We want people to know that it’s safe to visit the ER,” he emphasized. “At NWH, people are screened at the front door of the Emergency Department, everyone in the entire institution wears a mask, and patients are treated in private rooms.”

NCPT in-story ad
ADVERTISEMENT

Dr. Dwyer added: “The precautions we take here are working. Very few staff members have been diagnosed with COVID since this started.” Dr. Dwyer also pointed out that only a small number of visitors are allowed in the hospital so as to protect overall populations. These include partners of women giving birth, parents to a pediatric patient, and close family members to those dying of COVID-19 or any other condition.

As of this morning (May 13), NWH was caring for 19 COVID-positive patients in the hospital, which is significantly down,” Dr. Dwyer said.  “We were up in the 80s at the beginning of April, so it has come down quite a bit.  We still have 10 people on ventilators who are COVID positive. Some of these critically ill people require an extended period  of time for their lungs to recover on the ventilator.”

“We happen to have had some success treating patients on ventilators. The 10,000th discharge from Northwell in fact was from Northern Westchester Hospital, someone who was severely infected who is now recovering.”

“From our institution alone, we have had 247 live covid discharges.  That’s very encouraging.” There have been 58 COVID-related mortalities.

Dr. Dwyer elaborated: “We have worked very, very hard to make sure this is a safe environment, and in the ER, especially. When you come into the ER, you are screened at the door, and given a surgical mask and then escorted to one of 26 private rooms–there is very little chance of being exposed to COVID at NWH.

He pointed out that his nine-year-old nephew was a patient recently.  “He had a laceration. He had cut his ear on a branch outside running around–he came into the ER, and one of the nurse practitioners sewed his ear up. I feel comfortable having my own family here.”

Dr. Dwyer urges people to recognize the signs and symptoms of the following life- threatening conditions:

Heart attack

People who survive a heart attack may have weakened heart muscles and are at risk for life-threatening complications including another more serious heart attack. Go to the ER immediately if you have any of the following symptoms:

  • Chest pain, including tightness, and pain that spreads to the arms, neck, jaw or back;
  • Sudden onset of shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness or lightheadedness;
  • Unexplained nausea, indigestion, or heartburn.

Strokes

When caught early, immediate treatment may prevent death and minimize the long-term effects of a stroke. Even if a stroke is minor, it is important to receive an evaluation and treatment in order to prevent another, possibly devastating, stroke: Go to the ER immediately if you have any of the following symptoms:

  • Body weakness, especially on one side;
  • Facial droop;
  • Difficulty speaking or finding words;
  • Sudden loss of vision;
  • Numbness or loss of sensation;
  • Unsteadiness on your feet.

Appendicitis

When caught early, a surgeon can remove the appendix and often send you home the same day. If the appendix ruptures, a patient will spend days in the hospital and be at risk of life-threatening conditions that include peritonitis and sepsis. Go to the ER if you have the following symptoms:

  • Pain in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen (which typically increases when you move and intensifies over 24 to 48 hours), sometimes with
  • Loss of appetite;
  • Nausea and vomiting;
  • Fever.

At Albany Medical College, Greeley Grads in a Student ‘Compassion Coalition’ Connect Patients to Families during Pandemic

by

When we “move up” from elementary school to middle school, we are asked what we want to be when we grow up. The responses range from professional sports players, zookeeper, chef, singer, etc.  And when we graduate high school, we normally have a better idea in our head of what life will look like five years down the road. For two Greeley grads, their fourth grade career goals and five year plans definitely did not include being essential workers in a hospital during a time of a national pandemic, but life throws curve balls at us like that sometimes.

Greeley grads Allison Schachter and Peter Inglis at Albany Medical College.

Allison Schachter and Peter Inglis are both Greeley grads (2013 and 2010 respectively) and are current medical students at Albany Medical College in upstate New York. While Schachter  always had the intention of becoming a doctor, Inglis went to undergrad initially for engineering and later switched into a pre-med program.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the hospital began to limit the amount of medical students who could scrub into the OR, due to the fact that the PPE, or Personal Protective Equipment was needed elsewhere. Shortly after, both students were sent an email stating that they would no longer be able to return to the hospital for rounds, to collect their things and to go home. This was not only disheartening but raised concern for it was almost time for the students to apply and declare what they wanted to specialize in – how were they supposed to truly know what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives if they wouldn’t have the final chances to try it out?

NCPT in-story ad
ADVERTISEMENT

That’s where the Compassion Coalition comes into play. It was started by Dr. Jackcy Jacob, one of the hospitalists in Albany, and further continued by a group of eight student volunteers, such as Schachter and Inglis, with more students now signing on. It satisfies the need to connect patients with their families outside of the hospital and make those outside feel less helpless by connecting them via iPads. And even though the students weren’t technically allowed in the hospital for their rounds, they could still volunteer to do this.

“We are filling a need that isn’t being fulfilled in the hospital. That’s what kind of made it allowed, is that we are of need, like an essential worker if you want to call it that,” Schachter said.

