The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

health

Saluting Your Strength

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In 2020: If you’ve lost a job, a home, a business, a relationship, or in any worst case scenario, gotten ill, or seen a loved one through illness, or worse, then you might have taken stock of life itself. Most of us have gleaned ‘lessons’ from the unexpected, and at times, extremely hurtful losses these last six months to individuals and communities far and wide in these unprecedented times.

No one of us is ‘the same’ and there is ‘no business as usual,’ anymore. Not really. Coronavirus aside, 2020 did a fine job delivering a steady stream of calamities; the jokes to cope flowed as we all hunkered down. The rather severe tropical storm Isaias added a final sucker punch… proving that any control we think we have over our planet is, while not delusional, a continuous work in progress, shall we say.

The good news: The buzz, sometimes everywhere, it seems, is of a new level of self-awareness and personal growth, and other spiritual (frequently coupled with fitness) pursuits that may have been continuously shelved, pre-Corona. Low priorities have become high ones. Those with a basic survival instinct (i.e. most of us) have had no choice but to step up by looking inside ourselves too, to cultivate what brings inner happiness, and what gnaws at it, and to take actions long shelved to maximize the former, and minimize the other.

Constructive actions can be diverse, far ranging–what works for you, might seem absurd for another… your personal happiness may be vested in saving a marriage, another will find salvation saying goodbye to an unhealthy attachment. Maybe your path is something ‘small,’ like signing up for a course at Chappaqua Continuing Education (a pleasant surprise to receive their booklet in my mailbox), or something ‘big,’ like investing time in volunteering or helping a social justice movement like Black Lives Matter which has tugged at heart strings this summer. Or ‘something big’ can be finally booking a trip on your bucket list. Consider if you have backburned general health needs long enough, like that, ahem, mammogram or forever delayed colonoscopy (guilty as charged).

Our beautiful communities are no exception to inner life dynamics. There has been pain here too, often well-hidden pain. The path forward has to include shoring up your inner strength to break free. I’ve watched many grow incredibly strong during this pandemic, and I believe I’ve grown stronger myself.

So, whatever you have ‘been through’ these past six months, I salute the strength that has seen you through, and that will continue to see you through whether you are navigating back to school or college challenges, creating safe work and school environments or whether you are courageously confronting a difficult job market or in the business of saving your business.

Eternal and continued gratitude to our role models of inner strength–those on the frontlines of health care delivery at our local hospitals and our first responders, where #CommunityStrong is continuous 3-D viewing. Stay well, stay safe.

 

 

 

Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, the firefighters in White Plains supported the healthcare heroes of White Plains Hospital who were on the frontlines. Every Thursday eve, the firefighters parked their fire trucks outside the hospital to “make some noise” and clap for the hospital’s nurses, doctors and staff. The White Plains Fire Department also donated meals to feed the frontline workers. WPH nurses and staff returned the gesture in August and brought lunches and huge socially distant thank yous to the essential first responders of the White Plains Fire Dept.
This pandemic has illustrated as never before: time to take charge of your health. A newly opening Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Northern Westchester Hospital promises to save lives.

 

Area Journalist Diagnosed COVID-19 Positive and Quarantined with Family

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March 19, 2020, Mount Kisco, NY–On Monday, March 16, I was on deadline for the Inside Press, covering the hasty switch local restaurants were asked to make by 8 p.m. to takeout and delivery service only, as coronavirus containment measures grew in severity here in Westchester County.

It was a sad article to write, as I attempted to speak with restaurant owners and managers who were busy, worried, and upset about the impact on their employees. As a former waitress and bartender, I was worried for them too. As a longtime reporter, I knew the community needed to follow this kind of news in as close to real time as possible, so they could see the impact on their favorite establishments and possibly help mitigate it with extra patronage. Due to the time crunch, and the need for social distancing, I conducted these interviews by phone and filed the article as quickly as I could.

Later, as I was doing laundry and tidying up around my house in Mount Kisco, I started to feel a little under the weather. Nothing major, just achy, with a headache. Maybe I felt a chill. I couldn’t take my temperature because our thermometer had broken and there hasn’t been a thermometer to be found in Mount Kisco for some time now.

