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Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

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Medical Career Day for High School Students Among Virtual Events offered in April by Northern Westchester Hospital

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Additional April Virtual Courses Taking Place at Northern Westchester Hospital’s Center for Healthy Living Include Kids in the Kitchen, Cooking to Reduce Arthritis and Joint Pain

A virtual conference that introduces high school students grades 9-12 to a wide range of opportunities available in health care, both clinical and non-clinical alike, is the featured program in April by Northern Westchester Hospital’s (NWH) Center for Healthy Living. Other virtual and in-person events to support the community, and help people get mentally and physically healthier include a cooking class for children, chair yoga, smoking cessation, a healthy cooking class to reduce arthritis and joint pain, and an in-person teen gardening class.

Located next to the Whole Foods Market at Chappaqua Crossing, the Center for Healthy Living provides the local community with well-being and youth engagement programming. The center’s interactive virtual lectures and pop-up events allows the community to reach wellness goals, make educated health decisions, and seek engagement and service opportunities. For a full list of upcoming free events and registration, visit Eventbrite.com.

High school students grades 9-12 interested in a medical career need to register now to attend, Medical Career Day 2022, a free virtual conference on Zoom. Conference will take place on Saturday, April 23, 2022 from 12:00-3:30 pm.
Photo credit: iStock

FEATURED EVENTS:

Medical Career Day 2022

April 23, 12:00-3:30 pm, live over Zoom

Cost: Free

A future career in healthcare is varied, exciting, and constantly growing in opportunities. Northern Westchester Hospital’s Medical Career Day will expose you to some of these unique opportunities, both clinical and non-clinical alike. Ask questions, participate in engaging discussions, make meaningful connections with medical professionals, and maybe even find your passion! This year’s presentation topics include surgery, nursing, business, patient experience, internships, clinical certification programs, medical school preparation and more! This event is open to high school students only. Attendees will receive a Certificate of Career Exploration.

Register at: Medical Career Day 2022

 

Kids in the Kitchen: Spring Break Cooking and Crafting

April 12, 11:00 am-12:00 pm, live over Zoom

Cost: Free

Do you have a child who loves to cook and craft? Looking to eat healthier as a family? Join Northern Westchester Hospital for a family cooking and crafting program during April spring break. In preparation for Earth Day, participants will learn about sustainability and the connection between our health and the health of our planet. Craft and cook along with us and play some Earth Day trivia! This program is appropriate for children of all ages. We will be making Homemade Granola Bars and Upcycled Misfit Crayons.

Register at: Kids in the Kitchen

 

Cooking for Reducing Disease Risk: Arthritis and Joint Pain

April 29, 12:00-1:00 pm, live over Zoom

Cost: Free

Join registered dietitian Amy Rosenfeld for a discussion about the connection between the foods we eat, joint pain, and inflammation. Amy will demonstrate realistic anti-inflammatory cooking methods and recipes, to help make healthy eating part of your everyday routine. Recipes will be provided ahead of time so you may cook along with us.

Register at: Cooking for Reducing Disease Risk: Arthritis and Join Pain

 

Smoking Cessation
April 6, 20, 27, 6:00-7:00 pm, live over Microsoft Teams
Cost: Free

Cigarettes are one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States. We know it’s challenging to quit, and we are here to help. This support group is facilitated by a NWH respiratory therapist. For more information, contact NWHSmokingCessation@northwell.edu or call (914) 666-1868.

Register at: Smoking Cessation

 

Chair Yoga
Mondays & Thursdays, April 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, 28 ,11 am – noon, live over Zoom

Cost: Free

Chair Yoga is one of the gentlest forms of yoga available, adapting poses through the creative use of a chair. Emphasis will be on breathing, balance, and taking things at your own pace.

Register at: Chair Yoga

 

Cultivate Community: Teen Community Engagement Gardening

April 27, 4:00-6:00 pm, In-Person – Northern Westchester Hospital Team Member Wellness Garden

Cost: Free

Looking for ways to make a meaningful difference in your community? Do you like getting outside in nature? Join the President Junior Leadership Council (PJLC) as we “Cultivate Community” in the Team Member Wellness Garden at Northern Westchester Hospital. Get hands-on experience gardening and meet new friends. No previous gardening experience is required. All teen participants will receive a certificate of community service hours. All produce grown in the garden is given to at-risk patients at discharge.

Register at: Cultivate Community: Teen Community Engagement Gardening

 

APRIL CALENDAR AND ALL INFO HERE COURTESY OF NORTHERN WESTCHESTER HOSPITAL

As the Pandemic Slogs On, Teens Hit Hard

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Our Writer Finds Out How She & Her Peers Can Stay Strong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I never thought that of all the worries that come along with being a teenager, being able to see friends, eating inside at restaurants, and going to school would make it to the top of my list. But when the pandemic hit, these things I took for granted were abruptly taken away. Each phase of the pandemic brought a new worry. I don’t know which was worse: the beginning when everyone was in strict isolation, or the period when things slowly started to re-open and everyone held different definitions of what the “right” or “safe” thing to do was. 

