the English Version

Hamaspik Gazette
News of Hamaspik Agencies and General Health
December
2005 . • Issue
IssueNo.
No. 31
24
Nov. 2006
Special Events:
Annual Succos Celebration for Consumers, Featuring
Choir and Stars, Held at Jersey's Bergen PAC Center
It was only yesterday, it seems,
that a local banquet hall was the
place to be for Special Children, to
attend the 1st Annual Hamaspik
"Simchas Beis HaShoaveh" celebration. However, due to the growth of
consumer needs and, on a positive
note, the growing courage of families to seek help for a special child at
home, Hamaspik searched for a bigger and better venue for the festival.
What have we found, but the Bergen
County Performing Arts Center Bergen PAC - in Engelwood, NJ.
And what have we seen, but a
spectacular event that words can not
adequately describe. A true
"Simchas Beis Hashoiaveh" festival
in all its glory.
It was a crisp Tuesday, October
10th, when Hamaspik held the second annual Succos celebration, with
hundreds of Hamaspik consumers
and their families and all Hamaspik
staff members and their families.
Hundreds of cars, as well as
many Hama spik-provided charter
busses, shuttled in from around the
Hudson Valley and Brooklyn
regions, jammed with excited consumers of all ages, eager to pull into
the parking lot and leap off the buses
into an atmosphere of ultimate hap-
piness and joy, an afternoon of entertainment they will surely remember
a lifetime.
As the lights went dim, the
excitement was tangible and then it
all began. A perfect combination of
lights and sounds rocked the entire
place. Beautiful music orchestrated
by the Yossi Neuman band filled the
room as one artist after another
entertained everyone with popular
songs and their latest hits. Feature
performers included the famous
"Yeshiva Boys Choir" with Eli
Gerstner, as well as renowned stars
Continued on Page E4
Eli Gerstner &
Yeshiva Boys Choir
Perform at Their Best
with Special Guest
Star Shmiel Eluzer
Shaul Feldman
Hamaspik "Day Habilitation" in Williamsburg, Open
Since October, Brings Hope for Brooklyn Consumers
Two Mondays in a row, first,
Isru Chag, then, the Grand
Opening... This was the feeling in
the air when Hamaspik celebrated
the Grand Opening of the agency’s
David Stein, Mendy Wald and
Shloimy Daskal. The undisputed
superstar of special children, "Uncle
new Day Habilitation center in
Williamsburg.
Monday, October 16th, saw
Hamaspik's new Day Habilitation
come to life, a dream come true for
HAMASPIK GAZETTE
Published and Copyright© November '06 by:
HAMASPIK 58 Rt. 59 Suite 1 Monsey NY 10952
For Address Changes and Comments Call the
GAZETTE HOTLINE: (845) 356-8
8400 Ext. 211
Non Profit Org.
US Postage
PAID
HAMASPIK
special adult consumers and their
families. Two Mondays thereafter,
Hamaspik celebrated the official
Grand Opening of the new center.
The Satmar Rebbe - Grand
Rabbi Aron Teitelbaum Shlit"a - was
Guest of Honor, leading the "Kvias
Mezuzos" celebration together with
parents of consumers and many
noted guests, in an atmosphere of
pure Yiddish Nachas.
The new Day Hab is located at
293-295 Division Avenue, in the
heart of Williamsburg. The residential building extends to double the
width of a Williamsburg dwelling,
which makes it particularly well
suited for the agency's day habilitation use.
