93 gazette English.qxd - Hamaspik.org

Hamaspik Gazette
December Feb. 2012 2005 . • Issue Issue No. No. 93 24
“Sure, sure! We had every day
something else!” said Zishe Lowy,
Director of Day Services at
Hamaspik of Rockland County,
asked by the Gazette how Chanukah
was.
But his comments, referring to
holiday activities at his agency’s
Day Hab programs, reflected
goings-on not just locally but across
the entire constellation of Hamaspik
programs.
In keeping with the holiday spirit,
each became a point of light during
the eight days and nights of the
Festival of Lights—illuminating
individuals with joy and bringing out
that inner glow as only Chanukah
can.
Reaffirmation
HAMASPIK GAZETTE
Published and © Copyright Feb. 2012 by:
NYSHA 58 Rt. 59 Suite 1 Monsey NY 10952
Telephone: (845) 503-0212 / Fax (845) 503-1212
Combating, counteracting and
conceivably curing Alzheimer’s by
2025: quite the goal, isn’t it
But over a two-day summit held
this past January 17 and 18, 2012 in
Washington, D.C., a panel of
Alzheimer’s experts and advocates
who advise the U.S. government discussed
just that.
With Alzheimer’s predicted to
reach crisis proportions as the population
ages, the panel reviewed a
draft paper on combating one of the
nation’s biggest and costliest health
threats.
That plan, written up by the U.S.
News of Hamaspik Agencies and General Health
Special Report: Chanukah Illuminates
Hamaspik with 1,000 Points of Light
It’s not often that the busy Mr.
Meyer Wertheimer, as Hamaspik’s
Executive Director, is able to step
away from his duties to personally
visit the front lines of the multifaceted
organization.
But when it comes to the special-needs
individuals Hamaspik
serves, especially at the glorious holiday
of Chanukah, there’s always
time—and all the more so when
they’re also marking a milestone.
That’s why, among the many
guests in attendance on Monday,
December 26, Mr. Wertheimer could
Dept. of Health and Human
Services, was created in response to
the National Alzheimer’s Project
Act, signed into law one year ago by
President Obama.
“What’s really important here is
a comprehensive plan that deals with
the needs of people who already
have the disease,” said Alzheimer’s
Association president and panelist
Harry Johns.
Among the goals discussed for
the so-called National Alzheimer’s
Plan:
• Beginning a national public
awareness campaign of dementia’s
early warning signs, to improve
timely diagnosis
• Giving primary care doctors
tools to assess signs of dementia as
part of Medicare’s annual check-up
be found in a show of esteem at the
Hamaspik of Rockland County Day
Hab Men’s Division building at 78
Rt. 45 in Spring Valley.
BAND OF BROTHERS A group of Hamaspik of Orange County After-School
Respite Program participants lends new meaning to “play time.”
U.S. Wants Effective Alzheimer’s
Treatment by 2025
Non Profit Org.
US Postage
PAID
PTEX GROUP
• Having caregivers’ health,
physical and mental, regularly
checked
• Improving care planning and
training for families so they know
what resources are available for their
loved one and themselves
“The idea behind the plan is to
develop a coordinated effort to solve
the Alzheimer’s problem,” said
William Thies, vice president for
medical and scientific affairs at the
Alzheimer’s Association.
The plan includes everything
from increased scientific research
into causes and treatments for
Alzheimer’s, to how Medicare
would reimburse doctors, and everything
in between.
Continued on Page E12
On that day, marking the sixth
day of Chanukah, that Day Hab
group’s highest-functioning individuals
celebrated a siyum, or completion,
of a tractate of the Mishnah,
history’s first Jewish-law compendium.
In the Orthodox community
from which hail virtually all of the
“Day Habbers,” a siyum of any
course of organized study has historically
been cause for a celebration
itself colloquially known as a siyum.
And against the background of
Chanukah, itself marking the
restoration of the Holy Temple in
ancient Jerusalem and the resumption
of its daily services, the event
took on added significance.
The Maccabean War (140-133
BCE) pitted the outnumbered and
untrained Jewish Maccabee scholars-turned-warriors
against the hedonism
and military might of the
Syrian-Greek Empire. Ultimately
marking their moral, not military,
victory, Chanukah became the foun-
Continued on Page E4
I N S I D E
*
Family First at the
Concord IRA — E2
*
Chanukah Open House
at Kinderland — E3
*
The Gazette interviews
HamaspikCare — E6
*
Hamaspik in Albany
(photos) — E11
*

Services Provided by
NYSHA Agencies
O P W D D
Community Habilitation
Providing: Personal worker to achieve daily
living skill goals
Home Based Respite
Providing: Relief for parents of special needs
individuals
After School Respite
Providing: A program for after school hours
and school vacations
Supplemental Day Hab
Program
Providing: an extended day program
Camp Neshomah Summer
Day Program
Providing: A day program during summer and
winter school breaks
Individual Residential
Alternative
Providing: A supervised residence for
individuals who need out·of·home placement
Individual Support Services
Providing: Apartments and support for
individuals who can live independently
Family Support Services
Providing: Reimbursement for out of ordinary
expenses for items or services not covered by
Medicaid
Day Habilitation
Providing: a Day program for adults with
special needs
D O H
Traumatic Brain Injury
Providing: Service Coordination · Independent
living skills training · Day programs · Rent
subsidy · Medical equipment · E·Mods ·
Transportation · Community transmittal
services · Home community support services
Early Intervention
Providing: Multidisciplinary and supplemental
Evaluations · Home and community based
services · Center based services · Parent/
child groups · Ongoing service coordination
· Physical therapy · Occupational therapy ·
Speech therapy · Special education · Nutrition
· Social work · Family training · Vision services
· Bilingual providers · Play therapy · Family
counseling
Personal Care & Support
Services
Providing: Home Health Aides · Homemakers ·
Personal Care Aides · Housekeepers · HCSS aides
Counseling Services
Providing: Dietician/Nutrition counselors ·
Social Workers
Rehabilitation Services
Providing: Physical therapy · Speech therapy ·
Occupational therapy · individuals
HCR
HamaspikCare
PACE-CDPAP
Providing: Personal aides for people in need
Access To Home
Providing: Home modifications for people
with physical disabilities
RESTORE
Providing: Emergency house repairs for
senior citizens
NYSED
Vocational Rehabilitation
Services
Providing: Employment planning · Job
development · Job placement
NYSHA
Training
Providing: SCIP · CPR & first aid · Orientation
· MSC CORE · AMAP · Annual Updates ·
Com·Hab/Respite · Family Care training ·
Supportive Employment
Central Intake
Providing: The first contact for a person
or family in need of Hamaspik services
Article 16 Clinic
Providing: Physical therapy · Occupational
therapy · Speech therapy · Psychology · Social
work · Psychiatry · Nursing · Nutrition
Environmental Modification
Providing: Home modifications for special
needs individuals
Supported Employment
Providing: support and coaching for
individuals with disabilities to be employed
and maintain employment
Enhanced Supported
Employment
Providing: Job developing and coaching for
people with any type of disability
Medicaid Service
Coordination
Providing: An advocate for the individual to
coordinate available benefits
Home Family Care
Providing: A family to care for an individual
with special needs
Intermediate Care Facility
Providing: A facility for individuals who are
medically involved and developmentally
delayed
IBS
Providing: Intensive Behavior Services
Plan of Care
Providing: Support for the families of
individuals with special needs
Care At Home
Providing: Nursing · Personal care aide ·
Therapy · Respite · Medical supplies · Adaptive
technology · Service coordination
Nursing Home Transition and
Diversion
Providing: Service Coordination · Assistive
technology · Moving assistance · Community
transitional services · Home community support
services · E·Mods · Independent living skills ·
Positive behavioral interventions · Structured
day program
Child & Adult Care Food
Program
Providing: Breakfast · Lunch · Supper · Snack
Social and Environmental
Supports
Providing: Minor maintenance for qualified
Social Model
Providing: A social day program for senior
patients
Nursing Services
Providing: Skilled observation and assessment
· Care planning · paraprofessional supervision
· clinical monitoring and coordination ·
Medication management · physician·ordered
nursing intervention and skill treatments
HOME
Rehabilitation Program
Providing:
Remodeling dilapidated homes
for low income home owners
Job coaching
Intensive and ongoing support for
individuals with physical, mental and/
or developmental disabilities to become
employed and to maintain employment
Hamaspik Gazette
Providing: A bilingual monthly newspaper
informing the community of available
Hamaspik services
Parental Retreats
Providing: Getaways and retreats
for parents of special needs individuals ·
Parent support groups
At Concord IRA, Once
Family, Always Family
Staff, residents can’t get away at getaway
Taking the year out with a bang, Concord
Briderheim Home Manager Mrs. Shaindel
Goldberger arranged for a Shabbos getaway
for a group of her “boys” over the December
29-January 1 weekend.
The foursome, accompanied by their caring
staffers, was driven to the Raleigh Hotel
resort in upstate South Fallsburg, New York
on Friday morning.
While life is always a stimulating, growing
experience at Concord, what with a
healthy dose of ongoing outings a permanent
part of its mainstreaming mission, the weekend
was the IRA’s first time at the popular
relaxation destination.
It was also the first time its indefatigable
Manager had stayed there, too—but more on
that later.
You see, part of the planning that had
occurred a mere three weeks before the
weekend factored in not just surprising the
gentlemen with a getaway—but doubly surprising
them with the unannounced planned
appearance of their beloved Mrs. Goldberger
and family, who would be staying at the
Raleigh that Shabbos as well.
“I just liked the idea, I guess,” Mrs.
Goldberger later told the Gazette.
The Raleigh, hosting a capacity crowd of
60 couples over the song-themed specialevent
weekend, was already crackling with
energy when the Hamaspik group arrived.
With music literally in the air, staff
helped the individuals settle in their rooms.
With the Jewish Sabbath later ushered in,
one of the young men found his Shabbos getaway
delight compounded upon discovering
a maternal uncle among the Raleigh’s other
guests.
Making the special-needs individuals
even more comfortable at their first-ever stay
at the Raleigh was the concurrent attendance
of a sizable group of special-needs individuals.
Throughout all three Shabbos meals,
guests were vocally regaled by the singing
talents of the Shira Choir—joined at times by
Concord resident Joel M.
Festivities did not end with the Sabbath’s
conclusion, though—and the arrival of
Saturday nightfall also brought a talented
keyboardist to the premises, who proceeded
to provide live music that had guests clapping
and singing along. One wheelchairbound
Concord resident could even be seen
vigorously waving his hat in the air in time to
the bouncy music.