Either way, we were faced with issues that were definitely not the normal stresses that come along with being a teenager. Amidst the lack of social interactions and the scares that came when waking up with a sore throat, many faced new or aggravated mental health struggles. On top of normal worries about Covid, we had to miss out on monumental moments of our social so many lives, education, and just simply growing up. 

Once reality settled in during the initial lockdown, any feelings of excitement about a two week break from school quickly died down. “The beginning of online school was kind of exciting, but as it went on it was like… how much longer is this gonna go on for? Where are my friends? Where are any other people besides my family?” said one Horace Greeley high school student. 

Loneliness began to creep up on people. “Being inside and alone for so long definitely did not help my mental health,” said another Greeley student. These feelings of loneliness and anxiety were, and still are, completely normal. Humans have never been creatures that deal particularly well with change, and with a change as big as a global pandemic, we need to cut ourselves some slack.

During this first wave many were unsure of how to cope and what to do with their time. “I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t do much during the lockdown. I didn’t really find anything that helped me,” said a Greeley student. Another said “I sat in my room all day which definitely did not help my mental health.” Teens being in isolation during some of the most vital years of their development was difficult to say the least.

In a CNN segment, Michael Smerconish said that he’s “worried about kids being educated remotely and losing out on a whole host of social dynamics. What you can’t get in the remote world are the life lessons, the human interactions, the forging of relationships.”

However, things started to look up as people were getting vaccinated, returning to school in person, and finally spending time together. Even though I am a sophomore, returning to school this year full time in person felt like my first real year of high school. The level of focus and material I’m learning has improved drastically. I even had a teacher thank a kid for talking and laughing over them because they missed that realness after a year of silence and stiffness on Zoom. 

Another Greeley student said that “it is good to get to see people and actually learn.” For most, it seemed the only thing that kept them sane was getting back to in-person schooling and seeing their friends. Smerconish shared that he felt it was unfair that kids are “bearing the brunt of Covid even though most infected children are at much less risk of becoming severely ill,” and therefore, “anytime society is contemplating a response to Covid, their needs need to be prioritized.” While maintaining safety throughout Covid is extremely important, it is also important to prioritize kids’ mental health.  

Horace Greeley psychologist Dr. McAuliffe shared insightful advice to help students remain hopeful. “In general, choosing to have an optimistic attitude, to believe things will work out helps. Believing in your ability to handle hard situations also contributes to an attitude where students can engage in managing their challenges rather than overly worrying about things. The truth is, we all will get through this and overly worrying robs people of the ability to solve problems.”

While many aspects of teens’ mental health have been hurt due to the pandemic, I also think that after going through this experience, teens came out more resilient than ever. Aside from learning about masks, social distancing, and quarantining, we also learned to adjust, grow, and deal with change. 

“I continue to be amazed how well kids cope with this in general, despite the fact that this is a really hard situation,” said Dr. McAuliffe.  I’m optimistic that we can use the strength we have gained, remain hopeful, and, as said by Dr. McAuliffe, “persist, persist, persist.”

Teens Show How to Have Fun While Social Distancing

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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.”

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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

Well It Can’t Be My Fault!

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crash cars twoBad Driving Habits In and Around Chappaqua

By Jordan Rosenthal

 As a teen and a new driver, I catch a lot of flack for the driving habits of my peers.  Sure, we are young and occasionally reckless, but do we really deserve all of this negative press?  Have we not just completed hours upon hours of mandatory supervised driving, classroom time, and the most stressful seven minutes ever–the road test?  Even if people say that all of that education fades quickly, we still have the upper hand on adults who are years out of the education system and simply pay homage to the DMV to finally replace that license photo from the age of big hair.  So, who’s the real culprit?

The Role of Age

To my fellow teen drivers, recognize that if people are calling on us to be safer, more respectful drivers, there must be a reason.  Sure, driving is exciting, exhilarating, and an opportunity to taste responsibility and freedom; our young age gives us a false sense of invincibility. But the statistics speak for themselves. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, per mile driven, drivers ages 16 to 19 are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than drivers over 20 years old.  Numbers like that should sicken parents and teens alike.  Those statistics alone should be enough to encourage us to slow down, buckle up, and most importantly not look at that extra appendage we call a cell phone. Textinganddrivingsafety.com reports that drivers who are texting are 23 times more likely to get into a car crash, and that’s at ANY age. Three out of every four teen drivers surveyed felt confident in their driving abilities while texting, yet they fail to acknowledge that false confidence is deadly, as car crashes are the number one cause of death among teens.*

But to that point, teens are not the only ones who use their smartphones at every possible moment.  While we are, for the most part, more tech-savvy, adults distract themselves just as often as teens do to send a quick text.  In fact, adults have many other distractions they have to manage.  Teens don’t have to deal with rowdy children in the back seat fighting over the imaginary line in the middle that “she crossed again!”  Furthermore, I have heard enough stories of spilled coffee, finishing makeup, and even shaving on the way to work to be quite sure adults find their own distractions.  Parents are urged to be good examples, and are charged with the responsibility of coaching their teen drivers. I know not everyone–including adults–signals before pulling away from the curb in good Driver Education fashion.