As time has gone on, they have been able to recruit more and more students to join.

“I think what’s unique about this group specifically is that…we don’t get grades for it, we don’t get extra credit for it…everyone sort of took their own initiative to do it,” Inglis added.

So, how does it work?

Albany Medical College Students participating in the Compassion Coalition

Between the day shifts and the night shifts, there is essentially a list that gets passed on, containing information such as patient credentials, family members who want to be contacted, call time preference and frequency of the calls.

The volunteers, like Schachter and Inglis are not allowed to go into the patient’s room to prevent spread of the disease and outside contact. Their job is to essentially set up the call.

Schachter explains: “When that nurse is putting on their PPE to go into the room, that’s when we coordinate the calls. So we’ll grab the iPad, call the family, have them on Facetime, so we’re the ones who start the conversation.”

And don’t worry, the iPads have their own set of PPE gear (more like a tight plastic bag)  that they “wear” before going into the rooms too. Once the nurses and the iPads have their gear on, that is when they can enter the room to conduct the calls.

These calls are available for all patients, regardless of their condition, it’s just up to the family members.

“Often time in the ICU, the patients are intubated, which means they are not really communicative…Usually we encourage families to nonetheless say what they want to say, having the videochat portion of it definitely gives them a chance to see the patient, which is nice,” Schachter said.

For those who do wish to still have the call, they will just spend the time talking to their loved one. One family even performed a concert for their family member that went on for three hours! Now that, that is love.

Wags & Whiskers
ADVERTISEMENT

Thankfully, they haven’t seen any shortages of the iPads themselves. They were actually part of a big donation. If anything, it’s the stands that they place them on.

In terms of what Schachter and Inglis would want people to know about COVID-19? It is affecting more age groups than you would think, and perfectly healthy people can be fine one day and pass away the next.

Their main takeaway is that social distancing is extremely important, and that some people are looking at this as if they are part of a demographic that is untouchable.

“People are approaching social distancing not very altruistically…The reality of social distancing isn’t to look out for #1, to lookout for #2, right? Because you as an asymptomatic carrier have the potential to make somebody else who is vulnerable to the virus very very sick,” Inglis explained.

While the Compassion Coalition helps serve the patients, it’s arguably more about the family members who not only can’t be with them to help care for them, but sometimes don’t even know where they are due to the fact that so many patients have been transferred all over the state.

“Most of our patients that we are treating in Albany are not from Albany County. They have been transferred to us from NYC, from Queens, that region because that’s the part of New York that’s been hit hardest by the virus…by us having the ability to settle their ease to show them that their family member is in fact really good care…as they’re on the phone with us they see their surroundings and they can experience how much care we are giving to their family members,” Schachter said.

She also said this which encompasses the entire initiative:

“Families really need to be involved in their loved one’s care. It’s so important to how humanity functions.”

Teens Show How to Have Fun While Social Distancing

by

Mount Kisco, NY–Hoping to make a difference during COVID-19 quarantine and concerned their peers were getting antsy to get out and socialize, Northern Westchester Hospital’s (NWH)  President’s Junior Leadership Council (PJLC) produced a video encouraging teens to social distance and have fun at the same time (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0-9yp54HZU .

The video stars students at high schools throughout Northern Westchester– enjoying at home activities that include dancing, painting, playing basketball and cooking.

“We’re hoping to motivate teenagers to find interesting and enjoyable activities they can do in quarantine,” says 15-year-old Byram Hills High School sophomore Sydney Levy. “Ultimately, staying home is the answer to ending the spread of this pandemic, and it is important to physically distance whenever it is necessary to leave home.”

Wags & Whiskers
ADVERTISEMENT

If you want to be cool, follow one simple rule: Stay home, the video begins.  It concludes by saying, We know everyone is feeling FOMO from COVID-19 and ends with students, each in their home, holding a word to collectively spell out The Shorter It Will Be Is Up To You And Me.

“Physical distancing contributes to the safety of the community and the health and wellbeing of the doctors, nurses and staff at Northern Westchester Hospital,” says 17-year old Sacred Heart junior Madison Mezzatesta, “We hope our video inspires others in the community to find things that they love doing at home to make the most of this difficult experience.”

PJLC is currently working on more COVID 19 videos, in an effort to create a series of inspirational messages for teens.

The NWH PJLC is a leadership organization that helps high school students in northern Westchester connect to their community; promotes the health, safety and wellbeing of adolescents and young adults; and engages them on issues that matter to them and affects their lives. Its members include 50 high school students from communities served by the hospital: Chappaqua, Armonk, Yorktown, Byram Hills, North Salem, Bedford, Katonah-Lewisboro, Somers and Pleasantville.

NWH relies on the PJLC to help hospital administrators understand issues facing teens and adolescents, and the students provide input on health-related educational programming that the hospital offers at local schools. Each year, students from the PJLC identify a major health concern within their peer group and develop creative, relatable ways in which educators can inform students, parents, and the community.

News courtesy of Northern Westchester Hospital