A lavish buffet breakfast rounded out the
boys’ stay before they left Sunday morning.
But the real surprise came at the onset of
the Friday-night meal in the grand dining
room, when the Hamaspik group discovered
none other than Mrs. Goldberger and clan—
husband, children and even several grandchildren,
with whom the “Concorders” are
eminently familiar—also spending their
Shabbos at the hotel.
Quickly regrouping from the thrill of surprise,
both parties attempted to return to their
seats, only to relent to the inevitable—that it
just made more sense for all of them to sit
around one big table like one big family.
Which, after all, is what they are in the
first place.
You just can’t get away from some
things, it seems.
“Family Estate”: The Concord Briderheim IRA
Unprintable Flu Facts
Could a virus research paper become a
terror weapon
That was the question before the
National Science Advisory Board for
Biosecurity (NSABB), which recently
reviewed Dutch research on the H5N1 bird
flu virus.
The laboratory work showed that a laboratory-created
H5N1 mutation is highly contagious.
Current strains of H5N1 in circulation,
while having felled about 1,600 humans
and millions of birds in recent years, are not
particularly contagious to humans.
The question was: Would a scientific
paper detailing the lab’s virus-creation methods
pose a global public health threat Could
a savvy terrorist replicate the method and
unleash bioterror
On December 20, the NSABB released a
statement explaining its yes decision.
The NSABB, an independent expert
panel that advises the federal government,
now believes that journals publishing the
research should “not include the methodological
and other details that could enable replication
of the experiments by those who
would seek to do harm.”
However, the statement also noted that
the recommendations are “non-binding”—
meaning, in plain English, that editors and
authors need not listen to the HHS if they so
choose.
At the same time, the statement also said,
“The U.S. government is working to establish
a mechanism to allow secure access to
the information to those with a legitimate
need in order to achieve important public
health goals.”
E2
Feb. ‘12 | Hamaspik Gazette

Hamaspik of Rockland County
Early Intervention Program Growing
Chanukah parents’ open house showcases Kinderland’s curriculum
It was a program long in need.
Mrs. Merav Lalouch, Hamaspik’s authoritative
in-house Early Intervention (EI) expert,
had long had a keen finger on the pulse of
Rockland County’s early childhood specialeducation
needs.
A professional pedagogue with a Masters
in Educational Psychology from NYU, Mrs.
Lalouch was hired to bring to special-ed what
Hamaspik had brought to special needs.
Once tapped as Hamaspik of Rockland
County EI Director, Mrs. Lalouch quickly
brought the agency up to speed on local facts,
speaking endlessly to parents to learn of their
kids’ situations.
Over time, there coalesced the need for an
EI program—one that would deploy the
newest theories and the best teachers, and,
above all, operate at Hamaspik’s five-star standards.
The result was Kinderland—a first-rate
Early Intervention program that provided critical
services to developmentally-delayed kids
and culturally interfaced between receiver and
provider.
But “all beginnings are difficult,” as the
ancient saying goes—and when Kinderland
was first launched, only a handful of local children
were enrolled in the publicly-funded program.
That initial nucleus of less than five students
would meet every day for several hours
of custom-tailored instruction by Master
Teacher Mrs. Reizy Weichbrod.
For the first several months, the program
persevered, with Mrs. Weichbrod and one
assistant providing gross motor-, fine motor-,
sensory- and feeding-oriented class time to
their charges.
The program grew slowly, gradually
adding one student here and another there as
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the months moved on and word of the program’s
effectiveness got out in the community.
By the summer of 2011, however, the next
big breakthrough hit the scene, with the flow
of new students finally beginning to thicken—
and first one, then another, teacher’s aide being
added.
And with the advent of September, and the
arrival of several new students at once as the
new school year got underway, Kinderland
took on several new aides too.
This Chanukah, Kinderland’s two classrooms—clean,
colorful and filled with cuttingedge
equipment, competent professionals and
even happier kids—hosted an open house.
On Tuesday, December 27, the 7th day of
Chanukah, a combination Chanukah party,
interactive parent/child activity session and
PTA meeting of sorts was convened at
Kinderland.
The purpose of the event, besides celebrating
the holiday, was “for the parents to see
what the children experience every day,” Mrs.
Weichbrod told the Gazette.
Parents gradually trickled in over the 30
minutes surrounding the event’s morning start
time. Upon arrival, they were greeted by Mrs.
Weichbrod and staff, and handed activity bags.
Staff had meticulously prepared what in
special-ed lingo is known as “centers”—targeted
therapeutic exercises that focus laserlike
on one specific developmental area, like
fine motor.
These in turn are cleverly disguised as
play activities set up at designated table-top
centers—and upon arrival, parents joined
their children in these play activities, craftfilled
bags in hand.
Said activities, enhanced with a
Chanukah theme, included the tactile stimulation
encouraged by making dreidels out of
modeling clay, or working with food decorations
to stimulate the senses.
After over 30 minutes of one-on-one time
with their kids, the parents—all mothers—
formed a circle on a colorful Kinderland carpet,
children on laps, as Mrs. Weichbrod
began a presentation.
Mrs. Weichbrod walked parents through
Kinderland’s daily schedule for their tiny
tots—most are ages two or three—explaining
the five domains into which the day is regularly
divided.
Those targeted areas—Fine Motor, Gross
Motor, Circle Time, Sensory Class Time and
Fine Motor Feeding Time (a.k.a. lunch)—are
where ongoing improvements, EI’s hallmark,
occur.
Explaining Circle Time, for example,
Mrs. Weichbrod tells the Gazette that its idea
is to inculcate young minds with as much
routine and associative behaviors and concepts
as possible.
Using songs and games, Circle Time will
teach children that “dark” is connected with
“sleep” and “nighttime” while “light” is associated
with “morning” and “wake-up time.”
Toys and other physical objects are used
to reinforce concepts being taught, as well as
to introduce new ones and help students focus
on both.
“We try to simultaneously cater to each
kid’s needs,” says Mrs. Lalouch, underscoring
Kinderland’s flexibility. As Mrs.
Weichbrod puts it, “You can’t teach one level
at Circle Time.”
Several adorable video clips of
Kinderland’s students at play were then
shown, though footage only showed the kids in
action in four of the program’s five domains.
“Fine Motor Play is a very intense time,”
explains Weichbrod, ever the professional,
requiring a concentration and focus by both
teacher and student precluding any video
recordings.
The video viewing was “very animated,”
Weichbrod says, with her young students all
shouting out their own names. “They were
very excited to see themselves up on screen,”
she explains.
In Kinderland’s Gross Motor Play room,
therapists had prepared an educational obstacle
course that pitted little brains against spatial
problems. Guided by parents, the kids made it
through.
During the open house, parents also got to
know each other—and, most importantly, their
children’s team of expert teachers, teacher’s
aides and even the in-house physical therapist.
Hamaspik’s proud crew of Early
Intervention educators are Teacher’s Aides
(TAs) Ms. Yocheved Adams, Ms. Bruchy
Deutsch, Ms. Etty Rubin and Ms. Blimi
Schwartz.
They are joined by Mrs. Perel May, who,
like Mrs. Weichbrod, holds a Masters in
Special Education, as well as by Mrs. Rochie
Gottesfeld, PT, who works one-on-one with
students.
Occupational therapy (OT) in the form of
combined decades of fine motor coordination
and sensory stimulation therapy expertise is
also provided by therapists Miriam
Mendlowitz and Hanna Russ.
Backing the team with impressive firepower
is Judy E. Davies, M.S., CCC/SLP, Ph.D,
whose decades of experience make her one of
the county’s top speech/language and feeding
therapists.
In introducing their program, Mrs.
Weichbrod and staff didn’t just demonstrate
Kinderland’s daily goings-on, but also highlighted
its Chanukah-themed activities over
the past month.
“During Chanukah, they were all aware of
menorah, dreidel, latkes,” Mrs. Weichbrod rattles
off, listing the iconic images that wordlessly
convey the holiday.
Indeed, over the weeks leading up to the
open house, students were taught about
Chanukah at their levels; younger ones were
introduced to its symbols, older ones internalized
its story.
Other pre-Chanukah, holiday-related activities
involved having the kids jump in and out
of a giant “pot of latkes” (Kinderland’s ball
pit), and fine-motor dot-connecting menorah
drawings.
To reinforce retention and association of
the holiday symbols, Mrs. Weichbrod designated
one day as “Menorah Day” and another
as “Dreidel Day,” replete with themed activities.
And working with their little fingers to
improve their sensory abilities,
“Kinderlanders” also created hand-made
menorahs out of modeling clay, and even
stained-glass window hangings.
But to maximize developmental benefit—
namely, the association—created by the arts
and crafts projects, they were all kept in the
classrooms until after Chanukah, Mrs.
Weichbrod explains.
It was just another example of how surgically-precise
repetitive stimulation in areas of
delay can turn those weaknesses into
strengths—something that happens at
Kinderland every day.
Hamaspik Gazette | Feb. ‘12
E3

Special Report: Chanukah
Continued from Page 1
dation for a theme of renewal and
rededication in the centuries and
millennia to come. Even the word
“Chanukah” means “dedication.”
And to mark reaffirmations both
old and new, the Day Hab threw a
party.
A formal meal matching the
occasion was served, over which
celebrants toasted each other with
healthy doses of grape juice and
enjoyed fish, kugel and other delicacies.
Presiding over the event was
special guest Master of Ceremonies
Rabbi Yosef Dovid Ungar, a veteran
educator with a professional-grade
emceeing talent.
Rabbi Ungar had previously
offered his free time to Day Hab
Manager Pinchas Knopfler should
the program need his services; with
the siyum at hand, a call was placed
to Rabbi Ungar, who gladly volunteered
to pitch in for the community’s
special needs.
The siyum recital was followed
by a speech by Mr. Wertheimer
described as “heartwarming” in the
Day Hab’s weekly newsletter. The
Executive Director expressed his
personal happiness at being able to
be part of such a successful program,
and thanked all the staff “for their
wonderful work.”
Bringing the formalities to a climax
was the presentation of elegant
certificates of achievement to each
of the young men who had completed
study of Tractate Sukkah, followed
by heartfelt words delivered
by three individuals.
With the meal, formal siyum,
awards distribution and speeches
concluded, the crowd—which
included most staffers of Hamaspik
of Rockland County’s administrative
offices at 58 Rt. 59 in Monsey—
joined the celebrants and their Direct
Support Professional (DSP) staff for
joyous dancing to music from a live
band.
