Author Archives: Chanelle Perrin

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Beth Abraham Becomes a Safe Haven after Sandy

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It is a crisp winter morning as a young man uses crutches to maneuver up a wheelchair accessible ramp past the jewish menorah that decorates the front of the building. He hobbles along to the security desk and is greeted by a sign that says, “WELCOME” in six different languages. As he signs into the a building a young woman walks up to the front desk and begins to talk into an intercom, “Good morning, today is December 4th 2012, and we have a count of 451 residents. Today, we will be showing a movie at 1:30 in the auditorium, and having arts and crafts in the…” She concludes the announcements  and then hands over the intercom to another woman who delivers the same message, only this time in Spanish.

This is a normal morning in Beth Abraham Center Light Health System, a facility that provides rehabilitation for long-term and short-term residents. It’s conception stems all the way back to 1920; when a socially conscious woman named Bertha Alperstein opened the simple brick building to provide services for the poor and elderly Jewish community.

Beth Abraham has come a long way since opening its doors in 1920. Located at 612 Allerton Avenue in the Bronx, the facility serves the diverse demographic of the Morris Park neighborhood. Vincent Bonadies, the director of therapeutic recreation, has been working for Beth Abraham for over two years. He said, “Beth Abraham provides service for everyone, whether you are an elderly person who needs care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or maybe someone who needs rehab to recover from an injury.” Also, he made it clear that Beth Abraham is not a hospice.  “We do have a few hospice beds, but people do not come here because they are ‘end-of-life’ patients, they come here to receive care, and to get better,” he said.

One of the major problems in the healthcare industry is funding; however, Beth Abraham avoids this difficulty by accepting multiple methods of payment. “Most of the funding is provided through medicaid, which is state funding. Residents will apply for medicaid or medicare and the state will reimburse us for their stay and our services, and some have private insurance. It’s really a combination of those three, but a majority of it comes from medicaid, said Bonadies.  With a majority of the cost covered by the state, one can see the benefits it has on the residents, who enjoy multiple activities throughout the day as well as state-of-the-art equipment and a virtual rehabilitation system.

With funding under control at Beth Abraham, it is no surprise as to why they were able to handle the natural disaster that hit the Atlantic coast on October 29th, 2012. Hurricane Sandy was one of the most detrimental storms to hit New York City and the tri-state area; many hospitals were flooded, lost power, and had to be evacuated. Fortunately, the Morris Park community was not greatly affected and sustained minimal damage.  Therefore, in this time of crisis, Beth Abraham became a safe haven. Mr. Bonadies recounts his experiences during hurricane Sandy when he said, “ We were pretty lucky here at Beth Abraham. The managers were called in, and some stayed overnight. We had good staff, the electricity was on and the residents were safe. But we felt the after-affects of the hurricane. We had to admit people who were evacuees from Queens, from Brooklyn, from other nursing homes– that’s how we were really affected.”

Usually the facility is responsible for a certain number of residents, but during this time of crisis, the resident count rose significantly. There are usually designated areas throughout the building, where residents can relax and enjoy some ‘down-time’, however with the surge of people admitted to the Center, there isn’t any free area or space in the building except for the residents’ lounge.

Going forward, Beth Abraham has decided to begin a new Social work interning program. This program will be one of the newest additions to the facility, as well as a fall prevention program.  “We change stheir environment so it is more conducive to the resident; we will alter the colors of certain things such as their toilet seats, and build things closer to them,” said Bonadies.

In addition to the new programs, Beth Abraham already has great volunteering opportunities. They allow individuals as young as 16 years old to help out with the residents during recreational activities, as well as breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals in the cafe. The facility also allows volunteers to go onto the floors and help the nurses out with the residents. “New York Peers Group does one of the biggest coat drives in the city, and they do Friday night game night with residents, and help out with bingo and other games,” said Mr. Bonadies.

Overall, it is remarkable that 95 years after a woman opened a building for the impoverished elderly Jewish community,it is flourishing as a great facility that provides for a diverse group of people. It tends to the young, the old, Jewish,Latino, black, and any other ethnicity you can think of. Although Mr. Bonadies has only been working with Beth Abraham for two years he has witnessed the growth and progression of this medical center, he said,” Beth Abraham has been a cornerstone of the community for some time now. We have these three buildings here on Allerton Avenue, and three other nursing homes. We have health aid programs and 22 locations of comprehensive care programs. We’re pretty big now. We’re in all of the five boroughs.” The expansion of Beth Abraham Center is a testament to the great work and services it provides the people of its community as well as others. The facility does not limit itself to only helping a few, but to helping many.

The Girl In the Window

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While reading this article by Lane DeGregory I could not help but to feel sad for this little girl Danielle. I felt some sympathy for her mother who is clearly delusional and probably mentally ill herself. The title of the article was a good choice; it gave the feature a sense of mystery which matched the writers tone. DeGregory told the story in a layered sort of way; getting deeper and deeper into each individual of this story before showing the relation between them.
DeGregory’s structured delivery of the story plays with your emotions; ‘The Feral Child’ made me angry at Michelle, ‘Becoming Dani’ made me feel sorry for Danielle, while ‘The mother’ made me sympathize with Michelle’s evident mental illness but overall still upset with her actions.
It’s sad to know that child services were called to their home on two occasions but yet they failed to get a sense of the abuse taking place. It’s a miracle that Danielle even survived under those conditions for so long. Danielle’s strength to stay alive in those dank conditions will be put to the test in her journey to independence and mental development. It’s just sad to know that this is not a mental illness she was born with; this was the result of years of negligence. I commend her foster parents; they were exactly the people Danielle needed. I enjoyed the article, as sad as it made me feel, it gave me hope that things could get better for Dani.

