Our Town Downtown - May 21, 2020 by OurTown Downtown

The local paper for Downtown

THE VITAMIN D QUESTION ◄ P.8

KIDS AND THE FUTURE OF SCHOOL

EDUCATION A rainy and empty Times Square on Monday, May 11, 2020. Photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

MOOD OF THE CITY MENTAL HEALTH

New Yorkers are experiencing a spectrum of anxieties, therapists say - a loss of identity and a fear of going back out into the world BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM

Friday, May 15th was the first real summer night in New York City, Twitter users declared last week when there was an unmistakable shift in the weather: a temperature in the 80s, and blue skies giving way to a warm, but not-quitemuggy, night. Though, still in the midst of a crisis, it was unlike any other summer night in the city’s recent memory. “It’s unbearable to think about what would be going

on otherwise on a night like this,” Rachel Syme, a contributor for the New York Times and The New Yorker, wrote on Twitter. She and other New Yorkers had some ideas: happy hour drinks at a crowded and clamoring outdoor café; after-work picnic in the park with friends, a cooler of beer and a Polaroid camera; leaving an evening movie theater surprised to find it’s still light out; opting for the long walk home just because. As the shelter-in-place order has been extended, for now, until the end of May, there is a collective mourning among New Yorkers for their old lives in the city. And yet, even with the yearning for an evening out, free of risk, among those

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Amid a rare inﬂammatory illness and the stresses of remote learning, questions about what students will face this fall BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM

It has been an open question as to what the 2020-21

academic year will look like in New York as the city continues to manage the COVID-19 outbreak and plot a path forward. But the prospect of schools reopening in the fall for classroom instruction seems even more dubious by the growing number of children developing a rare, and in some cases deadly, inflammatory syndrome linked to the coronavirus.

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INSIDE

RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT, UPSIDE DOWN The way we walk now to keep away from human virus-transmitters. p.6

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RESTORING DIGNITY IN DEATH

Amid the COVID toll, funeral directors offer new approaches for burial and memorial services. p. 10

VIRAL READS

19 works of fact and ﬁction for a stay-athome plague night. p. 14

WHAT TO NAME THE PANDEMIC PUPPY Mayor Bill de Blasio visits the Meal Hub at P.S.1 Alfred E. Smith School in Manhattan on April 7 to thank school food services workers who provide families with “Grab and Go” meals. Photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

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The condition, known as Pediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (PMIS), was first identified in April and has affected mainly school-age children and teenagers in North America and Europe. It’s been compared to toxic shock and Kawasaki disease, another inflammatory illness that presents in infants

WEEK OF MAY

Voices Business

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Real Estate 15 Minutes

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Everyone seems to want a dog while sheltering at home, so get creative with your new pal’s name. p. 6

MOOD OF THE CITY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 same New Yorkers there’s also a sense of uncertainty and anxiety at the prospect of emerging from one’s home and reentering the world with the specter of virus hovering above every surface and stranger passing by. Mental health professionals practicing in Manhattan discussed the spectrum of anxieties New Yorkers are having during this unprecedented crisis, which appears to have no clear solution. Rory Rothman, a psychoanalyst and faculty member at the Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies, acknowledged a cycle of anxiety New Yorkers have experienced since the pandemic began: shock, somatic concerns, confinement concerns, concern that this would be permanent, and now, a fear of going

MAY 21-27, 2020

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A closed East End Ave. Photo: Nancy Ploeger

back out into the world. “Even though now we’re opening up, it’s still fraught with uncertainty,” said Rothman. “We don’t know who has what and where and how we can be very safe.”

Rothman said this uncertainty can make people feel as though they’re floating along without a sense of what’s next. “I think that goes against human nature and the way people like to function,” said Rothman, but added that it’s best to confront the feeling head-on. “One thing I try to do is to kind of embrace the fact that that’s actually a feeling and not a fact. Feelings will shift, they will subside, they will change. Allow that feeling and make yourself as comfortable as you can through it … and know that it’s going to pass.”

“Cognitive Dissonance” Yoon Im Kane, the head psychotherapist, founder and CEO of Mindful NYC in Midtown, said this experience is particularly hard for city residents as they’re experiencing a loss of identity in what it means to be a New Yorker, as

defined by a longstanding cultural archetype. “There’s a whole sort of storyline and narrative about what it means to be a New Yorker. And New Yorkers aren’t scared. New Yorkers are always unfazed. New Yorkers don’t slow down, they take 10 steps at a time,” said Kane. “When I speak to patients who live in New York, I think I hear the fear in their voice. People are scared. It’s sort of a cognitive dissonance for a lot of people.” She said New Yorkers need to find a way to redefine who they are to help manage the stress of the moment. “Not being scared doesn’t mean that you’re not strong. And slowing down doesn’t mean that you’re not achieving,” she said. “The reality is things will not be the same for a long time. We do have to actually rethink our assumptions about our lives in the city and how we go about

making choices every day.” On top of this, Kane said New Yorkers are grieving the loss of a vibrant city life and are coming to the realization that it may never return the same as it once was. “There’s a great sense of loss of something in this moment that I think needs to happen as a collective group,” said Kane. “I think a lot of people are still in denial. I believe what’s going to come next is moving to anger. Then there’s going be a lot of depressed people in the coming month or year.” Kane said New Yorkers have historically been adaptive, and one day should be able to make meaning out of this pandemic with the help of clarity, guidance, good leadership and good mental health support. But, she doesn’t think that can be achieved until we’re on the other side of it. “You can’t really fully go

There’s a whole sort of storyline and narrative about what it means to be a New Yorker. And New Yorkers aren’t scared ... When I speak to patients who live in New York, I think I hear the fear in their voice. People are scared.” Psychotherapist Yoon Im Kane through these stages until you’re out of this situation. You’re still in shock; you’re still in it. You’re still in the process of losing. You can only grieve and go through the closure piece of in the cycle of business when you’ve lost it — and when you know what you’ve lost.”

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Screenshot of Zoom rally after state appellate court restored Cameron Koffman’s place on the primary ballot. Photo courtesy of Cameron Koffman’s campaign

KOFFMAN BACK ON BALLOT, SEAWRIGHT AFFIRMED POLITICS

Appellate court rules on two ballot challenges BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM

More than 60 New Yorkers logged onto Zoom Thursday evening to take part in a rally to celebrate a state appellate court’s decision to restore Cameron Koffman’s place on the Democratic Primary ballot for the 73rd Assembly District after his opponent questioned the validity of Koffman’s candidacy in a lawsuit. It was not just a win for Koffman — a 22-year-old Upper East Side native and great grandson of a real estate tycoon running to unseat incumbent Assembly Member Dan Quart — his campaign says, but a win for college students and their right to vote. Last week, Judge Carol Edmead kicked Koffman off the ballot, ruling that his decision to register to vote and cast

The courts protected the voters of the Upper East Side, Yorkville and Roosevelt Island from being deprived of their right to choose.” Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright

votes in Connecticut while he attended Yale University violated New York State residency requirements and disqualified him for running for office. The rules say that candidates must maintain five continuous years of residency in the state running up to an election to appear on the ballot. Although he grew up on the Upper East Side, Koffman voted in Connecticut elections in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Koffman has argued all along that he maintained his status as a New York resident by claiming his East 72nd Street family home as his permanent address, and the appellate court agreed. The First Appellate Division, in a 4-1 decision, wrote that Koffman provided enough proof that his presence in Connecticut was “temporary” and that he intended to return to New York upon graduation. “Today’s win is a win for tens of thousands of students, for the voters of the 73rd District who will have their first contested Democratic primary since 2002, and for all New Yorkers fighting against corruption,” read a statement from Koffman’s campaign. “We look forward to competing for the votes of the East Side and highlighting our message of a new generation of ethical leadership.” Quart said he will not give up on this effort, and will appeal Thursday’s decision. “The decision to reinstate Cameron Koffman despite his

lengthy voting record in Connecticut is the wrong one,” Quart said in a statement. “It sends a simple but clear message: if you’re wealthy and well-connected, you can bend the law to your will.”