“The staff’s coming made us
happy … they respect what we’re
doing,” said DSP Shimon Kreisel,
commenting on the visit by Mr.
Wertheimer and his administrative
team. “It encouraged us to continue
working hard and continue helping
these individuals.”
All in the family
One of Hamaspik’s longest-running
and most-enshrined workplace
values is a sense of family.
Which is why, when Forshay
Briderheim IRA staffer Nachman
Cziment recently celebrated the marriage
of his oldest son, one of the
traditional seven Sheva Brachos
post-wedding feasts, which fell during
Chanukah, was held in the dining
room of the group residence.
With newlywed bridegroom
David Cziment and his family
entourage in attendance, residents,
staff and relatives alike freely mingled
and socialized around the table,
with disabilities a passing afterthought
if any. He’s been visiting
with his father for years, says Home
Manager Mrs. Sarah Fisher of the
young groom’s ease with the home’s
residents, “so the boys know him.”
And at the meal’s end, celebrants
joined hands to sing and
dance around the table per custom,
further driving home a notion that
has always reigned supreme at
Hamaspik: people first, disabilities
second.
Another day,
another activity
“Fridays are always special at
the Hamaspik Day Hab,” wrote
Manager Knopfler in his weekly
newsletter, thanks to the regular pre-
Shabbos party. “But this week it
was even more special with the
added Chanukah flavor.”
That’s because on Chanukah
Friday, December 23, the individuals
not only enjoyed their weekly inspiration
session, but Chanukah doughnuts
too—plus a surprise appearance
of beloved former Day Habilitation
attendee Robby Rosenwasser, who
popped in to proffer Chanukah wishes
and perform a holiday song.
Sunday was marked with extensive
preparations for Monday: hanging
wall posters, setting tables,
whipping up delicacies in the
kitchen, and even getting in lastminute
Mishnah studying. “When
House party: Blau (r) with Moskovits (l) and 61st resident
all was said and done, we still had
some time to watch a fascinating
Chanukah video presentation,”
reported Mr. Knopfler.
Throughout Chanukah (and even
on several days immediately following),
individuals and staff from both
the Men’s and Women’s Divisions of
the Rockland County Day Hab paid
a number of appreciative visits to a
long list of local and regional public
servants and elected leaders, delivering
packages of elegant chocolate
arrangements and other edible-content
platters.
Officials visited included
Hudson Valley DDSO Director (and
longtime Hamaspik friend) Mike
Kirchmer and top staffers Jackie
Spring, Biju Abraham and Vivian
Street, and East Ramapo Central
School District leaders Dr. Ira
Oustatcher, Dr. Joel Klein, and Mr.
Eli Wizman.
Rockland County government
leaders visited included Airmont
Mayor Dennis Kay, Chestnut Ridge
Mayor Jerome Kobre, New
Hempstead Mayor Lawrence
Dessau, Ramapo Town Supervisor
Christopher St. Lawrence, Spring
Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmin and
Wesley Hills Mayor David
Goldsmith.
At the federal and state levels,
the good offices of U.S. Senators
Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles
Schumer, as well as Congressman
Eliot Engel and New York State
Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, were
also popped into by teams of happy
Hamaspik visitors.
“They were all so excited to
greet and welcome us,” said Mr.
Knopfler of those offices his “boys”
visited.
And the eighth day of Chanukah,
though being the last, was hardly the
least, what with an exciting round of
dreidel—with a twist (no pun intended).
Three cardboard boxes—one
holding gift-wrapped toys, a second
loaded with treats and a third filled
with concealed notes—stood at the
rec room’s center. And depending
on which side of the four-faceted
dreidel top their spins ended, the
young men selected gifts, goodies,
or messages inside envelopes—or
switched their envelopes with others.
The messages, which had to be
recited out loud, invoked various
skills-strengthening activities like, “I
will wash the dishes tomorrow,” or,
“I can learn with Lazer [beloved
Day Hab member Eliezer
Friedrich—ed.].”
Regardless of the actual game
results, everyone got a prize at the
end, reports Kreisel. “It was very
exciting,” he says. “Everyone was
involved.”
*
On Sunday, December 25, the
Boys’ Division of Hamaspik of
Rockland County’s After-School
Respite Program, under the leadership
of Eli Neuwirth, took advantage
of the full-day program to take the
entire group on a special Chanukah
outing at a popular local pizza shop.
*
Chanukah—or at least the
Chanukah spirit—came well in
advance at the Hamaspik of
Rockland County Day Hab Women’s
Division.
That’s because on Rosh Chodesh
Kislev, or the first day of the Jewishcalendar
month of Kislev, the program
had its participants decorating
dreidels and frying latkes already—a
full three weeks before the holiday,
which starts on the 25th of the
month.
The Day Hab’s annual Pre-
Chanukah Meeting, a tradition for
several years now, brought together
staff and participants around a Day
Hab table to plan the coming holiday’s
activity schedule.
Thus, with Chanukah’s onset,
individuals enjoyed the following:
doughnut-making, a culinary art
class that transformed ordinary
oranges and pineapples into dreidels
and menorahs, an outing at
Monsey’s Jerusalem Pizza restaurant
complete with a round of “Pin the
Shamash on the Menorah” on the
premises, frying fresh latkes
(again!), and a Chanukah musical
sing-along.
Additional Day Hab activities
included a high-demand version of
dreidel in which winners took home
prize items whose initials matched
the letter on which the dreidel landed
(by way of example, a pair of
shoes for the letter shin).
They even concocted a poster
bearing the letters “OT” made of
Peanut Chews as a goodbye present
of sorts to an occupational therapist
in training who put in her 90 days of
required field work at the Day Hab
program.
For their part, the individuals
attending the Hamaspik of Orange
County Day Hab Women’s Division
program enjoyed a whimsical
Chanukah-themed round of “Pass
the Present” which dispensed “tons”
of prizes, a Day Hab staffer reports.
The holiday was likewise incorporated
into their daily activities with a
round of the popular Memory cardmatching
game—only with the cards
bearing pairs of identical Chanukahrelated
images.
Asked for the highlight of
Chanukah at Hamaspik of Orange
County’s Seven Springs
Shvesterheim IRA, Home Manager
Mrs. Miriam Heilbrun reports that
the residence’s grand party took the
cake by far. Held on Chanukah
Sunday, December 25, the gala feast
featured spectacular ceiling and wall
decorations, superlative servings of
food and an exhilarating round of an
interactive Chanukah game.
Keeping it in-house
Hamaspik psychologist Dr. Alan
Blau’s house Chanukah party has
become less Hamaspik tradition and
more Hamaspik institution, having
been held several times now—most
recently this past Thursday,
December 22nd, the second day of
the holiday.
Accompanied by four staff
members, residents of the 61st St.
Briderheim IRA arrived at 2:00 p.m.
for a top-notch gourmet meal prepared
by Mrs. Marilyn Blau, as well
as several rounds of everyone
singing their favorite Chanukah
songs.
“It was a really nice atmosphere,”
61st Manager Yossi
Moskovits later told the Gazette,
commenting on the good doctor’s
relationship with the residents. They
“feel close to him.”
Several guests also shared their
own personal insights and inspirations
on the holiday. However,
“they enjoyed the food the most,”
quips Dr. Blau.
By hand, by foot
and by car
Hands-on creative activities, a
visiting dance troupe, and even a trip
to Lakewood, New Jersey helped
enhance the Chanukah atmosphere
across Hamaspik.
At the Rockland County Men’s
Day Hab, individuals formed dreidels
and menorahs out of sturdy arts
and crafts paper, even adding festive
candles to said candelabra with bits
of sponge.
On Tuesday, December 27, the
Concord Briderheim concluded the
holiday with “simple Chanukah
fun,” as Home Manager Mrs.
Shaindel Goldberger described it.
That breezy indoor recreational
activity consisted of making menorahs
and dreidels out of ordinary
household items and edible goodies.
For the menorahs, wafers were
assembled into long rectangular bars
and then wrapped in aluminum foil.
Single additional wafers were
affixed via toothpick to the silvery
menorah bases to serve as the tall
shamash service candles—and with
fiery red candies glued on with edible
piping gel, the menorahs, eight
candles and all, were complete.
As for the dreidels, the combination
of egg cartons, long toothpicks,
paint and brushes made for colorful
and functional spinning tops, with
the traditional letters on their four
sides.
Up north in Orange County, the
Women’s Division of the Day Hab
whipped up homemade doughnuts,
making the normally-busy activity
room even busier with tables covered
with mixing bowls, ingredients
and doughnut makers at the ready.
The young women also honed
their vocational skills by assembling
and packing menorah candles for a
local manufacturer.
To put the Chanukah spirit on
the table, they decorated and then
laminated their own holiday-themed
place mats.
But all that came after the
Tuesday afternoon of December
20th, the eve of Chanukah’s first
night, on which an 8th Grade class
from Kiryas Joel’s Bais Rochel High
School visited the Day Hab for over
two hours of pre-Chanukah fun and
games.
Between dancing, freshly-
E4
Feb. ‘12 | Hamaspik Gazette

popped popcorn and a Chanukah
twist on the blindfolded “Pin the
Tail” party game, the girls “had a
blast,” a Day Hab DSP tells the
Gazette.
Immediately compounding the
community connection was a visit
the very next day by a dance troupe
of Third Graders from Beis Rochel’s
elementary division—who, like their
older peers, put on an impressive
show, both of footwork and community
embrace of special individuals
where rejection and fear once might
have reigned.
On Thursday, December 22nd,
the entire Division packed up in
Hamaspik’s trademark sturdy transport
vans for a heartfelt visit to
beloved former DSP Miriam (née
Davidowitz) Lieberman in
Lakewood, New Jersey.
Mrs. Lieberman, who relocated
to Lakewood upon her recent marriage,
parlayed her impressive experience
and service at Hamaspik into
a coveted position at Lakewood’s
legendary Center for Special
Children—a mutual underscoring of
both institutions’ five-star standards
and a further tightening of the professional
and spiritual bonds
between the two organizations.
And, of course, they also had a
party, held on December 28th, the
last day of Chanukah.
Getting it all together
With Chanukah being the family-oriented
festival that it is, it was
no surprise that several smaller
Hamaspik programs joined others in
the Hamaspik family for group parties,
events and outings.
Case in point The joint event at
Hamaspik’s Admin/Day Hab
Building in Kiryas Joel for the
Men’s Divisions of Hamaspik of
Orange and Rockland Counties. That
uplifting and exciting get-together,
held on the second day of Chanukah,
had the young men merging their
voices to music performed by a live
band—featuring, among others,
beloved Rockland County DSPs
Moshe Fried on trumpet and Chezky
Levy on vocals. Doughnuts, soft
drinks and other treats were also
served.