I put another load in the dryer and called it a day, telling my husband that I hoped I wasn’t coming down with the flu.

The next day–St. Patrick’s Day–I decided to basically stay in bed. My kids are older now, so the college students home working remotely could keep an eye on the sixth grader. I asked my daughter Regina, a freshman at Baruch College-who’s still coming to terms with the cancellation of her softball season-to throw the corned beef in the crockpot and assigned the Irish soda bread to 14-year-old Ted.

Later, I woke up from a nap with chest pain. I have a minor cardiac condition, but I didn’t want to go to the hospital unless it was absolutely necessary since all resources are needed to fight the coronavirus. Instead, I called my internist’s office at Caremount first–my doctor said I had to go in.

Pretty soon I was at Northern Westchester Hospital, where I was handed a mask at the front door, and once in back, I was quickly surrounded by people in masks, clear face shields and yellow gowns. They efficiently got my heart issue under control and swabbed up both nostrils, testing for flu and COVID-19.

I was told I’d be there at least overnight, so they could keep an eye on my cardiac activity, and I was settled in on the sixth floor in isolation, connected to a heart monitor that never showed a problem after my initial treatment.

Today, 48 hours later, I’m lying in bed at home, a 50-year-old woman on day one of a 14-day quarantine that includes my entire family of nine (yes, my husband and I have seven kids.)

My test results only came back this morning, as I was preparing to be discharged. I was shocked that they were positive. Although I have asthma, my lungs had remained resolutely clear throughout my stay, checked often by skilled and kind nurses, and I’m still breathing well right now. My temperature hasn’t been over 100 degrees and is currently normal.

A cardiologist and an internist at NWH judged me well enough to be sent home and weather out the course of this illness with my family. One of the nurses supplied me with a thermometer that had been used on me, otherwise slated for disposal, and made me enough copies of a symptom log sheet to keep track of my whole crew.

By this time, just two days after I entered NWH, six of us are feeling sub-par and are in as much isolation as we can manage, but no one seems dangerously ill. The flu is much worse than what the Kelleys are experiencing so far with COVID-19–a little coughing, aches, fatigue and headaches.

My husband and kids won’t be tested. Both the doctor at NWH and the kids’ pediatrician asked that we operate under the assumption that they have it and monitor any symptoms to make sure no one has to go to the hospital. Nat, 24, spent all day yesterday sacked out, barely moving, but today is eating pancakes and sitting up reading to pass the time. He has special needs, so he keeps talking to me from across the hall, trying to convince me that because he feels better it’s okay if he leaves the room. No dice!

My daughters aren’t too debilitated to FaceTime friends and request coffee delivery from healthy brothers (left outside a closed door, of course.)

When I was told my test was positive, I picked up my phone and checked the Shoprite app, knowing I’d need food delivered. But all the spots were taken. Yes, we’ve done some stocking up–mostly because my husband took this whole thing seriously way before I did. But nine people eat an incredible amount of food, and a 14-day quarantine is quite different than social isolation, which now seems to me a lifestyle of enviable freedom.

Thankfully, family and friends have already offered meals and checked to see what they can get me at the store. Right after I arrived home, a friend from Katonah dropped packages of disinfectant wipes in my mailbox–another friend is currently cooking for us. Many of my older sons’ friends, guys in their twenties, have been texting in, offering to pick up whatever we need.

There’s a lot we don’t know right now. Will we flatten the curve? When will our economy rebound? When can we once more mingle freely with family, friends and co-workers?

I don’t know. I wish I did. I only have a few bits of knowledge to share from my brief initial experience with COVID-19: no one in my family is very sick, so far. I’m the only one with any of the comorbidities I’ve seen mentioned in the news, and I’m well enough to write this article (lying down.) Medical professionals have assured me that they think my family will be fine, and they’ve given me the tools I need to ascertain whether we need further care.

Our local hospital is well-run and reliable. The people who work there are not only friendly and dedicated, but inspire confidence with their professionalism and expertise, and I pray the curve flattens enough not to overwhelm them.