“Not a Fatal Defect” Meanwhile, the appellate court filed an opinion in a separate case Thursday, affirming Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright’s place on the ballot. Last week, Edmead had ruled in Seawright’s favor, saying a documentation error the assembly member had when turning in her petition signatures for did not warrant her removal from the Democratic and Working Families Party lines. Seawright’s Republican opponent, Louis Puliafito, appealed Edmead’s ruling, but the appellate court helped up the decision. “We hold that under the unique circumstances existing in New York City during the past few months, and the specific health challenges alleged here, the belated filing of these specific documents is not a fatal defect,“ the ruling reads. Seawright applauded the appellate court’s ruling. “The courts protected the voters of the Upper East Side, Yorkville and Roosevelt Island from being deprived of their right to choose,“ Seawright said in a statement. “We will never be intimidated by those who put pandemic politics above the interests of justice.”

GET HELP. GIVE HELP. Join a community of neighbors helping neighbors here in New York. With AARP Community Connections, you can find online mutual aid groups to stay connected, share ideas and help those in need. Just need to talk? Ask for a friendly phone call from a trained volunteer if you or a loved one is feeling anxious or overwhelmed. AARP and your community are here for you. Request a friendly phone call at 1-888-281-0145 or get connected at aarp.org/coronavirus

MAY 21-27, 2020

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Useful Contacts

NYPD 7th Precinct NYPD 6th Precinct NYPD 10th Precinct NYPD 13th Precinct NYPD 1st Precinct

19 ½ Pitt St. 233 W. 10th St. 230 W. 20th St. 230 E. 21st St. 16 Ericsson Place

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This Summer, NYU SPS Will Offer Stimulating Course Content You Can Explore From Home

The NYU School of Professional Studies offers a wide array of nondegree courses that many older adults will ﬁnd of interest in their desire to continue the lifelong learning process. From remaining current on world politics; to exploring art, great literature, theatre, and history; to gaining the skills to write a short story or your memoir, you will ﬁnd a wealth of options from which to choose. TAKE CLASSES REMOTELY For the safety and well being of our students, all courses will be offered through remote instruction. Choose from a broad array of options. Interact with instructors and peers, as you delve deep into lively discussion on the topics that interest you most! Reduced Rates for Older Adults The NYU School of Professional Studies offers many courses to older adults at reduced rates. If you are 65 years of age or older, you can receive a 25 percent discount on most non-degree courses, except where otherwise indicated.

To Register for Summer Courses: Online: If you have previously taken a course at NYU SPS, visit our website sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways, locate the course in which you are interested, click on it, and follow the prompts for registration. If you have NEVER taken a course at NYU SPS, visit sps.nyu.edu/login and create a noncredit portal account. Then, register for the course following the directions above. You will need to provide your proof of age at a future time. Where applicable, your 25% discount will be automatically applied. By Phone: Call 212-998-7150 to register. You must ask for the Older Adult discount at the time that you register and it will be applied during the registration process. You also will be required to provide proof of age at a future date, which will allow you to continue to receive the Older Adult discount automatically when you register each time. Hours: Mon.–Thurs., 9 a.m.–7 p.m.; Fri., 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat., 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun., Closed Please note: The Older Adult discount does not apply to professional conferences and seminars or credit courses.

If you have questions, email sps.info@nyu.edu or call 212-998-7200 For more information on our courses, visit sps.nyu.edu/lifelonglearning

Courses That Qualify for 25% Discount ARTS – Daytime Courses NEW American Women Artists: 1900-1945 Art Styles Through the Ages Introduction to Drawing Islamic Art History NEW Modernism: From Expressionism and Fauvism to Abstract Expressionism The Art Scene NEW The Russian Century: Art from 1917 to 2017 FILM AND TV – Daytime Courses Beginning Screenwriting NEW Hollywood’s Private Eyes Let’s Go to the Movies: Stay-at-Home Edition NEW New York on Film NEW The Life of the Mind: Movies about Writers NEW Travel in Film GLOBAL AFFAIRS – Daytime Courses A Holistic Look at Iran: Economics, Religion, Politics, and More Disinformation Campaigns by State and Non-State Actors NEW Examining the World Through International Relations Globalization? Stress Testing the Logic of an Interconnected World HUMANITIES – Daytime Courses NEW 100 Years of Great Czech Music: Smetana, Dvorak, and Janacek NEW A Brief History of Wales A History of Manhattan’s Changing Neighborhoods NEW Agatha Christie NEW Bold Young Women of Greek Tragedy: Alcestis, Electra, Iphigenia NEW Detective Partners in Literature NEW From Ellison to Nguyen: Exploring Multicultural America Literature for the 21st Century My Brilliant Friend: The Neapolitan World of Elena Ferrante Reading Dante’s Inferno The Play’s the Thing: When the Curtain’s Not Up NEW The Syrian Civil War and Cold War Politics in the 21st Century Wine Online: From the Old World to the New World WRITING AND COMMUNICATIONS – Daytime Courses Jumpstart Your Memoir The Art of the Essay: How to Write Op-Eds and Nonﬁction and Personal Essays Writing Great Characters

An Internet enabled device is required. Courses are taught through ZOOM. For help and systems requirements visit: bit.ly/2yVHvIA

MAY 21-27, 2020

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Voices

Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments go to our website and click on submit a letter to the editor.

RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT, UPSIDE DOWN VIEWPOINT

BY BEN KRULL

Lifestyle changes that were unthinkable before COVID are now part of my daily routine. Take walking. Raised on the Upper East Side, I crossed streets without regard to traffic lights. I gravitated to wherever I saw an opening, sprinting from one sidewalk to another, sometimes barely dodging oncoming cars. My reckless abandon turned to extreme caution when I became a father. Walking with my daughter, Marta, I stopped at every red light, even when no cars were in sight. Reinforcing my new behavior were teddy bears attached to traffic poles in my Park Slope neighborhood, reminding people that several children had recently been killed by cars while crossing the street. My wife, Brenda, and I repeatedly lectured Marta about the importance of waiting for the green, and looking both ways for vehicles. Wariness of traffic became so ingrained in our daughter — now nine — that I felt at ease letting her run ahead of me, knowing that she was sure to wait at the corner until I caught up. Now when I walk in our neighborhood with Marta and Brenda, we proceed serpentine style, moving side to side, forwards and backwards, to avoid coming within six feet of other masked pedestrians. In our desperation to keep away from human virus-transmit-

Old ways of walking fall by the wayside. Photo courtesy of Ben Krull.

ters we ignore traffic lights, often dashing into the street, to walk parallel to the sidewalk, or simply run — against the light — from one corner to another. In normal times I would have considered any parent acting like this, wildly irresponsible. But in an age when oncoming walkers are potentially more lethal than oncoming traffic, the old ways fall by the wayside.