We Are No Exception

Detective Daniel Corrado of the New Castle Police Department emphasized that while both adults and teens are guilty of distracted driving, the only inherent difference is that adults understand through experience the subtleties of driving as well as the dangers of being reckless. Teenage drivers need time to learn the difference between when they are in control of the car and when they are not, as well as how to drive in various conditions: if they took Driver Ed in the summer, for example, they have not driven on the slick fallen leaves of autumn. Also, very few people realize that five seconds looking down at a cell phone while driving 30 miles per hour means you have traveled 220 feet.  That’s undoubtedly a low speed in the minds of most drivers, yet whatever occurs in that distance does not discriminate by age, gender, or supposed skill behind the wheel. Here in Chappaqua, the fight against bad driving has picked up momentum. Reports of numerous hit-and-runs have been heard, as well as witness accounts of people failing to parallel park correctly, a skill us teens are forced to perfect for the road test. The “Chappaqua Moms” Facebook group has been a hotbed of discussion and complaint about driving here in town. “I don’t think it’s about bad driving as much as it is about a self-centered attitude of entitlement and competitiveness and a general lack of consideration for our fellow drivers who may also have equally pressing needs to be wherever they want to go,” noted long time Chappaqua resident Penny Vane. “Our Smartphone technologies only serve to enhance and aggravate the risks and perceived rewards of driving self-absorbed and selfishly.”

Therein lies the answer to who is the culprit: any driver who takes his or her eyes off of the wheel at any time…so in other words, EVERYONE.  It cannot be a matter of finger pointing or blame-giving. New drivers, accept responsibility; old drivers, you too! If you can resolve to do one less distracting task while driving, everyone around you will benefit and the roads will be exceedingly safer.  Be smart, be savvy, know your habits, and realize we’re all in this one together.

tiki bookJordan Rosenthal is a senior at Horace Greeley High School. Growing up, his favorite book was Tikki Tikki Tembo.

Editor’s Note:  DORC (Distracted Operators Risk Casualties), a non profit organization started by the Liebermans of Chappaqua after their son Evan died two years ago following a terrible car accident (see Evan’s Legacy story on page 10 too) has also spurred a great deal of conversation locally and state wide about teenage texting and driving, in particular. 
For more info, visit www.dorcs.org.

Five Essential Ingredients at Home and Beyond

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Crystal and Neel during a visit to New York last Thanksgiving.
Crystal and Neel during a visit to New York last Thanksgiving.

By Bal Agrawal

After raising an older teen with special needs, I believe I have narrowed down the bare essentials of what your child needs to prosper at home and also once he or she is grown.

1  Unconditional love

2  Structure

3  Activity

4  Medication and 
 Psychological Help

5  Positive Vision and Hope

When my son Neel was 18 and diagnosed with mental illness at the University of Southern California,  my world had come apart. He was hospitalized with serious psychotic episodes. He was catatonic and not even taking food or medicines at times.

I made a vision and etched it in my head. Through ups and downs over the last 10 years,  and all sorts of challenges, I never let my vision fade away.

The vision was that someday he will ring my door bell and there he will be with his wife and children. He has done so much hard work in the last 10 years. He gave up drugs 10 years ago, smoking and drinking eight years ago, junk food, five years ago, and sugar and soda, three years ago. He also now walks three to four miles a day, has lost 50 lbs and looks great.

The best part is that he got engaged a year ago, and his fiancé , Crystal, has a daughter. They also got a dog recently–Sasha! His meds have been reduced from four daily to two! He goes to college, and helps me in my business as well as making movies.

I just love him dearly and the way it all worked out and he has worked so hard to get there. God bless him and the power of positive thinking…

Bal Agrawal is the founder and CEO of LifeWorx, a Greater New York company. With its beginnings in the basement of Bal’s home in Chappaqua, LifeWorx has now grown to four offices in Westport, CT, Manhattan and  Englewood NJ. LifeWorx is the premier child care, elder care, nanny and chef service provider with a mission is to enhance the overall quality of life for Clients. It has provided over 40,000 services to hundreds of clients throughout Westchester, Fairfield and NYC. LifeWorx trademark is flawless customer satisfaction with a personal touch. The 250+ LifeWorx experts are chosen from thousands of applicants, and are simply the best.