Another joint event was the gettogether
between Hamaspik of
Kings County’s 38th St. and South
9th Shvesterheim IRAs held on
Thursday, December 22, the second
day of Chanukah—a happy gathering
also joined by several Day Hab
attendees too.
The South 9th hostesses—residents
and staff alike—planned well
in advance, paying painstaking
attention to the party’s details.
Ample trays of freshly diced fruits
and vegetables were prepared the
day preceding the party, and a maincourse
menu featuring gluten- or
sugar-free dishes for specific individuals’
dietary needs was also
whipped up and served.
A slide show of the last South
9th/38th joint activity—a trip to a
carnival—was viewed over squeals
of delight.
Grab-bag gifts were also
exchanged between the two groups
of residents, live keyboard music
accentuated the evening, and the
individuals retired that evening feeling
like high-class ladies.
“We had quite a crowd,” said
Home Manager Mrs. Malkie
Cziment. “It was unbelievable.”
The Sunday-afternoon fifth day
of Chanukah saw a “major” concert
on the premises of the 61st St.
Briderheim, reported Home
Manager Yossi Moskovits. With the
Hamaspik of Kings County Day Hab
in attendance, the crowd of a few
dozen was regaled by popular wedding
singers Yoel Schwartz and Shea
Berko, backed by professional musician
Reuven Gross on the keyboard.
The in-house concert, complete
with lunch and a Chanukah party
(with doughnuts!), was the “best
concert ever,” Moskovits said.
And on Monday, the 6th day of
Chanukah, Hamaspik of Rockland
County’s Women’s Day Hab and
girls’ After-School Respite Program
joined for an exciting 45-minute
show with the “Parrot Rebbe” (Mr.
Nuchem Gober, see below), and his
amazing avian menagerie.
Party to parental
participation
Chanukah parties were the order
of the day at all group homes across
Hamaspik. But at several, parties
geared specifically for parents were
held too.
These included a Sunday,
Decenber 18 pre-Chanukah event at
Hamaspik of Kings County’s 38th
St. Shvesterheim group home that
was attended by several mothers of
residents.
With beaming Direct Support
Professionals (DSPs) standing by,
the young women and their loving
moms exchanged Chanukah presents.
At another party held the
evening of December 26, the
Individualized Residential
Alternative (IRA) residents welcomed
the hardworking Medicaid
Service Coordinators (MSCs) who
serve them out of Hamaspik of
Kings County’s ever-busy offices.
Like 38th, Hamaspik of
Rockland County’s Grandview
Briderheim IRA also held a pre-
Chanukah party for parents the
Sunday before Chanukah. In attendance
were proud parents, grandparents
and siblings, all delighting to
the live music of a one-man band,
presents exchanged, and a presentation
by the Parrot Rebbe.
Says Home Manager Joel Rubin:
“Parents were able to see how their
kids are being taken care of.”
On Saturday night, December
24, several 61st St. “Briderheimers”
were surprised by the appearance of
their very own parents. Fathers and
sons joined each other around the
table for a Chanukah meal, then a
game, and finally singing and dancing
(what else).
At Hamaspik of Rockland
County’s Wannamaker Briderheim
IRA, the annual family Chanukah
party was held on Sunday, January 1,
2012 after Chanukah due to scheduling
constraints for parents who
would not have made it to a party on
the holiday proper.
With lovely gift packages elegantly
arranged on a table beneath
recently-snapped 8”x10” portraits of
their beloved sons, parents were
greeted and quickly immersed in the
warm holiday atmosphere upon their
arrival.
The party, which saw the residence
filled nearly to capacity with
several dozen mothers, fathers and
grandparents—along with their own
children, grandchildren and even
great-grandchildren—lasted a full
three hours.
Attendees played dreidel and
enjoyed an outstanding gourmet
meal replete with tables bedecked
with flowers and freshly cut fruit
prepared by Wannamaker chef Mrs.
Kupchik.
The highlight of the party came
as the eagle—make that the parrot,
part of a show featuring over one
dozen exotic birds including macaws
and cockatoos—landed on a participant’s
head.
His feathered new friend, and 13
other birds, was collectively the
hour-long live bird show put on by
Monsey’s own “Parrot Rebbe,” professional
bird handler and showman
Nuchem Gober.
Socially affectionate birds like
parrots tend to discern volunteer
handlers’ true feelings at shows,
whether those vibes be fear or
friendliness, the Rebbe later
explained to the Gazette.
With typical individuals, participants
might mask their dread of the
exotic creatures with a casual
machismo a human may not perceive
but which a parrot will pick up
and avoid, the Rebbe said.
Not so at Hamaspik, he pointed
out, where those special-needs individuals
who volunteered to handle
the birds mid-show did so out of an
honest gentleness to which the birds
positively responded.
And to drive the parental-participation
picture home, appreciative—
and appreciated—mothers and
fathers thrilled to their gifts upon
opening them to find…digital portrait
frames loaded with over 60
high-quality shots of Wannamaker
activities and trips over the past 12
months.
One long party
Residents didn’t have a party on
a Chanukah night—because every
night of Chanukah was marked by a
party of sorts, reports Mrs. Laufer,
who together with her husband, the
devoted Mr. Lipa Laufer, manages
Hamaspik of Orange County’s Acres
Briderheim IRA.
“Chanukah in general is a very
exciting time,” she explains, sweeping
up the residence, and its
denizens, as it does with the jovial,
warm spirit of the holiday, themed
food, games and all.
And leaving it up to their
charges, not to mention putting their
preferences first, the Laufers let the
young men decide what the
Chanukah spirit: Concord resident Joel B. is amused by
staffer Joel Schwartz’s antics—doughnuts, gift and all
Chanukah activity should consist of
each night.
One night was thus marked by
round of dreidel, the Jewish spinning-top
game, along with doughnuts,
while another night featured
music and dancing.
“Every night it’s something
else,” Mrs. Laufer says. “Whatever
the kids choose.”
“Every night we had a small
party in the house,” likewise reports
61st St. Manager Moskovits.
At the South 9th Shvesterheim
in Brooklyn, each of the eight days
and/or nights was also marked by
another party or event.
The holiday’s opening night saw
the young women hand-painting
dreidels and menorahs.
Over the Saturday Shabbos, a
group of special-needs girls from
Petach Tikvah, another worthy community
organization, walked over
for a Chanukah visit with their South
9th friends, accompanied by a group
of teen community volunteer assistants.
The following Sunday,
December 25, South 9th resident
Ruchama and friends were treated to
a special birthday outing—a grand
trip to the Big Apple Circus at
Manhattan’s Lincoln Center!
Monday was marked by an
exchange of gifts between the girls
and their Hamaspik of Kings County
MSCs and even their bus drivers.
Home Manager Cziment presented
elegant gifts of appreciation
to her entire team on the last day of
Chanukah (but only after being surprised
on Day Two by the staff’s
Chanukah gift to her).
Speaking of gifts, on the Sunday
before Chanukah, South 9th DSP
Ms. Dina Fisch arranged for each
individual to acquire, and later present,
adorable gifts to their parents.
And on the Sunday immediately
after Chanukah, residents jubilantly
took up their invitation to the wedding
of the brother of beloved staffer
Ms. Perry Adler. Mrs. Cziment
reports getting compliments of
admiration for the tasteful dress and
appearance of the young women—
underscoring Hamaspik’s mission of
integration on as many communal
fronts as possible.
“They had a beautiful, beautiful
Chanukah,” says Mrs. Cziment.
Making the Rounds
At the Hamaspik of Kings
County Day Hab, doughnuts—a
perennial Chanukah favorite—were
the order of the day.
The gentlemen first carefully
mixed batter, working in aprons and
gloves whilst standing at tables
laden with utensils and ingredients.
With staff diligently standing by,
the individuals poured the free-flowing
batter into state-of-the-art
doughnut-making machines, each
featuring several molds allowing the
rapid baking of several perfectly
round dough rings at once.
With each batch completed mere
minutes later by the waffle-iron-like
devices, the doughnuts were
retrieved, glazed with creamy icing
also made in-house, and festooned
with sprinkles.
The result was several trays full
of bakery-quality treats.
Lightening up
The Women’s Division of the
Kings County Day Hab likewise
ushered in the Chanukah season with
baked goods, invoking the holiday
spirit by concocting professionalgrade
cakes.
The dozens of irresistible pastries,
topped by faux dreidels and
edible miniature menorahs, were
both enjoyed by their makers and
later shared with staff and parents
alike.
On the sixth of the holiday’s
eight days, the Day Hab also hosted
a grand outdoor menorah lighting.
Reflecting the still-growing and
pride-driven trend of public menorah
displays and lightings all across
America, the men and women
attending the program, accompanied
by staff, gathered outside 293-295
Division Ave. while an individual
kindled the candles atop the fivefoot
candelabrum.
In a perhaps telling moment, a
photograph otherwise marred by
glare depicts a glorious shaft of sunshine
visibly bearing down upon an
individual as he waited for the festivities
to begin.
The Festival of Light, indeed.
Hamaspik Gazette | Feb. ‘12
E5

Discharging the Duties of
Competent Home Care
The Gazette interviews HamaspikCare’s leadership
Its first seeds were planted over two years ago to accommodate
just a few individuals in need. But no one at Hamaspik
predicted the resulting mighty (and still-growing) edifice that is
HamaspikCare of 2012.
As a Licensed Home Care Services Agency (LHCSA),
HamaspikCare takes the Hamaspik brand of caring, competent
and compassionate community service to a relatively new but
equally urgent front. With the first wave of Baby Boomers retiring—and
that wave to build by the millions over the next few
years—home care is the wave of the future.
And on Wednesday, January 11, HamaspikCare
Administrator Yoel Bernath and Director of Patient Services
(DPS) Chaya Back, RN sat down with the Gazette’s editors to
learn what HamaspikCare does, how it got started, and, even
how to care for your parents. The result was the following fascinating,
folksy and fact-filled discussion.
Gazette: What prompted Hamaspik to go into
HamaspikCare—to go into home health care
Bernath: We were doing the TBI Waiver since 2003. The
TBI Waiver has, like all the Waivers, a Service Coordination
component. One of the TBI services is HCSS (which is
Home/Community Support Services). In 2007, the Dept. of
Health decided that every HCSS worker has to be a Personal
Care Aide (PCA).