"Day Habilitation" is a postgraduate day program for adults with
developmental disabilities and mental retardation. The Day Habilitation
program trains the consumers to care
for their personal needs and they are
instructed in activities that enhance
HAMASPIK 24-HOUR
EMERGENCY HOTLINE
1-877-928-9000
Make a Note of It
* * * * *
I N S I D E
* * * * *
"Grant Writer"...............E4
* * * * *
HAMASPIK Not Ready
Yet for Goodbye to
Commissioner Maul...E2
* * * * *
Your Health Today......E4
* * * * *
More Nursing Home
Arrests by NYSAG.....E4
Sunset:
OMRDD Commissioner Maul Prepares To Retire,
But Hamaspik Isn't Ready Yet To Say Goodbye
Thomas A. Maul, the legendary
Commissioner of New York State’s
Office of Mental Retardation and
Developmental Disabilities, is inching closer to leave after more than a
decade at the healm of OMRDD.
His long and celebrated career
will officialy end November 30, just
days away, but Hamaspik, a leading
New York agency for special consumers, is not ready to say goodbye
just yet.
As the Hamaspik Gazette noted
after Mr. Maul's announcment nearly
3 months ago, the Commissioner
leaves behind a legacy that will be
defined as one of the greatest
achievements for the MR/DD com-
munity in American history.
“Commissioner Maul is a true
hero for the special needs community,” said Meyer Wertheimer,
Executive Director of Hamaspik,
which has hosted the commissioner
on several occasions throughout the
years. “We will miss him.”
Now, just before the Mr. Maul
called out "so long," it was his turn
to host Mr. Wertheimer, so the two
friends met in mid-November in his
office at OMRDD Headquarters in
Albany.
On behalf of the hundreds of
consumers and their families who
improve their quality of life through
Hamaspik services, one day at a
time, Mr. Wertheimer presented a
special gift to Commissioner Maul.
A glistening crystal globe based
on a pillar, the trophy signified the
new 'world' of unprecedented hope
and oppurtunity that OMRDD, led
by Mr. Maul, opened for countless
consumers with special needs.
When Mr. Maul began in
OMRDD’s top job, the predicament
of special consumers left much to be
desired. 13 years later, at the sunset
of his tenure, special consumers in
New York enjoy their finest moment.
After a freindly and poignant
chat with Mr. Wertheimer, the
Commissioner honored him with an
award for excellence in the agency's
"Family Care" program.
A precious crystal piece shaped
like a flame, perhaps to signify part
of Hamaspik's popular motif, this
prize was scheduled to be awarded
to Hamaspik at OMRDD's "75 Years
- Family Care" anniversarry celebration in October. However, Mr.
Wertheimer, was unable to attend the
Albany event.
Mr. Maul's respect towards
Hamaspik, to wait for a good
opporunity and then bestow the gift
in honor of a solid and efficient HFC
program, is as good a testemant on
Commissioner Maul's heart as you'll
ever see.
Now, as for a successor at
OMRDD, Hamaspik is not partaking
in the speculative craft of reading
tea-leaves or writings on the wall.
With mighty winds of change
gusting up Albany and all of official
New York State, as soon-to-be
Governor Elliot Spitzer and his flock
of talented and professional staff
(Left:) Hamaspik Executive Director Presents Commissioner Maul with
Wolrd-Themed Gift at His OMRDD Office in Albany. (Above:)
Commissioner Maul Presents Hamaspik Executive Director Meyer
Wertheimer with Award for Excellence in "Family Care". (Photo: BY)
Hamaspik "Day Habilitation" in Williamsburg, Open
Since October, Brings Hope for Brooklyn Consumers
Continued from Page 1
their daily lives, such as: recognizing colors, telling time, counting
money, basic math, reading, writing,
identifying street names, as well as
cooking and baking, etc.
Essential to Hamaspik's curriculum and goals is to enable consumers to function properly in the
outside world, to be able to implement what is learned in the classroom so they are able to function in
the community. Consumers are
assisted in developing appropriate
social behavior in typical community settings such as stores, on public
transportation, in the synagogue, etc.
Daily routines also include street
safety. The goal of Hamaspik is to
enable consumers to be main-
E2
streamed into the community and to
pursue activities which he/she
decides are important, within each
individual's ability and safety parameters. Hamaspik encourages and
assists each consumer served to live
in as independent a manner as possible.