Reporter’s Notes: Hurricane Sandy in Morris Park

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It has been about two weeks since Hurricane Sandy has ravaged Nyc and the tri-state area. Unfortunately, many are still suffering and trying to rebuild their lives day by day. I’m truly thankful that I wasn’t greatly affected by the hurricane, with the exception of the effects is has caused on my school work. In my neighborhood; Morris Park, the most significant issues were power outages, fallen trees, and scattered debris. It was surprising that the items and trees I pass daily in my neighborhood became weapons and a source of harm towards the residents of the area.In front of my cousin’s home, which is only 3-4 blocks away from my house; a large tree that stood in front of her house, was torn out of the ground by the strong winds.

In front of my cousin’s home, a large tree is uprooted and tears down powerlines

The tree was entangled with the power lines to the entire street, so, as the tree split in half, it tore down the power lines leaving the street and the homes in complete darkness for over a week and a half. I do commend the sanitation department, with the exception of my cousin’s block, all debris and branches were being picked up the next day. They (sanitation) were willing to help residents get rid of large branches that were blocking the roads.
Although Morris Park’s physical damage was minimal, the rat race for gas by thursday morning was ridiculous. There was a line that wrapped around the entire block of vehicles waiting to fill up, and an even longer line of gas container toting individuals. At one point the atmosphere became so hectic that the need for a police presence was necessary.
Hurricane Sandy has definitely shaken the north eastern part of the country up a bit. The nonchalant attitude of ” it won’t happen to us,” has been diminished. I am proud to witness the city come together and help each other out during this hard time. This is a testament to what New yorkers are made of, we have tried to regain normalcy as much as possible, and attempt to rebuild what is lost. This is what we represent, resilience.

Allerton-Pelham Gardens’ little bit of Italy by Chanelle Perrin

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At 10 o’clock every morning Tony Gaudio raises the metal shutters to his 42-year-old business. Tony along with two of his employees turn on the lights and machines and prepare for another day inside of Three Boys from Italy Pizzeria. A landmark to the Allerton-Pelham Gardens neighborhood, Three Boys pizza shop has been located on the same block since 1970.

At the age of 17, Tony Gaudio decided to go into business with his two brothers. With a smile, the owner reflected on how his pizza shop earned its name from the lawyer who helped him and his brothers sign the lease. Tony said, “ I remember that day very well. I was 17. It was me, my two brothers and my father. The lawyer asked us ‘what’s the name?’ we didn’t pick a name. So, the lawyer looked at us and said ‘Three Boys’, and from there it was Three Boys.” He went on to add, “We used to call it Three Brothers from Italia, but we changed it.”
Although, his father was present at the signing of the lease, Tony and his brothers were the owners of the business, Tony said, “My father was there because we were so young.” While Tony and his brothers did open the Burke Avenue location together, it was only a matter of time before they decided to open another pizzeria. One of Tony’s brothers, Vinny, opened his own Three Boys from Italy pizzeria in White Plains, NY.

Three Boys pizzeria provides an extensive menu of Italian cuisine that caters to a broad demographic. Located right next to the Burke Avenue #2 train station, adults and children heading home from work and school frequently stop by the shop to get a bite to eat. Three Boys’ doors are open from 10 am until 4 am seven days week; the lengthy hours are necessary for the numerous patrons that walk in and out of the lively pizzeria.
In today’s small businesses usually use the Internet and media exposure as a means tp create a buzz. However, Three Boys’ conception in 1970 predates most of the social networks and media outlets around today. The longevity of this business is a testament to the quality of the food it serves. In a heavy Italian accent Tony Gaudio said, ‘ No, I don’t use the facebook, no Twitter. Just old fashioned words. People they come by, they eat, they like it, they come back that’s it!’

Pizza has always been apart of The New York City culture; furthermore, the newest trends of dollar slices have become competition for pizza shops such as Three Boys. With slices at $2.75 a pop, one may wonder how Three Boys competes with the trendy dollar pizza shops that are popping up throughout NYC. The answer: quality over quantity, providing the Three Boys pizza they know and love.

Besides the neighborhood competition, this small business faces an even bigger problem. According to Tony, the toughest thing on him has been the rise in the rent over the years. Mr. Gaudio said, “The rent, there’s a big difference now. It started at $80 a month and now, it’s up about 5 grand ($5,000).” Despite the owner having to adjust to increases in the rent and other expenses, he tries to refrain from raising prices on his customers.

Customers show their appreciation for the steady priced slices by travelling from all over the city for a taste of Three Boys. Brandi Hamilton, a regular customer said “ I have grown up eating Three Boys’ pizza. I don’t live in the area anymore, but I still find a way to get a slice with bacon every so often.” Although customers love the pizza, most had the same complaint, Lesly Benavides said, “I love their pizza, but I am sad that they don’t deliver; I live by 161st, which is pretty far from here. The only time I get to stop by is when I visit my cousin.”
Tony, is all smiles when discussing his business. When looking towards the future Tony said, “In 5 years I will retire. I don’t know who will takeover, probably family.”