Oyster Bay Civic Association President Richard LaMarca presided over his first official meeting on Nov. 20, as he introduced Susan Kwiatek, executive director at Glen Cove Hospital, their speaker. She gave residents at the well-attended meeting an overview of the changes at the hospital that initially caused concerns in the community. The final shakedown of decisions had the orthopedic work being sent to Syosset Hospital where they have more room for the growing practice, she explained. Glen Cove provides the same services it has before, and will still do orthopedic surgery on cases that come to their emergency room, including hips and broken limbs.
She said their Pulmonary Rehabilitation program has been getting more patients at Glen Cove’s evening meetings. Additionally, they are currently building an area for Neuro-Rehabilitation. They have 10 beds for brain trauma that are always filled, she said. The psychiatric unit has also been moved.
In response to a question, she said no doctors have left the hospital practice as a result of the reorganization.
The major change at the hospital is the new Ebola section, a biological containment unit that isolates the patient from the public. Glen Cove was a good choice for the unit as it already had isolation rooms for patients with the flu or TB, that included anterooms, used as a buffer area where visitors and staff can suit up in protective gear.
Kwiatek said while there is great concern over Ebola, 50,000 people died of the flu last year. Ebola is not that easy to get: it is carried in bodily fluids, and not carried in the air. After a sneeze, the droplets fall to the ground as opposed to airborne virus like the flu and TB, although they are heavily concentrated with the Ebola virus. The new facility of two units with a third expected shortly will be available for whatever “contagious event” comes along next. No one was expecting Ebola to cause the sudden epidemic it has.
The Ebola rooms include a negative pressure that filters the air; a special elevator with a closed ramp to contain the viral patients; a lab for testing; and a dialysis machine.
There will be four nurses per shift for each patient, and two doctors. All have volunteered to be on call for the service, which includes a 21-day period after the patient leaves the hospital to insure that the care-givers have not contracted the disease. The doctors leave their regular practice to do the work, and are paid their salary and possibly overtime while involved in the project.
The bill for treating Ebola is going to be high for the hospital, she explained.
A listener commented, “It cost $20 million to treat Dr. Spencer in New York.”
Kwiatek said there is currently no financial assistance for the work, but grants might become available. She added that, “No one anticipates an Ebola outbreak in the U. S.”
Still, it is better to be prepared as Glen Cove joins Bellevue, Mt. Sinai, Beth Israel and Stonybrook as facilities able to care for possible patients. With so many facilities to choose from, the Nassau County Department of Health and the CDC will decide where patients with Ebola will actually go for treatment, she said.
Upcoming Election
Board nominations for the OBCA were on the agenda and ballots will go out to members on Dec. 14, to be returned and read at the Jan. 14, 2015 meeting. The slate of nominees includes Richard LaMarca, Judith Barnett, George DiMartino, Gary Drury, and Stan Spiegelman. They will be joined by a prospective new board member, Tom Pasculli, an engineer. He is replacing Cat Colvin on the board. Louise Rea, treasurer, was not up for re-election this year.
Holiday In Oyster Bay
LaMarca read off the upcoming events for the holiday season including Sagamore Hill’s Christmas with the Roosevelts; the Church Walk and concert and gave a good view of what will be happening on Dec. 6 at the tree lighting.
“There will be a Christmas Market like the ones they have in Europe,” he said. Actress Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu Bailey in It’s A Wonderful Life [she said, “Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings,”] will be there. John Canning will read T’was The Night Before Christmas; the Atlantic Steamer Fire Company will bring Santa and Mrs. Claus to the festivities. The Oyster Bay Railroad Museum will be providing carriage rides for people. The OBCA provides hot chocolate and cookies for the tree lighting.
Menorah Lighting
OBCA Board Member Stan Spiegelman chairs the Menorah Lighting on Dec. 15 at 5:30 p.m. at the Derby-Hall Bandstand, with the new rabbi at the Oyster Bay Jewish Center, Steven Moskowitz, leading the celebration. The congregation is in the process of merging with the Jewish Congregation of Brookville where Moskowitz served. Rabbi Marvin Demant retired in August and Rabbi Moskowitz took over on Sept. 2. The plan for a new temple in Muttontown was put aside as the combined congregation has a home in Oyster Bay: one congregation, one building. The rabbi said he is looking forward to being part of the Oyster Bay community.