Hamaspik had a few HCSS patients at the time; we get a
letter from the Department that Hamaspik has two choices:
Either we apply to become a Licensed Home Care Services
Agency, which provides PCAs, or you just transition your
patients to a different agency. So Hamaspik had a decision to
make.
To answer the question in short, we responded to a need
because we wanted to serve additional people. I can’t say we
sensed that there was a void, that we felt that the community is
missing a home care service, but I could say that it was a
response to a need. We had a commitment to the HCSS
patients.
Gazette: What exactly does HamaspikCare provide
Somebody meets you on the street: “What’s
HamaspikCare What do you guys do”
Back: Usually the only time we say that is that the patient
has an insurance that we’re not in-network with, so we could
serve them, just they’re going to have a deductible and a copay.
So I usually tell them, go in-network [at a different
agency] and you won’t have to pay that.
Bernath: And one thing to add to that—you’re right—we
will never tell a person, “We can’t serve you.” If someone ever
tells you he didn’t get a service, he didn’t call Hamaspik—he
called a different number.
People call for services and people don’t know: A, what
they’re eligible for; and B, if they’re getting a service, most of
the people don’t know what they’re getting. They don’t know
if it’s Medicaid or Medicare, if it’s private insurance, if it’s
something else. And part of taking an intake call is not only
providing a service, it’s a lot of education.
Back: I feel like there’s like two types of people that call.
There’s the person that knows exactly what they want, who
they want it from and how they want it. They tell us exactly
what they want and we give it to them. Then there’s other people
who call; they have no clue what they need or what their
parent needs, they don’t know what their insurance covers, they
don’t know anything. And those are the people who we need to
explain to them what they need and what they’re eligible for.
Gazette: Can you give us some background that you
bring to this growing program
Bernath: I should talk about what I was doing until now I
am part of the Hamaspik family.
What Hamaspik taught me is one thing: we have to help
every person who needs help. This is an agency that will help
HamaspikCare
• The Home Care Agency of Choice •
HamaspikCare Services
them, that will guide them, that will provide them, and you
have to strive to provide a quality service—if it’s through a
stream of OPWDD, if the funding stream is the Department of
Health, if it’s called today LHCSA and tomorrow it’s called
MLTC or it’s called a CHHA, you’re there to help people.
Back: My nursing, the medical part of it, helps me assess as
far as Intake. I can assess patients’ needs and help steer them in
the right direction. And it’s not only about insurance. It’s not
only about what they’re eligible for. It’s also medically what
they need. And that part I’m able to contribute.
Gazette: Give us a picture of HamaspikCare’s structure.
What are your divisions, departments or offices, and what
does each one do
Bernath: There’s the Director of Patient Services. The
Director of Patient Services has a very important role because
she is responsible for patients. She must be a nurse. And the
Director of Patient Services is responsible for the overall
patient care, for the overall compliance.
Then there’s the Field Nurses. The Field Nurses have to go
out to open cases. Any case that’s going to be opened, even if
it’s a case that’s only going to be therapy, only going to be aide
services, a nurse has to go out and open the case to see what the
patient needs.
Back: Based on the nurses’ assessment of what the patient
needs, we write out either a Nursing Plan of Care if they’re getting
nursing services or an Aide Plan of Care if they’re getting
aide services.
Bernath: Or a Therapy Plan of Care.
Back: It’s very patient-specific, and it’s tailor-made to the
patient so that the patient gets exactly what they need. That
Back: It’s a home care agency.
Gazette: Which is, in plain English
Back: We provide nursing, therapy, and aide services. You
want to know which, specifically
Gazette: “Aide services” means what, exactly
Back: Services for people that need personal care, not medical
care. There’s two levels: PCA and HHA (Home Health
Aide).
Gazette: Who’s eligible for HamspikCare services
Personal Care & PACE Services
Home Health Aides
Personal Care Aides
Housekeepers
HCSS Aides
PACE Workers
Homemakers
Counseling Services
Diecians
Social Workers
Nutrionists
Nursing Services
Physician ordered nursing and
skill treatments
Skilled observaon and assessment
Clinical monitoring and coordinaon
Medicaon management
Care planning
Rehabilitaon Services
Physical Therapy
Speech and Language Pathology
Occupaonal Therapy
Bernath: It depends on the funding stream, on insurance.
So insurance can be Medicare, it could be Medicaid, it could be
a long-term insurance plan into which someone paid in, it could
be commercial insurance, it could be a managed care, HMO,
and it could be private pay. It depends on what their insurance
authorizes.
Gazette: Give me a scenario where a person has a health
need, the physical need is there, and he calls up
HamaspikCare services and at the end of the conversation
HamaspikCare will tell him, “We can’t help you.”
Social and Environmental Supports
Minor maintenance for qualified
individuals
Social Model
Social day program for seniors
Toll Free Number: 1-855-HAMASPIK (426-2774)
www.hamaspikcare.org
HamaspikCare offers a comprehensive range of at-home medical and therapeutic services.
Whatever your need, HamaspikCare has got you covered—right in the comfort of your own home.
E6
Feb. ‘12 | Hamaspik Gazette

Plan of Care is constantly updated and changed because people
change.
Bernath: Every Aide that’s working out there is working
under the license of an RN. So the Field Nurses take that
charge and they go out and they have to orient the Aides to the
new cases, to the new patient. They have to train them with
anything that has to do with the patient because it’s their
patient; they have to know the patient inside-out.
So there’s the Field Nurse Department, we have a few Field
Nurses who go out.
Then there’s the Scheduling Department, a group of people
who are dedicated to this patient: “This is your patient.” This is
their responsibility.
Back: Like a care manager.
Bernath: But it’s much more beyond a typical care manager:
this is their patient 24/7.
And we have our HR Office.
Gazette: You work with all these agencies outside
HamspikCare: hospitals, insurers. What makes a regional
hospital like Good Sam, or an insurer like Oxford or Blue
Cross, choose to work with HamaspikCare
Bernath: An insurance company, an MLTC, a CHHA—why
do they decide they want to contract with Hamaspik Because
they’re an entity; they’re not a community-based organization.
We’re a community-based organization; people come to us for
services. People call us. People will call an agency that’s on
Route 59, where you can walk right in and talk to a live person.
Gazette: Community interface
Bernath: Yes! It’s about reputation. It’s about how they see
we handled the referral; they sense over the phone that they’re
talking to someone who knows the business, who knows how to
do it to get things done.
Every hospital has a goal; they want to discharge people.
Without a proper Discharge Plan they can’t discharge someone.
The same is with a nursing home or a rehab. And the only way
they can do it is to work with agencies like HamaspikCare, to
work with good quality agencies who know what they’re doing
in handling the situation.
Gazette: What’s the most complex or involved service
that HamaspikCare provides
Back: Private-duty nursing.
Gazette: What kind of scenario would require that
Back: Patients being discharged from the hospital, or their
family doesn’t want them to go to a nursing home, so they get
approved for a certain amount of hours of nursing care in their
house.
Gazette: Why would you need a nurse
Back: Because they have skilled nursing needs: a feeding
tube, a trach, a ventilator.
Gazette: Recent studies show that the most trusted people
in the United States are nurses. Do you feel that people
have this trust of our nursing staff And how do we convey
that we are worthy of their trust
Back: I definitely feel like they trust our nurses a lot. I feel
that our nurses, besides for their medical knowledge, have a lot
of caring for patients, and I think it comes across whenever they
come to their patient’s house. The patients feel it.
Trust has two aspects: the emotional and the knowledge,
and our nurses have both.
Bernath: If the goal of the agency is to serve people and
help them and provide them with good quality service, it shows.
You can see how our nurses go out. Maybe Hamaspik contributed
to the study!
But it’s not only the nurses. It’s the approach of the agency.
The agency has that responsibility. The same reason why we
feel that even though the office is closed, even though it’s a
Sunday or a Motzei Shabbos or an Erev Shabbos or
Thanksgiving, all the HamaspikCare staff are available. And
we all worked. It was Thanksgiving, it was Christmas—
Back: You call Elky [HamaspikCare Scheduling
Coordinator Mrs. Elky Eger—ed.] three o’clock in the morning
You’ll get a call back in five minutes.
You were asking specifically about the nurses. Whenever
they come back from a case asking me about getting a service
for a patient, if ever my answer is a financial answer because of
the insurance, they look at me like I’m this horrible person—
like, “What do you mean! The patient needs it!” That’s really
how the nurses are.
Bernath: Our nurses are trained not to talk about money, not
to talk about funding. And we have had this argument, I think,
many, many times internally, where people come back to me
and say, “Well, we’re losing money on the case!”
“I’ll worry about the bank account. That’s not your problem.
You just make sure they get a quality service.”
Gazette: When somebody is receiving help from
HamaspikCare, who covers it What kind of government
program What kind of insurance
Bernath: We’re contracted with most of the Certified Home
Health Agencies in the region. We’re contracted with all of the
MLTCs in the region. We’re contracted with the counties.
We’re contracted with commercial insurances. There’s a new
contract now that’s with the Holocaust Foundation, through
which they approve PCA hours for people who are Holocaust
survivors.
Gazette: It’s so interesting, because usually people think
there’s a very narrow group of streams that can fund these
kinds of services.
Bernath: I don’t think there’s any agency that has that many
options for people who call for services—and we didn’t mention
about our CDPAP program. Anyone who has Medicaid
Bernath (l) with editors Hecht and Schnitzler
and needs services, they can get the CDPAP program. This is
our oldest DOH program. It is officially now part of
HamaspikCare, so you can get CDPAP; you can get PCA
through us which is a program directly from the County.
Back: Besides for that, I think we should mention that we
could bill any insurance as an out-of-network provider based on
the patient’s benefits.
Gazette: At what age should one start thinking about
planning long-term care
Back: When you’re born.
Gazette: Most babies don’t know anything about planning.
Back: Their parents.
Bernath [laughing]: Yes! But it’s true.
Back: The same way the minute kids are born, their parents
usually open a bank account for them or the parents get life
insurance, so that’s [also] part of it. Doesn’t mean they’re necessarily
buying a long-term policy.
Gazette: So for an adult who’s independent and making
their own decisions—
Bernath: I think it has to do a lot with a major stigma out
there. There’s such a thing as, “No! My father is doing perfectly
fine!” Well, he has dementia. So it’s a very difficult matter,
accepting that your own father and mother are slowly
regressing in their health.
So there’s really no age timeline, but it’s important that
people, when their parents get older… it starts with the parents.