A primary goal is to enable consumers to prepare for the world of
work and/or to become valuable volunteers, each according to his/her
ability. Above all else, these achievements serve as morale boosters and
enable consumers to feel purposeful
and worthwhile in the greater community.
One of the main goals at
Hamaspik is to provide quality care
in a warm environment, and in the
new Day Hab in Brooklyn, as well
Nov. '06 | Hamaspik Gazette
as at every single Hamaspik program, virtually all members of the
staff are members of the cunsumer's
community – even the professional
staff. Hamaspik programs at all locations, as well as transportation to and
from, are implemented according to
the personal wishes and concerns of
the consumers, with attention to
their spiritual satisfaction on par
with the quality of care they deserve.
This is a great and proud privilege
for the consumers and their families.
At the opening celebration, this
privilege and Hamaspik’s high caliber care in all aspects of assisting
consumers and their families, were
the main topics of discussion among
the many parents and guests.
Joel Freund, Executive Director
of Hamaspik of Kings County,
opened the event summarizing the
long journey of the new Day Hab
program, from the initial planning
more than two years ago, until actual
fruition. Hamaspik Founder and
President of the Brooklyn agency,
Meyer Wertheimer, addressed the
parents and guests with poignant
memories of the history of Special
prepare to launch a brand new
administration of state government,
we at Hamaspik fervently hope that
whoever is honored to be nominated
as the interim and/or next official
OMRDD commissioner, will continue on the great path that Mr. Maul
has paved, and never cease to hold
the special consumers and their
families dear at heart.
Children in the heimishe community
and the leading role Hamaspik has
come to play for all consumers and
their families.
After affixing the Mezuzah at
the main door of the Day Hab center,
the assembled guests heard Divrei
Torah from the Satmar Rebbe
Shlit”a.
This week’s parsha, with
Avrohom Avinu spreading Emunah
in HaShem throughout the world,
the Rebbe explained, correlates perfectly with Hamaspik once again
launching a new program to help
special neshomalech in a yiddishe
atmosphere with utmost devotion
and care.
Hamaspik Day Habilitation services are available in Monsey and all
of Rockland County, Monroe and all
of Orange County, and, since Isru
Chag, October 16th, in good old
Brooklyn. For more information,
please call Day Hab Director, Isreal
Lichtenstein, at 718-302-3333.
(L-R:) Hamaspik of Kings County Executive Director Joel Freund,
Hamaspik of Kings Board President Meyer Wertheimer, Grand Rabbi of
Satmar (Speaking), Rabbi Yisroel Elimelech Wertheimer, and Rabbi
Boruch Halberstam
(Photo: Hamaspik)
Hamaspik Gazette | Nov. '06
E3
's ur
t
a
h Yo
W
So, ing in y...?
n oda
e
p
Hap ealth T
H
A. M.
RECALLS
LENS SOLUTION
Advanced Medical Optics Inc. is
recalling 2.9 million units of its
Complete MoisturePlus multipurpose
contact-lens solution and Active
Packs, after it found bacterial contamination in lots sold in Japan, due
to a water-borne organism that got
into some solution at the company's
plant in China, where production has
been suspended.
The company said there is no
problem with the lens solution's formula itself. The company hasn't
received any reports of injury associated with the recalled products in the
U.S.
Recently, a link between Bausch
& Lomb Inc.'s ReNu with
MoistureLoc solution and a serious
fungal eye infection caused the product to be pulled from the world-wide
market.
NURSING HOME "EYE"
SHOWS NEGLECT, FRAUD
Nine employees at a Queens
nursing home were arrested, including the physician serving as medical
director, after a hidden camera
revealed widespread patient neglect
and falsification of patient records.
According to the complaints filed
by the office of NYS Attorney
General, a secret camera installed in
the room of a patient recorded the
patient's care over a five week period.