As an aside, the hospital is also continuously customer-service oriented; I was given a mini-loaf of banana bread tied up in a bow at discharge, attached to a card that says: “From our family to yours.”

Not in 14 days, but in some weeks or months more–who knows how many–I very much hope to write the article for Inside Press about the resurgence of the local restaurant business.

Until then, everyone, from my family to yours–stay home and stay safe.

Pre COVID-19: Author Amy Kelley on a happier day in New York City

 

COR Performance: Training Kids for Athletics

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We often hear parents ask: “Could my son’s injury have been prevented with strength and agility training?” or “My daughter is an excellent athlete, clearly a D1 caliber, what do I need to ensure that competitive edge?”

The most pressing questions, however, revolve around the potential benefits of starting your child on training at an early age. And how young is ‘too young’ to start?

Meanwhile, both you and your child may have big dreams of one day of playing college sports, or even professionally, but some kids simply want to play high school sports and create lifelong health and wellness habits.

Until recently, the standard approach to train young athletes would lead only to damage to the spine, stunt growth and/or ultimately result in injuries. Many even believed that strength training for kids results in slowed progression of athletic development.

All of this is true and false depending on how, what, when and why you are training.

Today, thanks to new research and practical knowledge, we better understand the biomechanics and the role it plays in all stages of a child’s life. We know for certain that a safe and age appropriate approach to athletics can be EXTREMELY beneficial to children in the long run.

Children who participate in a regular fitness routine or lifestyle tend to be a step ahead, developmentally speaking, of those that do not–in height, weight management, muscle strength, lung capacity, even body control, as well as self-confidence. Studies have also found a resistance training program can also have a great impact on strength prior to adolescence. With the proper trainer and program, preadolescents can attain the same levels of strength gains that their adolescent counterparts do, regardless of gender.

The Mayo Clinic, an authority in health research, has stated that kids should start age-appropriate strength and athletic development training as early as 7 or 8 years of age. At these early ages, you can expect a longer positive effect on a child than just playing sports.

If we invest the time to properly teach, train and develop our children now, we are maximizing their chances of long-term physical, mental and developmental success. As puberty, competition and challenge come into play, your child’s mind and body will be prepared. Call 914-273-3413 now to get your little athlete training!

COR Performance (CP) is a 16,000-square-foot facility located in Armonk, NY, featuring an indoor turf, fully equipped gym and onsite sports medical personnel. At CP, we focus on the four pillars of strength training: Strength, Mobility, Power, and Agility. We know what it takes to be reach optimum performance: Hard Work, Positive Attitude, and a Burning Desire to be the Best. CP trains; young athletes, amateurs, as well as professional athletes.

Northern Westchester Hospital Receives The Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award ™ 2019

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Mt. Kisco, New York— Northern Westchester Hospital has received The Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ 2019, which recognizes hospitals for outstanding performance in delivering a positive experience for patients during their hospital stay. The annual award given by Healthgrades, a leading online resource for information about physicians and hospitals, recognizes hospitals around the country that make patient safety a top priority and provide an outstanding patient experience.

“We are delighted to be recognized with this important award,” said Maria Hale, PsyD, MBA, Associate Executive Director at NWH. “As a teaching hospital and nationally recognized leader for patient-centered care, NWH is committed to creating innovative programs and services that are fundamentally attentive to the needs of our patients and their families.

Our patients’ health and well-being is our top priority, and we strive to provide our patients and their families with the best possible experience. We have a number of programs in place including the Ken Hamilton Caregivers Center, the Aranow Art Cart, our Food is Care program, Pet Therapy and Integrative Medicine, which support the delivery of patient-centered care, which we believe is essential in ensuring the best outcomes for our patients and their families.”

In 2019, 434 hospitals received The Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award™, representing the top 15 percent of hospitals in the nation for patient experience. As part of the analysis, Healthgrades evaluated 3,449 hospitals that submitted at least 100 patient experience surveys to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), covering admissions from January 2017 through December 2017 to identify hospital performance in this area.

“Consumers are becoming more involved in their own health care, and are spending more time researching and selecting the right provider and hospital for their specific needs. Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ highlights the hospitals that are making patient experience a priority and will help patients feel confident to make more informed decisions about their health care,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical officer, Healthgrades.