You can live ‘til 120 and you can be perfectly fine and you can
do all daily living tasks well, and there’s nothing wrong with
having someone helping you go to shul, there’s nothing wrong
with someone helping you with personal errands, there’s nothing
wrong with someone coming in to you, a nurse coming in
and making sure you’re staying healthy.
Getting home care help is not a downside. It helps you stay
out of a nursing home, stay out of a hospital and continue in
good health. That’s Number One.
Number Two, it’s an obligation of children to talk to the
parents and really do their health planning—make sure that
there’s a funding stream which if something happens, there
should be available help, they should have the access to help
and also, making sure… that they’re signing up with the right
agencies. But going back—if they have a chronic condition,
it’s even more important!
Back: Before they have the chronic condition—it’s sort of
the way life insurance works.
Gazette: Let’s say somebody is eligible to get resources
from HamaspikCare directly. How long does it take from
the person’s first time he calls ‘til he gets an aide in the
house
Bernath: Well, there’s two answers to the question. There’s
how we want to do it. And then there’s reality: how’s it’s done.
The way we want to do it is: we get a call We should have
the service there as soon as possible. Very same day. In the
next few hours.
Gazette: Give me the best-case scenario.
Bernath: The best-case scenario is if someone calls and they
have already an authorization, they have a pre-certification, and
everything is authorized.
Gazette: What authorization
Back: That’s depending on other parties: we need doctor’s
orders. We need insurance authorization.
Gazette: But the person doesn’t know that.
Back: The person is not going to have that, but the point is
that from our end, we could do everything very quickly.
Potentially That day.
Bernath: The right answer to the question is: we’re set up to
open cases 24/7. But, understood, there need to be orders, there
needs to be insurance authorization, and without that, we can’t
go in.
Talking about discharge social workers: It’s very important
for patients to know that they are entitled to tell the entity social
worker, “I want to set up with that agency.” They always have
the choice of calling up their own home care agency before discharge
and requesting services.
Gazette: If somebody’s living upstate, can he tell the
social worker at [Manhattan-based] Mount Sinai that he
wants Hamaspik
Bernath: Sure! That’s why education is very, very important.
You know, there are good agencies; we will use them.
And it happens to be that if a call comes in to us and we feel
they’re going to be the quickest-served with Entity X, we’re not
going to look at HamaspikCare’s financial benefit… It’s:
Number One, get the patient the best care.
Gazette: What is unique about HamaspikCare What,
if anything, makes it different than other agencies
Bernath: It’s one main principle: I think the fact that
HamspikCare was built on twenty-plus years of providing quality
service; twenty-plus years being a community agency; twenty-plus
years of providing top-notch services.
Gazette: Grassroots
Bernath: It’s not only grassroots. It’s a reputation.
Reputation doesn’t build overnight. It’s not about the void;
there were agencies before HamaspikCare. It’s about providing
quality services; it’s about providing services with dignity and
respect and a good service that not only focuses on the dollar
amount but also focuses on the real needs.
Hamaspik Gazette | Feb. ‘12
E7

23
All about… gout
Gout, the joke goes, is a blend of the
words, “Get out!”
That’s because gout is notoriously
painful—especially to the over-8.3 million
Americans who suffer from this debilitating
and painful form of inflammatory arthritis.
However, knowing what causes gout—and
knowing how to eliminate the causes behind
the excruciating symptoms—is common
knowledge nowadays, unlike centuries ago
when little was known about its causes and
even less about its effective treatment.
But in this handy little article, you’ll learn
all about gout, so that you don’t have to learn
about it the hard way.
Definition
Gout is characterized by sudden, severe
attacks of pain, redness and tenderness in
joints, often in the joint at the base of the big
toe.
Gout is actually a complex form of arthritis
that can affect anyone. Men are more likely
to get gout, but women become increasingly
susceptible to gout after mid-life and its
changes.
An acute gout attack can be painful
enough to wake you up in the middle of the
night.
Regardless of when it occurs, gout typically
creates the sensation of the big toe being on
fire. The affected joint will feel hot, swollen
and so tender that any weight or pressure on
it—a blanket, sock or even bed sheet, however
thin—may feel unbearable.
Symptoms
Gout typically strikes suddenly, painfully
and often at night, and usually without any
warning. Primary symptoms include:
Intense joint pain
As mentioned, the large joint of the big toe
is typically the first sign of trouble, but gout
can strike with terrible pain in the feet, heels,
ankles, knees, hands, fingers, wrists or elbows
too. Pain is likely to be severest over its first
12 to 24 hours. (Unfortunately, without treatment,
later attacks are likely to last longer and
affect more joints.)
Inflammation, redness, swelling
The affected joint or joints become
swollen, tender and red.
Lingering discomfort
Some discomfort in affected joints may
last from a few days to a few weeks after the
initial 12 to 24 hours of attack and the worst
pain subsides. However, early attacks usually
get better within three to ten days, even without
treatment. The next attack may not occur
Throaty Breakthrough
Trailblazing Swedish surgeons have successfully replaced a patient’s cancerous windpipe
with the world’s first bio-artificial windpipe—made out of the patient’s own stem cells.
Stem cells were first extracted from the patient, then implanted into a three-dimensional
glass windpipe model that was based on computer scans of the patient’s windpipe.
Since the completed bio-artificial airway uses the patient’s own cells, rejection is eliminated—as
well as the need to wait for a transplant donor.
The researchers now seek to extend the bio-artificial implant concept to such major organs
as the lungs, heart and esophagus. But because the windpipe implant patient, though doing
well, has only had his new windpipe for a few months, other researchers urge long-time function
before deeming the procedure a complete success.
Currently biomedical technology already allows for the creation of lab-grown, bio-artificial
blood vessels and hip bones, though both are years away from mass application.
In related news, Dr. John Burke, a pioneer of the 1981 Integra synthetic/organic artificial
skin now widely used to treat severe burn victims, died this past November 2. He was 89.
for months or even years.
Causes
Gout occurs when urate crystals accumulate
in affected joints, causing the inflammation
and intense pain of a gout attack. Urate
crystals can form when there are high levels of
uric acid in the blood.
The body produces uric acid when it
breaks down purines—substances that are
found naturally in your body, as well as in specific
foods like as anchovies, asparagus, dried
beans and peas, herring, liver, mackerel and
mushrooms.
Normally, uric acid dissolves in the blood
and passes through the kidneys. But sometimes
your body either increases the amount of
uric acid it makes, or your kidneys do not get
rid of enough uric acid. Both those scenarios
can be caused by eating too many foods high
in purines.
To a lesser extent, heightened production
of uric acid can also be triggered by
chemotherapy.
When uric acid levels in the blood are
high, it is called hyperuricemia. Most people
with hyperuricemia do not develop gout. But
if excess uric acid crystals form in the body,
gout can develop.
When this happens, the uric acid crystals
form sharp, needle-like urate crystals in a joint
or surrounding tissue that cause pain, inflammation
and swelling.
A gout attack can also be brought on by
stressful events, substance abuse, or another
illness.
If not treated, urate crystal deposits can
form deposits called tophi (TOE-fi) under the
skin. They can also form kidney stones and
joint stiffness.
Another condition called pseudogout
(SOO-dough-gout, or false gout) has similar
symptoms and is sometimes confused with
gout. Pseudogout crystals are caused by calcium
phosphate, not uric acid, and affect primarily
the knees. And unlike gout, pseudogout
crystals cannot be cleared away by change of
diet.
Risk factors
Factors that increase the uric acid level in
your body include:
• Excessive alcohol
• Untreated high blood pressure (hypertension)
• Diabetes
• High levels of fat and cholesterol in the
blood (hyperlipidemia)
• Narrowing of the arteries (arteriosclerosis)
• Usage of thiazide diuretics—commonly
used to treat hypertension—and low-dose
aspirin, as well as anti-rejection drugs prescribed
for people who have undergone organ
transplants
• Family history of gout
• Age and gender, with gout occurring
more often in men than in women, primarily
because women tend to have lower uric acid
levels. Later in life, however, women’s uric
acid levels approach those of men. Men also
are more likely to develop gout earlier—usually
between 40 and 50, while women generally
develop signs and symptoms later
Complications
People with gout can develop more-severe
conditions, such as:
• Recurrent gout. Some people may never
experience gout signs and symptoms again.
But others may experience gout several times
each year. Medications may help prevent gout
attacks in people with recurrent gout
• Advanced gout. Untreated gout may
cause tophi to develop in several areas such as
your fingers, hands, feet, elbows or Achilles
tendons along the back of your ankle. Tophi
usually aren’t painful, but they can become
swollen and tender during gout attacks
• Kidney stones. Urate crystals may collect
in the urinary tract of people with gout,
causing kidney stones. Medications can help
reduce the risk of kidney stones
Untreated gout can cause permanent joint
and kidney damage.
Diagnosis
If you experience sudden, intense pain in a
joint, call your doctor. Gout that goes untreated
can lead to worsening pain and joint damage,
possibly permanent. Seek medical care
immediately if the joint pain is accompanied
E8
Feb. ‘12 | Hamaspik Gazette

y a fever and a joint (besides red and tender)
is hot and inflamed, which can be a sign of
infection.
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms,
medical history, and family history of
gout.
After an initial examination, your doctor
may refer you to a rheumatologist, a specialist
in the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis and
other inflammatory joint conditions.
Appointment prep
• Write down the start dates and frequency
of your gout symptoms
• Note any recent changes or major stressors
in your life
• List any other conditions you currently
have
• List any medication(s), vitamins or supplements
you’re taking
• Let your doctor know if there is any family
history of gout
• Write down a list of questions to ask your
doctor
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What to expect from the doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number
of questions. Being ready to answer them may
free up time to discuss anything else. Your
doctor may ask:
• What are your symptoms
• In what part of your body do your symptoms
occur
• When did you first experience these
symptoms
• Do your symptoms come and go How
often
• Does anything in particular seem to trigger
your symptoms, such as certain foods or
physical or emotional stress
• Are you being treated for any other medical
conditions
• What medications are you currently taking,
including over-the-counter and prescription
drugs as well as vitamins and supplements
• Do any of your first-degree relatives have
a history of gout
• What do you eat in a typical day
• Do you drink alcohol If so, how much
and how often
• What else concerns you
Tests to help diagnose gout may include:
Joint fluid test
Your doctor may use a needle to draw fluid
from your affected joint. When examined
under the microscope, the fluid may reveal
urate crystals.
Blood test
Your doctor may recommend a blood test
to measure the uric acid level in your blood.
Blood test results can be misleading, though.