Footage showed: How the patient
consistently did not receive the
motion therapy a physician ordered,
how staff neglected to turn and reposition the patient every two hours as
required to prevent painful and dangerous pressure sores. The "eye" further revealed that the patient often
failed to receive assistance in eating
and often went without eating or
drinking at all.
Prescribed a series of medications, including Tegretol, Celexa,
Baclofen and Remeron, to avoid
seizures, combat pressure sores, prevent depression, reduce pain, and to
maintain proper nutrition, the camera
revealed that the nurses often failed
to administer these medications.
"This is the third nursing home in
which my office has announced that
we have used a hidden camera to
monitor the care provided to patients.
Once again, our camera revealed
chronic patient neglect and pervasive
falsification of care records by nursing home employees," Elliot Spitzer
said. "Our nursing home patients
deserve better. New York's nursing
homes, health oversight agencies, and
health professions must undertake
measures to ensure that proper care is
delivered by staff and that profession-
E4
al and
certified
employees truthfully document the care
actually rendered."
The complaints further allege
that in order to cover up their neglect,
the staff falsified the patient's care
records to record that they had provided the required care that they had,
in fact, not provided.
MOUSE MODEL MAY
REVEAL ANXIETY GENE
Studies of a new mouse model
suggest that a specific gene variation
plays a role in the development of
anxiety disorders and in resistance to
common medications for anxiety and
depression. With further research,
the findings could eventually help
explain part of the genetic underpinnings of anxiety disorders, which
affect 40 million American adults,
and lead to biological markers that
predict whether or not selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors will be
effective for a given patient.
Finding the right medication for
each person is often a lengthy process
in treatment of anxiety and depression, during which illness may worsen; biological markers could help
narrow the search on an individualized basis.
$1 MILL TO DEVELOP SKIN
CANCER PREVENTION
A research team led by
University of Cincinnati scientists
received $1 million from the National
Cancer Institute to develop a new
topical treatment that would not only
increase skin pigmentation to block
harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays, but
also repair damage that can lead to
skin cancer.
According to the American
Cancer Society, sun exposure is the
main cause of skin cancer, of which 1
million new cases are diagnosed each
year. Advanced melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer in the United
States, resists chemotherapy and has
a high potential for spreading to other
organs.
'GRANT' PROFESSIONAL
HAMASPIK is looking to hire F/T a
person with field experience to
research, plan and write "Grant"
proposals for programs that
support special needs consumers.
We offer a competitive salary with
benefits in a warm environment.
FAX resume to
845-503-1206
The researchers will work with a
chemically modified hormone called
alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH). Known to
increase skin pigmentation-the "tan"
that reduces dangerous UV ray penetration-alpha-MSH has also been
found to repair precancerous damage
that UV rays do to skin cell DNA, the
genetic material within cells.
MILITARY GUARD FOR
FLU VACCINE, IF…
Several governments around the
world have promised to send in military forces to protect GSK manufacturing plants that produce bird flu
vaccines should a pandemic break
out, the drug maker's chief executive,
Jean-Pierre Garnier, has said.
"People don't realise the disorder
which comes from a scary event such
as a true pandemic. It is not going to
be the time to line up to your friendly
pharmacist because there will be hundreds of people there. There will be
panic episodes," Mr Garnier said.
GSK is one of several major
pharmaceutical companies working
on a vaccine against H5N1, the current strain of bird flu. It has signed a
deal to supply its vaccine to
Switzerland and an unnamed Asian
country. It is in talks with other countries including the UK and US.
New Insight into Peanut Allergy
Among patients with allergic eye
diseases who were unresponsive to
treatment and had no relief of symptoms from standard therapies, a
peanut-elimination diet followed by a
peanut challenge resulted in moderate
to severe symptoms scores, according
to a new study published in Mexico.
The 25-patient study is the first to
find a link between allergic keratoconjunctivitis and food allergy, the
authors asserted. "Peanut allergy is
the most serious of the hypersensitivity reactions to foods due to its per-
Annual Succos Celebration
for Special Consumers
Continued from Page 1
Moishy" with his "Mitzvah Men",
was the icing on the cake.