Need for Community So too religion. We are Sabbath observers, meaning we don’t use phones on Saturdays. But with our synagogue closed, we call friends and relatives, as a way of dealing with isolation. For Passover we changed over our dishes, and rid our house of bread products, as Jewish law requires. But our Seder was shared with friends and family virtually. Using electronics during the first two days of Passover is prohibited by rabbinical authority, but this year, like thousands of observant Jews,

we made an exception. We deemed the need for community, during this most communal of holidays, sufficient cause to throw out the rule book. Rule bending is all around us. The storefronts we pass on our walks, shuttered due to no fault of their own, mock the idea, drilled into me from childhood, that success is a function of work and talent. With similar scenarios playing out everywhere, staunch conservatives have abandoned their religious creed, to endorse pouring trillions of tax dollars into the faltering economy — the fiscal equivalent of pedestrians rushing into oncoming traffic. Skepticism of rigid attitudes will be essential for Marta’s generation. They will need a flexible outlook to compensate for decades of doctrinaire thinking that stymied efforts to address environmental, economic, and social problems, that are certain to become crises in their lifetimes. My hope is that after we return to our pre-coronavirus behaviors — after people like me return to their houses of worship and large holiday meals; after ideologues on the left and right resume preaching their gospel — the seeds of a more open mindset will continue to grow. For now I desperately look forward to when my family and I will again have the luxury of obeying pedestrian signals. By then we will have surely learned that life is filled with blinking lights.

WHAT TO NAME THE PANDEMIC PUPPY PETS

Everyone seems to want a dog while sheltering at home, so get creative with your new pal’s name BY BETHANY KANDEL

What’s a good thing to do during a global health crisis lockdown? Why get a dog, of course. At least, that’s what so many people are doing while quarantining at home. After all, pets make great companions, they offer uncontaminated unconditional love, and taking numerous daily walks will give your day some structure. Plus, cuddling a pooch may be the only physical contact you’re currently allowed during social isolation. They also won’t tire of you after months in confinement. Besides, you have all the time in the world to devote to puppy training. And, be real, you won’t be traveling any time soon. Dogs offer an infusion of happiness, and right now, who doesn’t need a dose? Being cooped up with an adorable, frisky, Instagramworth furry pal is a great way to stay optimistic and sane during insane times. Research shows that interacting with an animal can relieve stress, lower blood pressure and increase production of feelgood hormones like dopamine and oxytocin. In fact, it’s such a great idea, that everyone seems on the same page. Thanks to the pet-adoption boom, many shelters have reportedly emp-

tied their stock of dogs looking to be fostered or adopted into forever homes. Other rescue organizations have stopped accepting applications and breeders are besieged with inquiries. If you’re lucky enough to welcome a new fur baby, the big question is, what to name it? There are the old standbys – Spot, Bruno, Scooter and the like – but why not get creative. My niece has her new chocolate Labradoodle all picked out. So, what’s her name? Moose; not Mousse, though she’ll reside in a family of chocoholics. My mother keeps coming up with other chocolatethemed names: Godiva, Hershey, Mallomar. But, nope, this pandemic pup will be known as Moose, like the animal, not the dessert. As author of the book, “What to Name the Cat,” my mother, Thelma Kandel, is full of great pet monikers – her late Bedlington Terrier was named Truffles (for both her favorite chocolate and fungi). She insists most feline ones work fine for dogs (and cats are a good option while sheltering at home, too). Which made me think about all the great names just waiting for a four-legged companion to claim. So here are some ideas based on the current situation, the city we all love, plus some favorite things. It’s a fun exercise to come up with one you like, even if you don’t get a pet.

Names to commemorate getting a dog during a pandemic: Corona, Quarantina

(Tina for short), Pandemonia (Mona or Pandy for short),

The author’s niece with Moose. Photo courtesy of Bethany Kandel

Vira, Zoom, TP (for youknow-what), Fauci NYC-themed names: Fiorello, Bagel, Hamilton, Carnegie, Hudson, Brooklyn, Bronx, Broadway, Bloomie, Bergdorf, Cuomo

Happy hour-inspired names:

Brandy, Merlot, Champagne, Campari, Maraschino, Margarita, Negroni, Bacardi, Cassis, Sazerac

Names if you’ve become a junk food junkie: Waffles,

Twinkie, Cupcake, McMuffin, Oreo, Dunkin’, Jelly Bean, Gummy Bear, Chunky Monkey, Chocolate Chip

Names if you’ve become a binge-watcher: Cagney, Chew-

bacca, Astro, Buzz, Maverick, Scooby, Kramer, Buffy, Daenerys, Katniss, Hermione, Cersei, Khaleesi, Groot

Names if you’re a superhero fan: Logan, Storm, Flash, Mys-

tique, Rogue, Nova, Shazam, Elektra, Krypto, Gambit, Kent, T’Challa, Thor, Jubilee, Kal-El

Names if music is your salve:

Elvis, Journey, Banjo, Kazoo, Axl, Bono, Ringo, Celine, Iggy Pop, Gaga, Ziggy, Zappa, Elton, Springsteen

Names if you’re missing your favorite sport: Serena, Venus, Babe, Beckham, Mamba or Kobe, Manning, Frazier, Jeter, Pele, Shaq, Rafa, Yogi, LeBron Bethany Kandel is an Upper West Side journalist and author who can’t wait to meet her niece’s new pandemic puppy Moose.

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STOP THE SPREAD OF COVID-19! LEARN HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND OTHERS AT HOME. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19? • The most common symptoms are fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath. Other symptoms include feeling achy, loss of taste or smell, headache, and diarrhea. • Most people with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will have mild or moderate symptoms and can get better on their own.

WHO IS MOST AT RISK FOR SERIOUS ILLNESS? • People age 50 or older (people age 65 or older are at the highest risk) • People who have other health conditions, such as: Lung disease Kidney disease Asthma Liver disease Heart disease Cancer Obesity A weakened immune system Diabetes

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I GET SICK WITH COVID-19 SYMPTOMS? If you are sick with COVID-19 symptoms, assume you have it. When you are sick: • If you have trouble breathing, pain or pressure in your chest, are confused or cannot stay awake, or have bluish lips or face, call 911 immediately. • Call your doctor if you are age 50 or older or have a health condition that puts you at increased risk, or if you do not feel better after three days. • Always contact a doctor or go to the hospital if you have severe symptoms of COVID-19 or another serious health issue. • Do not leave your home except to get necessary medical care or essential food or supplies (if someone cannot get them for you). • If you must leave your home: Avoid crowded places. Stay at least 6 feet from others. Cover your nose and mouth with a bandana, scarf or other face covering. Wash your hands before you go out, and use alcohol-based hand sanitizer while outside. • Household members can go out for essential work and needs but should monitor their health closely. If you or someone in your home is sick: • Create physical distance: Do not have visitors.