Some people have high uric acid levels (hyperuricemia),
but never experience gout. And
some people have signs and symptoms of gout,
but don’t have hyperuricemia.
Treatment
Gout has long been associated with diet,
particularly with overindulgence in meat,
seafood and alcohol. As a result, gout treatment
used to include severe dietary restrictions,
which made the gout diet hard to keep.
ROCKLAND KOSHER
FRUIT & VEGGIE
PLATTERS
MEAT & POULTRY
APPETIZING
FRESH FISH
SHLOIMY’S
BAKERY
DELI DEPT.
SUSHI K BAR
The Shoppers Haven
27 Orchard St. Monsey, NY
845.425.2266 • fax: 845.425.2371
• Sun - Wed: 6:45am - 11pm • Thur: 6:45am - 1am
• Fri: 6:45am - 2 hrs before zman • Motzei Shabbos: 1/2 hr after zman - 12:00am
Fortunately, however, newer medications
to treat gout (see below) have reduced the need
for a strict gout diet—and besides, the gout
diet, or even a fair approximation thereof,
resembles the general healthy eating plan recommended
for most people.
Remember that a gout diet doesn’t treat
gout—it merely helps control attacks.
Attack treatment medications
Attack treatment medications include the
popular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs) like the over-the-counter Advil,
Motrin and Aleve or the powerful prescriptiononly
Indocin, both of which may control gout
inflammation and pain. The doctor may prescribe
a higher dose to stop an acute attack.
For people who cannot take NSAIDs, the
gout pain reliever colchicine (Colcrys) is
sometimes used. However, Colcrys triggers
weighty side effects like nausea, vomiting and
diarrhea.
And for people who can take neither
NSAIDs nor colchicine, corticosteroid medications
like prednisone, in pill or injection form,
may also control gout.
But because corticosteroids have serious
side effects too, including thinning bones, poor
wound healing and decreased ability to fight
infection, the doctor will try to find the lowest
dose (and the shortest prescription time) that
controls symptoms.
The American Dietetic Association also
recommends these guidelines during a gout
attack (and after. See Prevention, below):
• Drink 8 to 16 cups (about 2 to 4 liters) of
fluid each day, with at least half being water
• Avoid alcohol
• Eat a moderate amount of protein,
preferably from healthy sources, such as lowfat
or fat-free dairy, tofu, eggs, and nut butters
• Limit your daily intake of meat, fish and
poultry to 4 to 6 ounces (113 to 170 grams)
Attack prevention medications
Drugs called xanthine oxidase inhibitors,
including allopurinol (Aloprim, Lopurin,
Zyloprim) and febuxostat (Uloric), lower the
blood’s uric acid level and reduce gout risk.
Side effects include rash, nausea, reduced
liver function and low blood counts.
However, these drugs may trigger new
acute attacks if taken before a recent attack
has totally resolved, but taking a short course
of low-dose colchicine before starting a xanthine
oxidase inhibitor has been found to significantly
reduce this risk.
Probenecid (Probalan) improves the kidneys’
ability to remove uric acid from the
body, and may reduce gout risk. Side effects
include rash, stomach pain and kidney stones.
Attack prevention medications also
include NSAIDs, or even colchicine, which
may be continued in a lower dosage to keep
gout at bay. (However, NSAIDs carry risks of
stomach pain, bleeding and ulcers.)
Most recently, a drug known as a protein
inhibitor, Arcalyst, was found in a new study
to lower the risk of gout flare-ups during the
first few months of treatments aimed at lowering
uric acid levels. However, the drug is very
expensive, limiting its usage to those most
likely to benefit.
Prevention
During symptom-free periods, these
dietary guidelines may help protect against
future gout attacks:
• Avoid foods that are high in purines—
limit your intake of meat, fish and poultry. A
small amount may be tolerable, but pay close
attention to what types—and how much—
seem to cause problems for you
• Keep your fluid intake high. Aim for 8 to
16 cups (about 2 to 4 liters) of fluid each day,
with at least half being water. Limit how
many sweetened beverages you drink, especially
those sweetened with high fructose corn
syrup
• Limit or avoid alcohol. Ask your doctor
what amount or type of alcohol is safe. Recent
evidence suggests that beer may particularly
increase risk of gout symptoms, especially in
men
• Eat a balanced diet following the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans. Your daily diet
should emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole
grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk products
• Get your protein from low-fat dairy products.
Low-fat dairy products may actually
have a protective effect against gout, so these
are your best-bet protein sources
• Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy
body weight. Choose portions that allow you
to maintain a healthy weight. Losing weight
may decrease uric acid levels in your body.
But avoid fasting or rapid weight loss, since
doing so may temporarily raise uric acid levels
Bottom line Eat and exercise right, take
your pills and work closely with your doctor,
and you should see your gout brought under
control.
Hamaspik thanks Alfred Becker, M.D.,
P.C., for critically reviewing this article.
Worst Hospitals List
Everyone’s heard of the much-vaunted (some argue overhyped and even inaccurate)
“Best Hospitals” list. But what about the worst You never hear about those, do you
To probe this curiosity, several researchers extracted detailed data from the Centers for
Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS)—after pledging not to name hospital names—and
came up with the country’s worst hospitals.
The researchers, writing in Health Affairs, organized a pool of 3,229 hospitals by adherence
to Medicare care guidelines and money spent on providing care—resulting in a list of
178 low-quality, high-cost facilities.
These, while remaining unnamed, tended to be small public hospitals and for-profit institutions
in the South. They also treated twice as many elderly, black patients as did the 122
“best” hospitals on the list. The worst hospitals also had many more Medicaid patients than
the best.
Additionally, heart attack and pneumonia patients at the worst hospitals were more likely
to die than those at the best.
But the study’s authors are more concerned about planned changes to Medicare’s hospital
reimbursement system.
That system, a key part of the Affordable Care Act’s cost-cutting plans, could end up hurting
hospitals that treat lots of poor, black patients, the study warns.
In related news, several deans of the nation’s top medical schools met late last year with
the editorial staff of U.S. News and World Report’s vaunted annual best medical schools list
to tweak the list’s pros and cons.
Hamaspik Gazette | Feb. ‘12
E9

Shape up—or don’t ship out
Not convinced that under-exercising,
overeating and obesity are on the rise Just
ask the Coast Guard. For the first time since
1960, the U.S. Coast Guard has updated its
vessel-stability rules, raising the estimated
weight of an average adult passenger from 160
to 185 pounds.
The update means that because American
passengers now weigh more, vessels can take
on less.
Board of Regents planning
IEP diploma elimination
The New York Board of Regents is facing
backlash as its officials move forward with
their plans to stop awarding diplomas to special
education students who do not complete
minimum academic requirements.
The Board is currently just one step away
from eliminating the “IEP diploma,” a certification
typically offered to students with disabilities
who complete their individualized
education program, or IEP, but do not fulfill
the requirements for a regular high school
diploma.
Instead, official want said students to
receive a new honor entitled the “skills and
achievement commencement credentials,”
arguing that anything with the word “diploma”
in that doesn’t cover all of the typically
required coursework is misleading.
A number of parents and student advocates
are protesting, saying that changing the distinction’s
name could compromise job opportunities
for individuals with disabilities, as
many employers require a “diploma” but don’t
specify what kind.
If given final approval, the change would
only take effect in the 2013-2014 school year.
Mary Ellen Avery,
baby hero, 1927-2011
Legendary pediatrician Dr. Mary Ellen
Avery, whose 1960s medical discovery on
newborns’ breathing is estimated to have saved
800,000 babies’ lives to date, died this past
December at age 84. Her breakthrough find
that the lung coating needed for respiration
was missing in some babies led to a drastic
increase in happy births and was hailed by
some as the single most important advance in
neonatal care in the last 50 years.
New York RNs may soon
need bachelor’s degrees
Under a bill Albany lawmakers are considering
as part of a national push to raise educational
standards for nurses, even as the health
care industry faces staffing shortages, new registered
nurses would have to earn bachelor’s
degrees within ten years to keep working in
New York.
The “BSN in 10” initiative backed by
nursing associations and major health policy
organizations aims to attack the complex problem
of too few nurses trained to care for an
aging population that includes hundreds of
thousands of nurses expected to retire in the
coming years.
But some in the health care industry worry
that increased education requirements could
worsen the problem by discouraging entrants
into the field.
Most registered nurses currently have twoyear
associate’s degrees, and no state requires
a four-year degree for initial licensing or afterward.
Demand for more skilled nurses is increasing
as the population gets older and has more
chronic diseases, and as the new federal health
care law promises to help 32 million more
Americans gain insurance within a few years.
Pneumonia vaccine
approved for 50+ crowd
Pneumonia vaccine Prevnar 13 was
approved by the FDA at December’s end for
use in people age 50 and up. The drug is currently
in widespread use for patients below
that age.
Is fracking safe for public
The U.S. should study whether hydraulic
fracturing, or fracking, used to free natural gas
from wells is a hazard to people or food
sources, says Christopher Portier, director of
the CDC’s National Center for Environmental
Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry.
Fracking involves injecting water, sand
and chemicals into deep shale formations to
free natural gas. The compounds used should
be monitored, Portier said, and drinking water
wells should be tested before and after drilling.
Increased use of the process has raised gas
production, reduced prices 32 percent last year
Public
Health
and
Policy
News
and spurred questions about the environmental
effects.
The U.S. has sought to dismiss a lawsuit
brought by New York Attorney General Eric T.
Schneiderman against federal agencies, seeking
stronger regulation of fracking at as many
as 18,000 wells in his state. The petroleum
industry says the lawsuit could shut down
drilling in the Delaware River Basin “for many
years to come” if successful.
FDA curbs some
animal antibiotics
In early January, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) announced the curbed
usage of certain antibiotics in cattle, pigs and
poultry.
Widespread use of antibiotics in food-producing
animals is thought to be a major source
of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria,
experts say.
The new ban includes antibiotics known as
cephalosporins, and would take effect April 5,
the FDA said in a statement.
The proposed rules, which apply to cattle,
swine, chickens and turkeys, are intended to
reduce the risk of cephalosporin resistance in
certain types of bacteria so that the drugs
remain effective in treating disease like pneumonia
in humans.
If the drugs lose their effectiveness to treat
these conditions, doctors may have to use less
effective drugs or ones with greater side
effects, the FDA explained.
The decision was hailed by the American
Medical Association (AMA), which said in a
statement that “Physicians must be able to rely
on proven, safe and effective medications to
provide optimal care to their patients.”