"The most heartwarming and
satisfying feeling of all was the reaction that this event generated, the joy
that was written all over their faces,"
said Meyer Wertheimer, Executive
Director of Hamaspik.
The agency provided five free
tickets to the event for every
Hamaspik consumer, so parents and
family members could attend as
well. All Hamaspik staff received
three free tickets.
Questions about a Succah at the
event were quickly put to rest as the
renowned Garden State real estate
developer Fred Fisch made it his
personal mission to arrange a nice
sturdy Succah in a nearby parking
lot that he owns. On behalf of our
special consumers and their families
we thank you, Mr. Fisch, for your
caring and benevolence!
As for drinks and refreshments,
Hamaspik provided bottled spring
water to everyone during intermission and each attendee received a
bag of goodies on the way out.
This annual Succos festival was
indeed unique and very special in
one specific area: The involvement
sistence and high risk of severe anaphylaxis," the authors wrote, adding
that more studies with larger sample
sizes will be needed to confirm their
findings.
MILLIONS OF PAIN
RELIEVERS RECALLED
Perrigo Co. recalled 11 million
Hamaspik Gazette
© 2003-2006 All Rights Reserved
Published Monthly by "Hamaspik"
Distributed free.
USPS Presorted Non-profit Mail.
Postmaster: Return service requested.
President
Executive Director
Managing Editor
Contributing Writers & Editors
Hershel Weiss
Meyer Wertheimer
Isaac Schnitzler
Brenda Katina
Letters or Address Change?
Tel: (845) 356-8400 ex. 211
Fax: (845) 503-1211
Mail: Hamaspik Gazette 58 Rt. 59 Suite 1 Monsey NY 10952
Nov. '06 | Hamaspik Gazette
Rochel Eisner
N. H. Weinberger
A. J. M.
Rochel Tress
of the special consumers themselves
in each performance that took many
of them to heights they never before
had an opportunity of ever reaching.
They were not merely spectators;
they were actually the ones to put up
a show. All consumers were outfitted
with plastic pseudo-microphones,
and they readily unleashed their talents with joyful voices. That scene
brought both laughter and tears to
the eyes of their families and caretakers. They felt so extraordinary
special! Aren't they special after all?
Yes, they are inedeed.
According to Mrs. B. Katina,
Hamaspik Project Coordinator, who
organized the event, "The radiant
smiles that never left their faces
were testimony to the great achievement of the day. We had fun and
enjoyment for all."
The inspiration of this festival
will long be remembered by all consumer and their families, if only by
learning that this was just the inauguration of what Hamaspik is planning to celebrate every Succos in the
future. Yes, with help from Hashem,
we hope to continue this festival
each year and thus achieve even
greater joy for these special children
and have the glow on their faces
shine even brighter.
bottles of generic pain reliever storebranded acetaminophen (500-milligram caplets) after discovering
some were contaminated with metal
fragments. The recall affects bottles
of. There were no immediate reports
of injuries or illness.
The company passed 70 million
pills through a metal detector and discovered the metal in about 200
caplets. The fragments ranged in size
from "microdots" to portions of wire
one-third of an inch long, affected
383 batches. The FDA said Perrigo
began investigating after realizing the
equipment it uses to make pills was
wearing down prematurely.
Perrigo didn't disclose the chains
for which it manufactures store-brand
acetaminophen. A list of batch numbers and store brands affected by the
recall was forthcoming, the FDA
said. Company filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission
indicate that Perrigo supplies healthcare products to Wal-Mart, CVS,
Walgreen, and Costco.
Acetaminophen is best known as
the drug in products sold under the
Tylenol brand, but is widely available
in generic versions. The recall does
not affect Tylenol. The recall shouldn't cause a shortage of acetaminophen, the FDA said.