Stay at least 6 feet from others. Sleep head-to-toe if you share a bed with someone who is sick, or sleep on the couch. Keep people who are sick separate from those at risk for serious illness. • Cover up: Cover your nose and mouth with a bandana, scarf or other face covering when you are within 6 feet of others. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your inner elbow. • Keep it clean: Throw tissues into the garbage immediately after use. Wash your hands often with soap for 20 seconds, especially after you cough or sneeze. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if you are unable to wash your hands. Frequently clean surfaces you touch, such as doorknobs, light switches, faucets, phones, keys and remote controls. Wash towels, sheets and clothes at the warmest possible setting with your usual detergent, and dry completely. Do not share eating utensils with others, and wash them after every use.

WHEN CAN I LEAVE MY HOME AFTER BEING SICK? • If you have been sick, stay home until: You are fever-free for three days without Tylenol or other medication and It has been at least seven days since your symptoms started and Your symptoms have improved • Reminder: New York is on PAUSE. This means that even if you have been sick, you should only leave your home for essential work or errands, or to exercise, while staying at least 6 feet from others.

NEED HELP? • If you are having a medical emergency, call 911. • If you do not have a doctor but need one, call 844-NYC-4NYC (844-692-4692). New York City provides care, regardless of immigration status, insurance status or ability to pay. • For more information, call 311 or visit nyc.gov/coronavirus. The NYC Health Department may change recommendations as the situation evolves. 4.20

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Dr. Oxiris Barbot on screen at a media briefing by Mayor Bill de Blasio at City Hall, Friday, May 1, 2020. Photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.

THE VITAMIN D QUESTION SCIENCE

New studies report a correlation between COVID19 death rates and D deﬁciency BY MICHAEL ORESKES

Why has New York City been slammed so hard by COVID-19? There are almost as many theories as lights gone dark on Broadway. But one obvious factor does not seem to draw the same blame as our crowds, our subways, our leadership or our location at the crossroads of the world. Which is odd, since New York doctors all know about it. Vitamin D deficiency is, well, epidemic among New Yorkers. And in just the past few days three separate studies, from the US, the UK and Indonesia, have reported a strong correlation between death rates from COVID-19 and vitamin D deficiency. “Our analysis shows that it might be as high as cutting the mortality rate in half,” Professor Vadim Backman of Northwestern University said of the correlation between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 deaths found in ten countries, including the United States. “It will not pre-

vent a patient from contracting the virus, but it may reduce complications and prevent death in those who are infected.” The strong correlation does not prove causation, of course, and the researchers recommended further studies. But health professionals say there is no reason to wait to reduce the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, which has been well known for years. “Vitamin D is typically much lower in New Yorkers,” said Dr. Eric Ascher, who has offices in Chelsea and on East 76th Street, around the corner from Lenox Hill Hospital Northwell Health, where he is affiliated. “Buildings are so high, everybody’s working indoors.” Vitamin D deficiency is so prevalent here that Ascher says, “I’m more shocked when a patient has a normal vitamin D level.” Ascher says he regularly prescribes vitamin D supplements and urges patients to consume dairy products and get more sun.

Public Health Actions A vitamin deficiency may seem trivial against the dramatic risks of a crowded 2 train or a presidential news conference. But this illustrates a larger conversation that is only barely getting started.

Hopes for an end to the lockdown have rested heavily on a scientific or medical breakthrough. A vaccine or effective treatment will be welcome. But increasingly experts are pointing to the importance of basic public health actions. They say these can both reduce the spread of the coronavirus, through testing, tracing and sanitary measures, and the severity of COVID-19, by reducing conditions that make patients more vulnerable. “We are only as healthy as our most challenged residents,” said Dr. Oxiris Barbot, New York City’s Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene. “It is inevitable that we are going to have a second wave and so we need to not only prepare for that but really look toward seeing this as an opportunity to re-imagine what it means to live in a world where we support people’s total health.” This involves everything from improving overcrowded housing to alleviating concentrations of chronic disease in communities of color, she said. Several chronic conditions that exacerbate Covid-19 are well known, including diabetes and heart disease. But vitamin D deficiency may be just as significant, according to the new research. D defi-

MAY 21-27, 2020

virus? Increased exposure to sunlight, all allowing people to have a higher blood level of Vitamin D? Who knows.”

Immune Overreaction

Latitude and vitamin D production in the skin. Map: Harvard Health Publications, 2008

ciency is particularly severe among African Americans and Hispanics. They also are suffering higher deaths rates from COVID-19. It has been nine years since public health professors Kimberly Forrest, a biostatistician, and Wendy Stuhldreher, a nutrition epidemiologist, both professors of public

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health at Slippery Rock Uiniversity, part of the University of Pennsylvania, analyzed government data and concluded that 40 percent of Americans were deficient in Vitamin D, a figure still cited as authoritative. “This entire pandemic has been very interesting to me,” Stuhldreher wrote by email.

“What role Vitamin D played or might play in the epidemic is not determined. However, vitamin D does have a role with keeping the immune system healthy. I have wondered why California had such different death rates than New York. Was it sunshine related for several reasons? UV light killing the

A conclusive study would require analyzing blood of COVID-19 patients for D deficiency, an approach that so far only appears to have been taken in the study in Indonesia. The study in Indonesia looked at 780 confirmed cases of Covid 19 since March 2, when the pandemic reached there. Of the 380 patients who died, all but 16 were found to have inadequate Vitamin D. Conversely, of the 400 who lived all but 28 had normal vitamin D. When the authors statistically adjusted the results for age, gender and other preexisting medical conditions, they concluded that Vitamin D deficient patients were 19 times more likely to die. There are no studies yet of Vitamin D and COVID-19 in New York City, a health department spokesman said.

But in addition to the report from Backman, who is the Walter Dill Scott Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering, a similar correlation was found in a study of 20 European countries. In particular, “Vitamin D levels are severely low in the aging population especially in Spain, Italy and Switzerland. This is also the most vulnerable group of the population in relation to COVID-19,” according to the report lead by Dr. Cristian Ilie, Research & Innovation Director at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation Trust. Vitamin D is usually associated with healthy bones. But it also has been shown to play a crucial role in regulating our immune system. A furious overreaction of the immune system, called a cytokine storm, is a key factor in COVID-19 deaths, according to a paper released on May 13 by a team of experts at Zunyi Medical University in China. “Vitamin D supplementa-

tion reduces the risk of respiratory infection, regulates cytokine production and can limit the risk of other viruses such as influenza,” Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control, wrote a few weeks ago, even before some of the new research became available. “This is especially important for people who are Vitamin D deficient – and, surprisingly, that might include more than 40 percent of US adults.” “Anything we can do to strengthen our resistance is a step in the right direction,“ Frieden added. “We can do lots of things to improve our resistance to infection. These include getting regular physical activity, getting enough sleep, stopping smoking and other tobacco use, and, for people living with diabetes, getting it under control. Taking a multivitamin that includes Vitamin D, or a Vitamin D supplement, probably can’t hurt, and it might help.”