Healthgrades evaluated hospital performance by applying a scoring methodology to nine patient experience measures, using data collected from a 32-question patient experience survey of the hospital’s own patients. The survey questions focus on patients’ perspectives of their care in the hospital, ranging from cleanliness and noise levels in patient rooms to factors such as provider communication. The measures also include whether a patient would recommend the hospital to friends or family.

Healthgrades found that 81 percent of patients would recommend Northern Westchester Hospital, 11 percent higher than the national average. It also found that 79 percent of patients gave the hospital a rating of nine or 10, 10 percent higher than the national average.

This is the third year that Northern Westchester Hospital was awarded Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award ™. It also received Healthgrades Stroke Care Excellence Award in 2019, 2018 and 2017.

For more information about Patient Centered Care and Innovation at NWH, visit https://nwhc.net/about-us/patient-centered-care.

About Northern Westchester Hospital

Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), a member of Northwell Health, provides quality, patient-centered care that is close to home through a unique combination of medical expertise, leading-edge technology, and a commitment to humanity. Over 650 highly-skilled physicians, state-of-the-art technology and professional staff of caregivers are all in place to ensure that you and your family receive treatment in a caring, respectful and nurturing environment. NWH has established extensive internal quality measurements that surpass the standards defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) National Hospital Quality Measures. Our high-quality standards help to ensure that the treatment you receive at NWH is among the best in the nation. For more information, please visit www.nwhc.net and connect with us on Facebook

 About Northwell Health

Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, about 750 outpatient facilities and more than 13,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 69,000 employees – 16,000-plus nurses and 4,000 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu.

RX for Healthy Hips

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By Matthew Marucci

There are few muscle groups in the body more important than those of the hip. In addition to influencing the hip, these muscles can impact the health of your lumbar spine and knees.

When people think about keeping their knees healthy the most common approach is strengthening the quadriceps. While there is nothing wrong with working the quadriceps, the hip, particularly the gluteal muscles, have significantly more influence on the health of your knees. The gluteals help control the position of your femur (thigh bone) and thus the alignment with the tibia (shin bone). Misalignment between these bones can increase the stress placed on the cartilage in your knees and hips. Additionally, if you lack proper alignment between your femur and tibia, the significance of your quadriceps strength decreases even further.

Another common misperception is that activities like running and cycling strengthen your hips. To increase the strength of a muscle you must use enough weight or resistance to reach fatigue in the range of 12-15 repetitions. While running and cycling are excellent forms of cardiovascular exercise, they do little to strengthen your legs. Cardiovascular exercises also tend to engage your muscles in the sagittal plane (front to back movement), while the gluteal muscles need rotation or movement away from the body to be recruited.

The influence of the hip on the spine is simply an equation of motion. The more motion that can be derived from the hips, the less motion will be needed from the spine. Less motion in the spine results in decreased stress placed upon the vertebral discs and ligaments. Minimizing motion from the spine and adding lumbar stabilization exercises (planks, side planks) to your routine is a great recipe for a healthy spine.

Try adding these exercises to your routine.

Clamshells: Lie on your side with your hips and knees bent. Slowly lift your top knee while keeping your feet together. Stop when you feel your pelvis begin to tip backwards.

To add resistance use an ankle weight wrapped around your top thigh or an elastic exercise band around your knees. Perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

Side Lying Hip Abduction: Lie on your side with your bottom leg pulled up toward your chest. Lift the top leg up and slightly back. You know you are performing this properly when you feel the back half of your glutes working. You should not feel it on the side of your hip. Perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

Modified Side Plank with Hip Abduction: Lie on your side with your knees bent and lift your body off the ground using your elbow and knee closest to the ground. While holding this position gently lift your top leg up and slightly back. Hold the side plank for 30 seconds and try to raise your leg about 15 times during the 30 second period.

Matthew Marucci PT, MSPT, OCS, CSCS is the owner of New Castle Physical Therapy & Personal Training and is certified as an Advanced Hip Clinician with The Hospital for Special Surgery.