Heart trouble See your dentist
Nearly 20 million Americans who see a
dentist at least once a year don’t see a doctor
or other general health care provider—suggesting,
according to a new study, that dentists
could screen these people for such health disorders
like high blood pressure, diabetes and
heart disease.
New York University investigators analyzed
data from more than 31,200 adults who
took part in the 2008 U.S. National Health
Interview Survey.
Based on those findings, the researchers
determined that 26 percent of U.S. children did
not see a general health care provider (physician,
physician assistant, nurse, nurse practitioner),
but more than one-third (7 million) of
those children did visit a dentist at least once
in 2008.
One-quarter of U.S. adults did not visit a
general health care provider, but nearly a
fourth (13 million) of those adults visited a
dentist at least once in 2008.
Thus, dentists are in a position to take
patients’ health history and blood pressure, and
use direct clinical observation and X-rays to
detect risk for systemic health disorders,
researchers say.
Hospital incidents
not being reported: OIG
In a new report self-explanatorily titled
“Hospital Incident Reporting Systems Do Not
Capture Most Patient Harm,” the U.S. Dept. of
Health and Human Services’ Office of the
Inspector General (OIG) found that hospital
staff did not report 86 percent of adverse
events involving Medicare patients to their
hospital’s incident reporting systems, partly
because of staff misperceptions about what
constitutes patient harm.
Slow health-spending
growth in 2010
High unemployment, lower incomes,
increased cost sharing and a large drop in the
number of people with private health insurance
limited the growth of health spending in the
United States to 3.9 percent in 2010, according
to the latest figures from the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid (CMS)—which also
found that total health spending in 2010 was
$2.6 trillion, or $8,402 per person.
Federal funding boost
for special education
Federal spending on students with disabilities
will increase in 2012 in spite of recent
threats to cut funding for special education.
Under a budget passed in late December,
Congress approved an additional $100 million
for special education.
Though the increase is modest, advocates
say any extra funds represent a win given
Washington’s recent focus on trimming costs.
When the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) became law in the
1970s, Congress committed to funding 40 percent
of the program’s cost, but that never happened
and today the federal government pays
for less than 20 percent.
In addition to the $100 million added to
special education, Congress also provided an
extra $5 million for programs supporting
young children with disabilities as well as
increases in funding for parent information
centers and technical assistance.
Like all education programs, however,
special education was subject to an across the
board cut of nearly 2 percent, so the true
growth in funding for this year compared to
2011 will be slightly less than the $100 million
increase.
School districts will receive their next
round of funding from Washington this summer
and that’s when the newly-approved
increases from this year’s budget will head
their way.
Despite the good news this year, advocates
say next year’s budget could spell trouble,
however. Since lawmakers were not able to
reach a deal last fall to reduce the federal
deficit, automatic spending cuts are slated to
hit many programs, including education, in
January 2013.
E10
Feb. ‘12 | Hamaspik Gazette

Hamaspik at the State of the State Address
Hamaspik Executive Directors Meyer Wertheimer (Rockland), Moses Wertheimer (Orange),
Joel Freund (Kings) and Yoel Bernath (HamaspikCare) make Hamaspik’s case to
Albany’s public servants while attending Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s report from the top
With Lt. Governor Duffy
With Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver
With Assemblyman Alan Maisel and Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny
With Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (top)
and Assemblyman Vito Lopez (bottom)
With State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman
With New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli
With State Sen. David Carlucci and Town of Ramapo
Councilmember Daniel Friedman
Hamaspik Gazette | Feb. ‘12
E11

U.S. Alzheimer’s treatment
Continued from Page 1
Its goal is to improve diagnosis,
enhance support and training programs
for families with a loved one
stricken with Alzheimer’s, and
develop better treatments, and possibly
even a cure, by 2025.
But some in the forefront in the
fight against Alzheimer’s disease
worry that the plan won’t be enough.
“While it is always helpful to
call attention to the disease, I worry
that efforts like these are mostly
window-dressing,” said Dr. Sam
Gandy, Mount Sinai Professor of
Alzheimer’s Disease Research at
Hamaspik Central Intake veteran
Mrs. Rochel Tress—the longtime
staffer who more than capably handles
phone inquiries for all
Hamaspik and HamaspikCare services—has
been joined by a second
lieutenant to accommodate the evergrowing
influx of calls.
As of January 2012, Mrs. Raizy
Mermelstein, an experienced MSC
with Hamaspik for a number of
years now, exclusively fields Central
Intake duties for HamaspikCare.
The realignment divides Central
Intake into two dedicated separate
offices, freeing Mrs. Tress to put her
many years of Hamaspik knowledge
on the (phone) line unburdened by
the Intake reins for HamaspikCare,
the popular young home-care services
agency.
Hamaspik and HamaspikCare
wishes good luck to both!
*
On Monday, January 2, the New
Year (and its first workday) got
underway with a new staff change:
Mr. Moshe Sabel, longtime
Hamaspik of Orange County MSC
Supervisor, officially assumed the
duties of agency stalwart Shaya
Wercberger, who (as reported in last
month’s Gazette), departed for a new
job after 15-plus years at Hamaspik.
But not without a party.
In tribute to his remarkable
devotion and endless energy toward
Hamaspik’s cause, staff came
together that same day for a twohour
luncheon filled with laughter
and marked by speeches, honoring
Mr. Wercberger and his decade-anda-half
of indelible contributions to
the agency.
*
To allow Hamaspik to meet
newly-promoted QA Coordinator
Shari Bakst, and to help foster and
build community ties, the Hudson
Valley DDSO’s Incident Review
Committee recently paid a community-building
visit to Hamaspik of
Orange County.
That visit, which occurred on
Thursday, January 19, was held at
the imposing Hamaspik of Orange
County Admin/Day Hab Building
proudly overlooking Bakertown
Road, the main thoroughfare in and
out of Kiryas Joel.
Coordinator Bakst and her
entourage—Committee Supervisor
Elaine Zoldan and QA Reviewers
Larry Buckley and Beverly
Mount Sinai Hospital in New York
City.
“There are no funds attached,
and there are no basic scientists on
the panel,” he said. “I don’t see how
they can seriously discuss cure without
basic science input. I would also
say that 2025 is way, way too optimistic.”
However, some advisory members
said that 2025 is not aggressive
enough, with 2020 being a better target
date.
“We want to be bold,” said Dr.
Jennifer Manly of Columbia
University. “We think the difference
of five years is incredibly meaningful.”
Already families approach the
advisory committee “reminding us
of the enormity of our task,” said Dr.
Ron Petersen, an Alzheimer’s specialist
at the Mayo Clinic who chairs
the panel.
The Obama administration is
developing the first National
Alzheimer’s Plan to address the
medical and social problems of
dementia—not just better treatments
but better day-to-day care for
dementia patients and their overwhelmed
caregivers, too.
The plan still is being written,
with the advisory panel’s input.
Happenings Around Hamaspik
Bowen—first toured the center.
Led by Hamaspik of Orange
County’s Acting Executive Director
Moses Wertheimer, the group paid
first-hand visits to the Early
Intervention (EI) program, the Men’s
and Women’s Divisions of the Day
Hab, and the hard-working staff
Right at home: Buckley with Training Coordinator Joel Grosz
The disease is growing steadily
as the population ages: By 2050, 13
million to 16 million Americans are
projected to have Alzheimer’s, costing
$1 trillion in medical and nursing
home expenditures. That doesn’t
count the billions of dollars in
unpaid care provided by relatives
and friends.
Today’s treatments only temporarily
ease some dementia symptoms,
and work to find better ones
has been frustratingly slow.
Scientists now know that
Alzheimer’s is brewing for years
before symptoms appear, and they’re
hunting ways to stall the disease,
maybe long enough that potential
sufferers will die of something else
first. But it’s still early-stage work.
Meanwhile, as many as half of
today’s Alzheimer’s sufferers haven't
behind their desks in the administrative
areas.
The foursome then socialized
and mingled with Hamaspik
employees at an informal reception
in the third-floor conference room.
Hamaspik welcomes Ms. Bakst
in her new capacity, and looks forward
to working with all in the years
to come. Good luck!
Among the many new programs
being funded by the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act
is the Pioneer accountable care
organization (ACO) initiative.
The program, which fosters and
financially awards the development
of ACOs, announced 32 participants
this past December. Over 80 organizations
had applied.
As the name suggests, ACOs
approach healthcare not with the
standard, traditional fee-for-service
model but with caregiver payments
tied directly to positive patient outcome.
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been formally diagnosed, a recent
report found. That’s in part because
of stigma and the belief that nothing
can be done. Symptomatic treatment
aside, a diagnosis lets families plan,
and developing Alzheimer’s earlier
would be crucial if scientists ever
find a way to stall it, the advisory
panel noted.
A training program in New York,
for instance, has proved that caregivers
who are taught how to handle
common dementia problems, and
given support, are able to keep their
loved ones at home for longer.
Such programs “are dirt cheap
compared to paying for nursing
home care,” says David Hoffman,
who oversees Alzheimer’s programs
for the New York State Department
of Health.
But hanging over the meeting
was the reality of a budget crunch.
The government hasn’t said how
much money it will be able to devote
to the Alzheimer’s plan, and states
have seen their own Alzheimer’s
budgets cut.
“We’re not going to fix this
without substantial resources,”
Hoffman said. “In New York, we’re
hanging on by our nails,” he added.
Currently, an estimated 5.4 million
Americans have Alzheimer’s or
a similar dementia. Alzheimer’s is
the sixth-leading killer in the country,
according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
HHS Names
Pioneer ACOs
In plain English, the better your
patient does, the more money you
make.
By tying healthier patient results
to healthier provider paychecks, thus
making caregivers actively accountable
for their beneficiaries’ outcomes,
it is thought that healthcare
costs can be substantially brought
down—particularly for Medicaid
and Medicare, the respective federal/state
healthcare programs for the
poor and seniors, which are under
historic pressure to cut costs.
According to the U.S.
Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS), the project is estimated
to possibly save up to $1.1
billion over five years.
In local related news, private
healthcare giant Cigna and New
York’s Weill Cornell Physician
Organization announced a new joint
ACO. The new entity, with a beginning
base of 71 Cornell doctors and
their patients, will use nurses to
coordinate patient care.
“We believe that initiatives such
as this will help transform the way
medicine is practiced in the United
States—from a system that’s focused
mainly on treating illness and
rewarding physicians for volume to
one that’s patient-centered and
emphasizes prevention and primary
care,” Dr. Alan Muney, Cigna’s chief
medical officer, said in the release.
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Feb. ‘12 | Hamaspik Gazette