FILL OUT THE CENSUS AS IF YOUR HEALTH DEPENDED ON IT. ‘CAUSE IT DOES. MY2020CENSUS.GOV Presented by:

MAY 21-27, 2020

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RESTORING DIGNITY IN DEATH Photo courtesy of Fitting Tribute Funeral Services

CORONAVIRUS Amid the COVID toll, funeral directors offer new approaches for burial and memorial services BY JENNIFER DOHERTY

For many of New York’s beleaguered funeral directors, the greatest challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t been transporting contagious bodies or fears of falling ill themselves or even the exhaustion of working 14-hour days, seven days a week. The hardest part has been turning away families in need. “Worst feeling in the world. Took me a couple of days to get over that,” John D’Arienzo, president of the Metropolitan Funeral Directors Association, told Straus News. “It’s the saddest thing I’ve ever encountered in my life as a director, that there are people out there trying to bury or

Seize the moment and try to make it as meaningful and spiritual as you can.” Amy Cunningham

cremate their loved ones and not finding [help],” Amy Cunningham, the owner of Fitting Tribute Funeral Services, a boutique firm dedicated to eco-conscious and personalized services reported on April 13. As the city’s death rate skyrocketed last month, images of a mass grave on Hart Island and U-Haul trucks filled with bodies awaiting burial sent New Yorkers reeling as the city’s funeral infrastructure went into overdrive trying to meet the burgeoning demand. The work was relentless. As D’Arienzo put it: “We went from being funeral directors to body disposers.” Prior to the pandemic, D’Arienzo Funeral Home in Brooklyn performed roughly seven funerals a month, but in April the firm averaged closer to seven a day, according to D’Arienzo, who noted that he had lost 20 lbs since March. In a couple of high-profile cases, the strain led funeral directors to make disastrous decisions (the U-Hauls). Despite those exceptions, “the funeral service, on the whole, has risen to the challenge and, I think, has so far passed the test,” D’Arienzo affirmed.

Online Services With the city’s COVID-19

death rate slowing, Gov. Cuomo announced in his May 5 press conference that “We are coming down the mountain.” The worst may soon be over for New York funeral directors, who have drawn on their ingenuity, cooperation, and a tireless work ethic to manage the consequences of the pandemic. On the one hand, public health guidelines and social distancing measures have forced many funerals and memorial services online, while for some families, COVID has meant looking mortality directly in the eye. During the first week of April, an NYC Deputy Medical Examiner told funeral directors during a telephone meeting that the at-home death rate had reached 10 times the average rate for that time of year, according to a funeral director who was on the call. (OCME did not respond to repeated requests for comment from Straus News.) For family members of the deceased, this meant waiting, often for hours, after EMTs pronounced the death for a funeral home or the medical examiner’s office to collect the body. Cunningham, whose preCOVID work largely centered around home burials, began offering approaches for deal-

ing with both circumstances. For Zoom memorials, Cunningham advised her clients make the effort to set a solemn tone by sending elegant invitations, organizing music (live or recorded) for the call, inviting participants to prepare stories to share or gather items that remind them of the deceased person and enlisting a celebrant to guide the process. For those who find themselves waiting at home with a friend or loved one who has passed: “Seize the moment and try to make it as meaningful and spiritual as you can,” Cunningham counsels. For some people that might involve FaceTiming relatives and clergy for last goodbyes. “It’s a really stressful moment for people who would not have, in normal times, wanted to have a little vigil like that,” she acknowledged. “But even if you were to decide to close the bedroom door, you could still tell stories, light candles, play music and keep a spiritual atmosphere or a sense of sacredness or specialness to the moment, because this is going to be the last time you will probably be that person. You may find a funeral home that would arrange to let you view, but we are … so busy and it’s getting really, really hard.”

“A Timely Manner” To that point: “We still have that backlog of previous cases from a week to 10 days ago that we’re still looking to alleviate,” D’Arienzo told Straus News on April 27, “But either we’ve gotten very good at this or it’s just that the numbers are manageable now. I mean, I already have seven [funerals] scheduled for this week.” Both D’Arienzo and Upper East Side funeral director Henry Gutterman noted that cremations, which are more complicated logistically and require additional paperwork from both the funeral home and the next of kin, have fallen off since the novel coronavirus reached New York. “When we have a deceased where the family opts for cremation, they’re getting dates May 15 to end of May,” Gutterman told Straus News. “A lot of people don’t want to wait. The New York state funeral directors association has arranged with upstate mortuary science courses and students to come down and have families down here sign off or go on a wait, and we transport the deceased persons to crematories upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and have them cremated in a timely manner and so the cremains, the ashes, can be sent back to the family in a timely manner.”

Gutterman also commended the funeral directors who flocked to New York after Cuomo signed an emergency reciprocity agreement allowing out-of-state licensees to offer their services. “The National Funeral Directors Association put out a call on their website and they’ve gotten the names and addresses of hundreds and hundreds of funeral directors from all over the country who have volunteered to come in here and help out and stay … They’re volunteering for local funeral homes who are maybe understaffed, may have a couple of people on staff maybe who were out sick, you never know, and it’s helped alleviate the personnel problem too,” Gutterman said. With hopeful signs and public officials committed to staying the course on social distancing measures, funeral directors are looking forward to a time when there will be more space for healing. “Something we’re all percolating on is what the memorial is going to be and how in the urban setting we can remember the dead in a larger and more public way,” said Cunningham. “Just as we’re clapping at 7 o’clock every night, I’m confident that New York will come up with a creative way to memorialize everyone we’ve lost in a way that is inclusive and lovely.”

MAY 21-27, 2020

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A FUNERAL HOME’S NEW NORMAL INTERVIEW

A Manhattan funeral director on changing roles and practices BY CARSON KESSLER

Tight embraces, hand holding, and intimate gatherings to celebrate a life well lived have always been standard practices in the funeral industry. But in the age of COVID19, such ceremonial rituals can’t exist in tandem with social distancing protocol. As the death toll in New York State rose, the governor’s office instructed funeral directors to limit wakes and funeral gatherings to as few immediate family members as possible. All funerals must now be private. On the front lines of this pandemic is William “Bill” Villanova, a funeral director at Frank E. Campbell — The Funeral Chapel in NYC and President-Elect of the New York State Funeral Directors Association. Villanova talked to NYCityLens about how a funeral home operates in the age of COVID-19.

What is the responsibility of funeral homes at a time like this?

There is a finite amount of funeral directors. Our ability to serve our families during a difficult time like this is important. Our safety remains in the forefront because if any of our staff fall victim or succumb to being ill, then we can’t provide those services. It’s so important for us to ensure that we are diligent and vigilant when it comes to staying safe and adhering to the guidelines to ensure that our staff and the people that come into contact with all funeral homes remain safe. As funeral directors in our communities, we are trusted resources. We have been following the guidelines for the COVID- 19 since the outbreak, but prior to that, it’s important to understand that funeral directors are licensed professionals in New York state. We hold degrees in mortuary science, we adhere

to the laws and regulations from the federal, state and local government. We adhere to the regulations while adhering to what the family’s requests and desires are.

How has your role changed as a funeral director since the COVID-19 pandemic began?

The role hasn’t changed much. Our focus with educating the public and educating the media that wants more information, that’s a diﬀerent role that we’ve taken on. But as far as our ability to be responsive to the needs of the families that call us, to do our very best to understand what a family’s wishes are, and to balance them in the current environment that has some restrictions, as per the executive orders from the governor, that’s what the real change is. Know that there is an opportunity for families to have a more meaningful service in the future when the restrictions are lifted. Just keep in mind that don’t speculate on what can or can’t be done, so have that discussion with the funeral director.

How do you console grieving families now that social distancing has become standard protocol?

Being a funeral director, it truly is a calling and our ability to be there for family during their most difficult time in their life. And not being able to hold someone’s hand or to provide a caring shoulder or a hug during a very emotional time is difficult for us. And it’s difficult for the family. And then to think about that opportunity where a community, family and relatives come together during this most difficult time and share in this grief and support each other and not being able to do that fully. It’s difficult. It’s absolutely difficult.

How has the funeral as a ceremony changed since the outbreak began? Streaming, webcasting, and recording of services is something that we’re using more to incorporate families

into the service. But keep in mind, long before this virus attacked our nation, as devastating as it is, everyone was still very transient. So the ability to use technology to better incorporate family members who didn’t live locally was a resource, but now it is becoming more prevalent and more of a necessity rather than something that a family uses as an enhancement. We’ve gotten so far advanced when it comes to providing funeral services where we are focused on celebrating a person’s life and really sharing the essence of their loved one with relatives and the public through music and through audio, video, or maybe just bringing some memorabilia that someone has at home to the funeral home so families can share in that and right now that that has been eliminated. But we’re hoping that when the restrictions are lifted, most families will decide to have a memorial service or a gathering to celebrate their loved one's life.

Are you worried about being exposed to the virus and how that might impact your family when you come home from work?

We need to be mindful of what we do and how we act to ensure that our safety remains of the utmost importance. Am I nervous? I guess you would expect that everybody should have a certain sense of nervousness because there are more than just me that depends on my health. My family is worried about me, just like other funeral directors’ families are worried about them. But I’m pretty conﬁdent that the funeral directors throughout the state of New York are taking the necessary precautions to ensure their safety and the safety of our client families and our families alike. This story originally appeared on April 1, 2020, in The New York City Lens, a digital publication produced by students in the City Newsroom class at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Printed with permission by Columbia School of Journalism on Medium

Photo by Carolyn Booth from Pixabay

AC T I V I T I E S F O R T H E F E R T I L E M I N D

thoughtgallery.org NEW YORK CITY

The Art Deco Era: French World’s Fairs & Ocean Liners

SATURDAY, MAY 23RD, 1PM Art Deco Society of New York | livestream only | artdeco.org Cruise on over to Paris and the home of architectural historian Pascal Yves Laurent, head of the Paris Art Deco Society. He’ll be leading an illustrated talk on architects Roger-Henri Expert and Pierre Patout and the innovations of the era ($20).

Speaking of Shakespeare with James Shapiro

TUESDAY, MAY 26TH, 3PM The National Arts Club | livestream only | nationalartsclub.org Columbia English professor James Shapiro leads a session inspired by his new book, Shakespeare in a Divided America: What His Plays Tell Us About Our Past and Future. He’s joined by head of The Shakespeare Guild John Andrews (free).

Just Announced | Conversations on Essential Cinema: 12 Angry Men

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3RD, 7:30PM FOLCS | livestream only | folcs.org FOLCS’ new Conversations on Essential Cinema: A Virtual Film Club screens the 1957 Henry Fonda classic—perhaps the most radical courtroom drama ever made. Stay after for a conversation with actor Matthew Modine (free).

For more information about lectures, readings and other intellectually stimulating events throughout NYC,

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MAY 21-27, 2020

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Business

TASTE WINE TO CLOSE STORES

Business owner to shutter store to help save sons’ lives BY JASON COHEN

He has spent 15 years in the wine business, but now Gary Landsman is putting his family first. With two chronically ill sons, Landsman is shuttering Taste Wine Company, 50 Third Ave., this week, but the store will likely reopen soon under new management. “My decision to walk away was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make in my life,” Landsman said. “At the end of the day there’s nothing more important than family.” Landsman of Marine Park, Brooklyn, has owned Taste Wine in the East Village since 2015, but a few weeks ago told

the community he was closing. While the announcement stunned the neighborhood, everyone soon understood why. Landsman and his wife Jennie have two children, Benny, 4, and Josh, 3, who suffer from Canavan disease, a genetic brain disorder. Without intervention, the boys will never sit, crawl, walk or speak. They will eventually develop seizures, lose their eyesight, require feeding tubes and possibly die by early adolescence. The couple also have a third son, Evan, 1, who does not have Canavan. According to Landsman, life has not been easy. While they have professional assistance for the boys, he spends many days and hours at the business and he and Jennie have a lot on their plate. “My wife has really carried a lot of the burden of running the household,” he explained.

Search for a Cure

They got married a few months before Landsman opened the store and about a year later Benny was born. The signs were not noticeable at first and it wasn’t until he was 13 months old that they saw what was wrong. When doctors said that nothing could be done for the boys, they went on a desperate search for a cure and found neuroscientist, Dr. Paola Leone, director of Cell and Gene Therapy Center at Rowan University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine. On July 31, 2017, Leone diagnosed both kids with Canavan. Landsman and Jennie were depressed at first, but a support group helped. Leone’s work in gene therapy focuses on penetrating cells directly affected by Canavan. She agreed to help, but private funding would be needed. They discovered insurance and pharmaceutical

Benny in the pediatric intensive care unit in early 2019. Photo courtesy of Gary and Jennie Landsman.

companies do not cover the costs of the experimental procedures. After numerous conversations with Leone, the FDA and other doctors, it was determined they needed to raise $6.2 million. So in 2017, they

launched a GoFundMe, which has amassed $4.6 million so far and 9,000 contributors. “We decided we were going to do this and we were going to ask the public to help save our kids,” Landsman said. “We raised a truly miraculous amount of money.” However, they are still in a bind. The Landsmans need to raise approximately $1.2 million more, $650,000 of which is due in 14 days and the remaining $560,000 ($280,000 each, for Benny and Josh) due shortly thereafter to cover the neurosurgery and hospitalization costs.

Customers Became Friends

Gary and Jennie Landsman with Josh and Ben at the FDA. Photo courtesy of Gary and Jennie Landsman

Once all of that is settled, the family will relocate to Dayton, Ohio, for two months where the boys will each have a procedure at Dayton Children’s Hospital. Landsman explained it was supposed to take place in 2018 and 2019 and now hopes it finally happens. “We’ve seen several massive delays, but now we’re in 2020,” he commented. “It’s time for treatment for the boys, so it’s time to move on

from the store.” Over the past five years he has become an integral part of the East Village. It pains him to leave, but he knows it’s the right choice. His customers have become friends and many are sad to see him go. A few months ago the landlord put a “retail space available” sign up and people began to ask what was going on. Then last week Landsman penned a heartfelt letter about the dire situation on the outside of the store. “I love wine and cherish the relationships I’ve had with my customers,” he remarked. “Really what it came down to was we are days away from the payment deadline and weeks away we hope from the surgery.” While there is no guarantee it will work, he can only pray and hope. “When a man is on his death bed he never says I wish I would have worked more,” Landsman said. “My goal is to spend more time with my family. We hope that this is going to be the cure.”

MAY 21-27, 2020

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VIRAL READS

FUTURE OF SCHOOL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

BOOKS

19 works of fact and ﬁction for a stay-at-home plague night BY CAROL ANN RINZLER

At the end of the day, who doesn’t like to curl up with a good book, especially a horror story scary enough to curl your air or actually make it stand on end. The stand on end part probably won’t happen, and straight hair is likely to stay straight, but bibliophiles know that authors ranging from Daniel Defoe to Albert Camus and Stephen King have been more than willing to terrify you with the fact and fiction of a plague ranging from the Black Death of 1665-6 to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, available on Amazon or from your favorite independent bookstore that makes deliveries, right to your door, contact-free. Read on. And pleasant dreams.

Photo via Amazon.com

13.

The Atlantis Trilogy, by A.G. Riddle. Apocalyptic sci-fi with a message from outer space.

14.

Photo via Amazon.com

The Barbary Plague, by Marilyn Chase. The Black Death in Victorian San Francisco.

A Journal of the Plague Year, by Daniel Defoe. The earliest plague novel, published in 1722.

How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS, by David

1. The Great Inﬂuenza

France. A reporter’s account of how activists helped to solve the mystery of AIDS.

by Jeff Hirsch. A post-influenza apocalyptic America.

, by John M. Barry. 1918, the deadliest plague in history.

Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague, by Geraldine Brooks. A village selfquarantined to halt the 17th century British plague.

The Plague, by Albert Camus. The universal go-to modern classic.

7. The Eleventh Plague, 8.

The Stand, by Stephen King. Survivors in a United States devastated by a weaponized influenza.

The Scarlet Plague, by Jack London. Life in 2073 London, sixty years after the Red Death epidemic.

10.

The Seventh Plague, by James Rollins. A medical mystery spread by mummies.

15.

Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel. Time travelers tracking a pandemic.

16.

The Last Man, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Dystopian fiction from the author of “Frankenstein.”

17.

And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic, by Randy Shilts. The epic nonfiction tale of the discovery and spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

18.

The End of October, by Lawrence Wright. The tale of possible bio-warfare.

19.

The Black Death, by Philip Ziegler. The 14th century pandemic that killed one-third of all Britons. Carol Ann Rinzler is the author of more than 20 books on health, including “Nutrition for Dummies.”

The Eleventh Plague, by John Marr. A plague among horses at Churchill Downs spreads out to humans.

11.

The Flu Epidemic of 1918, by Sandra Opdycke. From the “Critical Moments in American History” series.

12. The Great Plague

Remote Learning

, by Stephen Porter. The Bubonic Plague in 17th century London. Photo via Amazon.com

and toddlers, as the syndrome causes inflammation throughout the body and can lead to heart failure. The number of cases in New York City rose swiftly last week with 52 cases reported on May 11 to 137 cases on May 17. In all of New York State, three deaths have been reported in connection with the syndrome. As the number of cases rise, and the syndrome’s connection to the coronavirus remains unclear, city officials must now grapple with how to proceed with educating the city’s children. At a recent press conference, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the syndrome is “historically rare” and that he and other officials are taking it very seriously, but that his plan is to open the schools in the fall. “We are watching it very carefully. And anything we do about schools is going to be led by health and safety first. That’s absolutely the first question in any reopening,” said de Blasio. “As of this moment, we believe we can reopen schools safely and well in September. But we have to keep a very close watch on this syndrome to make sure that we attack it in every way possible in the meantime.” The city’s health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot, echoed the mayor, saying the city was reaching out to pediatric health care providers and intensive care units for the latest information. “As the science emerges and our guidance, if it needs to adapt, we will certainly adapt it,” said Barbot. Richard Carranza, chancellor of the city’s Department of Education, has thrown out some ideas this month as to how schooling might look different in the fall to ensure social distancing of students, teachers, and staff, including the staggering of class times, installation of desk partitions, taking students’ temperatures and regularly testing students for the virus.

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But these options for the fall are still hypothetical. Gabrielle Utting, an English teacher at Manhattan’s High School for Environmental

NYC Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza at P.S. 130 in Manhattan on March 16, announcing students can pick up food from any @NYCSchool s location. Photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

Studies, described the reality of education in the time of coronavirus in an interview with Our Town — and whether remote learning could be a sustainable, long term solution if it’s not safe to convene in classrooms come September. Utting, who has been an educator for 11 years, in many ways has been able to adapt to remote learning. She and her co-teacher quickly realized that live Zoom instruction wasn’t going to work for all of their students, some of whom have special needs. But the two found a digital platform where students could post analysis of their readings and engage in discussion. It’s not the same as live classroom discussion, but it’s an alternative that has been working for them. She’s also found creative ways for her students to engage with their readings, including assigning students to film themselves reciting a scene from “A Streetcar Named Desire,“ which they had read this semester. Still, there have been major obstacles for Utting and her students as they navigate remote learning together. She said her students have been feeling confusion and uncertainty during this time, which has been a distraction. Some of her students have lost family members and loved ones to the virus, including one student who still planned to take his advanced placement test the day after his best friend died. Utting said she’s also been feeling a sense of helplessness during this time. “I normally have a little bit more control of everything; of knowing where my students are,” she said. “I [normally] know who’s falling behind and who needs help and who doesn’t. And just having the

ability to make adjustments based on their needs.”

More Transparency When asked about the prospect of another semester of remote learning, Utting takes a weighty pause. The thought seems daunting. “A part of the reason that we were able to make this work at all is because we had seven months establishing relationships and routines,” she said. “So much of our remote learning was finding ways to replicate those routines in this new setting ... I don’t know what’s going to happen when we’re all strangers.” If schools will not be opening in September, Utting said the decision needs to be made sooner rather than later so teachers can prepare. “I know there’s some hesitation about making some of these calls, but if we wait until August to decide if we’re coming back in December, and that’s a lot of last time we could have been preparing how to translate our units to this virtual learning environment,” said Utting. She would also like more transparency about what the city’s expectations are for students: How long should assignments be? What will the academic calendar look like? Will there be state testing? These are all questions Utting said needs to be answered. “If [remote learning] has to be sustainable, we’ll make it sustainable,” said Utting. “But it’s going to take a lot of work and it has to be very intentional in terms of how we develop curriculum in the future and thinking about what’s going to help the students not fall behind so fast, without feeling overloaded and shutting down — because if they shut down, then they’re not going to learn anything.”

MAY 21-27, 2020

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

MAY 21-27, 2020

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

PUTTING THE CARE INTO A CRISIS VOLUNTEERS

Director at New York Cares, the agency at the forefront of mobilizing volunteers during COVID-19, on their dedication to our most vulnerable communities BY ANGELA BARBUTI

“When the going gets tough, the tough gets going,” is Darline Lalanne’s explanation for the outpouring of service she’s witnessed from New Yorkers during the COVID-19 pandemic. New York Cares’s mission of providing altruistic individuals from the five boroughs with opportunities to help those most in need has only been reinforced through the current crisis. More than 4,500 volunteers have devoted 15,000 hours on close to 800 projects since relief efforts started on March 16th. As the director of Education and Family Programs at the nonprofit, Lalanne recognizes that the heart of a community is its schools. She is committed to our city’s students, who she said will likely miss six months of classroom instruction. Partnering with the NYC Department of Education, her team runs the program that provides volunteer assistance to 25,000 students in temporary housing, helping them with the new challenges posed during this time, such as how to use

Darline Lalanne, director of Education and Family Programs at New York Cares. Photo courtesy of New York Cares

iPads that are now crucial tools for virtual learning. “The DOE has been getting over 2,000 calls per day from the tech side, so that partnership was extremely important,” she said. “This past Saturday, we made over 4,000 calls between 1:30 to 4:00.” The Haitian-born Harlem resident also oversees many of the organization’s beneficial programs that are now operating online or on the phone. Volunteers reach out to seniors for wellness checks, assist immigrants who are preparing for their citizenship exams and host online yoga, Zumba and Judo classes for elementary school children. When asked how one can volunteer with their 1,350 nonprofit and school partners, Lalanne said the best way is to go to their website and get a volunteer certification. “And once you’ve done that, you can sign up for many different projects both on and off the ground,” she said. “We’ve created so many different ways for you, as a New Yorker, to feel safe and know that you can give back.”

Tell us about the phone checks that are being done.

One pillar is mental health, especially during this time, not only for students, but adults. We’re all at diﬀerent levels of what this is making us feel like. We’ve been able to support by doing what we call a phone-based model, where we call seniors, the most vulnerable population, to do wellness check-ins with them. We also have a partnership with the Department of Education, where we are supporting students in temporary housing. We are making calls and are considered volunteer tech ambassadors to ensure that students who did receive their iPad actually know how to utilize it. Virtual learning will be the least eﬀective for the most vulnerable population due to lack of access and equity. Now that doesn’t mean that we can’t still have an impact. It only means that students were not exposed to virtual platforms before the pandemic, compared to a student that went to private school where it was already imbedded into their curriculum. We do these phone calls Monday through Saturday, where we’re calling those families and ensuring that they received their

YOUR 15 MINUTES

To read about other people who have had their “15 Minutes” go to our website and submit your story.

New York Cares volunteers host live storytime sessions and book-inspired discussions for NYC public school kindergarteners and ﬁrst graders. Volunteers also upload recordings of their storytime sessions to a database for students to watch at any time. iPads. We’ve found that on some days, we’ve had 80 plus volunteers sign up to do these calls.

With students now learning at home, how has New York Cares stepped in to help?

The data shows that students will be 30 percent behind compared to a normal school year. And imagine the ones who were already behind? And the ones who were above grade level, will not be anymore. When we talk about meeting pressing community needs, we are working in the black and brown community. We’ve actually launched several virtual programs to support students and families. There’s a reading club, where volunteers and students read together and have discussions. That’s about 45 minutes of additional reading support during a child’s week. It’s important that we get students active in physical ﬁtness. During this pandemic, we know that students will be missing seven to eight hours a week of physical activity. We reimagined programs we already had, such as yoga and Zumba.

How is this work also helping educators?

Educators now ﬁnd themselves tending to the emotional and psychological needs of the students. They are forced to take roles as adults because parents that are essential workers are working a lot more, or are sick or self-quarantined.

The fact that we created a partnership with them, by providing that remote learning, has been a blessing, so they can continue to provide the psychological needs. We’re working with agencies such as BronxWorks, Title 1 schools like PS 171, out in East Harlem, doing reading programs for their ﬁrst and second graders, who have already been identiﬁed as working below grade level. There is a large population of students there who are in temporary housing.

You run college prep, adult education and citizenship classes. Are those still going on?

Yes, they are. The reality is, when you are an immigrant, you are even more prone to not ask for services. It is extremely important that when we talk about education, we’re talking about it for the adults as well. We’ve actually run virtual sessions to prepare adults for the citizenship exams, so mock interviews to help them rehearse answering questions under pressure. We also started our sophomore skills program, which was already scheduled to start, and made that transition virtually, to strengthen the math and English skills of high school sophomores.

During the pandemic, New York Cares has served more than 450,000 meals through volunteer meal delivery programs. How do you accomplish this? Many are in a situation where they

don’t know where their next meal is. We are working with Title 1 schools that are also asking us, “Our families are hungry. What can we do?” We’ve connected them to food pantries that are around their communities. From March until now, we’ve been able to support diﬀerent food pantries and community organizations providing food, such as Coalition for the Homeless, the Salvation Army of Greater New York, Project Hospitality, The River Fund, Florence E. Smith Senior Services, and many local churches and synagogues. They have their food, and our job as volunteers is to ensure that we are supporting by providing the food to the community. A lot of agencies have lost funding, so they need the manpower to actually give it out. That’s where we come in. We also have a Cars for COVID project that we run, where volunteers actually drive and deliver. There are over 600 projects on the food side so far that we’ve planned and are executing right now. To volunteer, please visit www.newyorkcares.org

Know somebody who deserves their 15 Minutes of fame? Go to our website and click on submit a press release or announcement.

MAY 21-27, 2020

21 25

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WORD SEARCH by Myles Mellor A A R L Y L U R R U R L V O D

V C X P Q E L A J I C O O L V

E H B D J J S E N B U D Q L A

S E E M J A T K R N T S L E D

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Q O I I T S T B D H N U R A M

Y N I M Y N T C R S S L L L M

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G L G S H S P I S E N F A A S

Q E R J T V N R Z N A Z S D B

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ANSWERS O

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S E E M J A T K R N T S L E D

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W E L A A B D H W A U D Q V H

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46. Inﬂexibly entrenched 48. Slog (through) 49. Halt in growth 50. Ornamental bag 51. Night ﬂight, with red 52. Collared 53. The Little Giant

Across 1. Dylan or Marley 4. Black box warning issuers 7. Early modern jazz 10. Passing away column 12. Member of a colony 13. Stubborn beast 14. Relative 16. Can-do 17. Shrubs, as fences 18. Columbus native 20. Turn over 21. Published 22. Buckets 25. Artist’s model 29. Overwhelm with noise 32. Compact 33. Desecrate 34. Mr ___ guy 35. Took a chair 36. Santa ___ winds 38. Cannot, in a way 41. Ante up 45. Flirt with

4 3 7

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Level: Medium

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Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9X9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3X3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult.

SUDOKU by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan

by Myles Mellor

CROSSWORD

Downtowner 1

Our Town|Downtowner otdowntown.com

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MAY 21-27, 2020

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