When Adversity Leads to Advocacy: Families Fighting Flu
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- Written by Stacie M. Waldman
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On a mild but gray Wednesday morning in Scarsdale Village, I had the opportunity to meet with Alissa Kanowitz. Alissa is a Scarsdale resident and, among other things, a mother, a wife, a real estate agent at Houlihan Lawrence, a Junior League volunteer, and an activist. Although proud of her achievements, as any activist should be, no one wants to become an activist because of the untimely death of their child. Not quite 10 years ago, her daughter, Amanda, died of influenza.
Amanda Kanowitz was a happy, sweet, and beautiful 4 ½-year-old. On the morning of March 1, 2004, Alissa and her husband Richard awoke to every parent's worst nightmare. They found their daughter lifeless in her bed. She had been healthy up until two days earlier when she contracted the flu. Amanda did not appear to have a severe case - she was coughing and then vomiting, but never with a high fever. Even just hours before they found her, she had been awake, speaking, and drinking. The flu vaccine was not yet indicated for Amanda's age group so she had not been vaccinated. That season, 152 other children died of the same cause: influenza.
To honor Amanda's memory, the Kanowitz family established the Amanda Kanowitz Foundation and co-founded
Families Fighting Flu (FFF), www.familiesfightingflu.org, a non-profit consisting primarily of families who have lost or almost lost a child to the flu virus. The family portraits on the FFF website are numerous: On January 12th, 2011, 17-year-old Austin Booth, a previously healthy, athletic boy began to feel sick while at basketball practice. Five days later, Austin died from the flu. On February 13th, 2010, Chance Chandler went to a party. By evening, he felt ill and started vomiting. Two days later Chance stopped breathing. He was four years old and died of flu. Neither child received the flu vaccine that year, although Chance received the vaccine the year prior. His parents did not know that he needed to be vaccinated annually.
What was your motivation for launching "Families Fighting Flu"? When we learned that Amanda died from influenza, we were shocked. Everyone we told had a similar response, "What do you mean she died of the flu? People don't DIE from the flu." Most people – including us until this happened – refer to most random stomach bugs or fever viruses as 'the flu' so nobody really thinks of it as anything that serious. We learned the hard way, that influenza, the real flu, is a very distinct and potentially devastating virus that takes the lives of up to 40,000 Americans each year and is responsible for 200,000 annual hospitalizations.
When you lose a child, you naturally feel guilt and helplessness. There was nothing more that we could do for Amanda, but we felt we owed it to her to make something meaningful come from her death. So Richard and I set out to raise awareness about the risks of influenza and reduce the number of pediatric hospitalizations and deaths. Since vaccination is so effective in preventing this illness, this is FFF's main focus. Families Fighting Flu is also there to provide support for other families and communities that have been impacted by tragedies caused by influenza. There were no other groups like this when we started the organization.
How did your advocacy help to encourage CDC to change the age recommendation for the flu vaccine? At the time of Amanda's death, the flu vaccine was only recommended for the elderly, the very young (between 6-23 months) and immune-compromised people. Yet when I spoke with many of the top U.S. infectious disease experts, they unanimously agreed that the flu vaccine recommendations should include all children. When the CDC changes policy, they need to consider various concerns from local governments, federal agencies, vaccine manufacturers, medical professionals and the general public. Their decisions are based on extensive analysis and epidemiological evidence, but these are numbers on a page. Families Fighting Flu attached real faces, like that of Amanda's, to the numbers and helped create the urgency needed to change the recommendations before more children died.
What do you say to people who are scared to get the flu vaccine for one reason or another? People should speak with their doctors about the benefits of the flu vaccine versus the nominal risks. Overwhelmingly, pediatricians agree that the influenza vaccine is the single most effective way to protect your child against the flu. Even if it is not 100% effective at preventing the flu -- and we all acknowledge that -- a case of the flu will be less severe if your body has been previously exposed to the virus, i.e. has built up antibodies to it, and this makes the vaccine very effective at preventing hospitalizations and death.
Look, none of us like to give our children shots or subject them to unpleasant experiences, but an actual bout of influenza is exponentially more miserable. Keep in mind that approximately 1/3 of all children will get influenza in any given year. One quick shot can spare you from a week or more of the flu and the entire family becoming sick. There is also a nasal mist alternative to the shot, indicated for people between the ages of 2-49.
What are the most common reasons you hear from people about why they don't get vaccinated? Something I commonly hear is, "Our family doesn't get the flu." It's not a family values thing- you don't choose to not get the flu. You only choose for yourself and/or your children to or to not get vaccinated. The flu decides it's victims and it's smarter and sneakier than any of us. It's been around for thousands of years. You have no way to know how your child's body will respond to each individual strain of influenza. If you've never had the flu and you skip the vaccine, you're lucky; but statistically speaking, your family will get the flu in time. And when you do, you will likely infect other people. Although your own family may recover from the flu, you could be responsible for the hospitalization or death of the infant or immune-compromised person who was behind you in the checkout line the day before you realized you had the flu.
I also hear people say, "I felt sick after getting the vaccine one year." Fall is when the current year's flu vaccines are available, and it's also the time of year that lots of non-flu viruses are going around that are often mistaken for a side effect of the vaccine. You cannot catch the flu from the flu vaccine, but as your body builds immunity to the virus in the vaccine, some people may feel a bit under the weather for a day. Given that a true case of influenza can and does cause hospitalization and death, any side effect of the flu vaccine seems mild in comparison.
Are there any warning signs that your child may be at risk of death from the flu? Because of the fact that no one knows what causes some people (like Amanda) to respond so suddenly, severely, and systemically to influenza and other people to respond with a more controlled immune reaction, the best way to protect yourself and your family against the risk of death from the flu is to get vaccinated. It is so important to note that many children who have severe reactions to the flu were playing sports or at birthday parties only hours before crashing. That's what is so scary about the flu. One mom who is a part of FFF was even on her way to getting her child's Tamiflu prescription filled when her son died of the flu. However, signs that your child is not doing well, whether due to the flu or any other virus or infection, include fast or difficult breathing, bluish skin color or lip color, not drinking enough fluids or urinating, changes in mental status, and high (>100.4) or low (<96.8) fever, among other things. You should call your doctor or take your child to the ER if you notice any of these symptoms or a worsening of other flu-related symptoms.
Any parting words? The good news is that due to CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations and increased awareness, more people are getting vaccinated. The recommendations are that children 6 months and up get vaccinated annually. There are 60,000 pediatrician members of AAP, so you can feel confident knowing that there are tens of thousands of pediatricians that are part of an organization that knows the data is strong enough in favor of the flu vaccine to support across-the-board immunization in children.
Most people think that things like this don't happen to people they know. But if it could happen to our sweet, happy, healthy little girl, it could happen to your family. Don't let that happen. Protect your family, and help protect other families, too. All it takes is a quick trip to the pediatrician or a pharmacy.
Click here for more information from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Center for Disease Control.
Fall Landscapes
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The first weekend of November was perhaps our last chance to enjoy fall colors before the descent of winter. Bright sunlight highlighted local landscapes providing rich opportunities for photography. Here are a few that merited publishing for you to enjoy. Believe it or not, most were taken with an iPhone! Thanks to our readers for their contributions.
Village Trustees Agree on Revisions to "Noise" Code and Review Plans for Fire Station #1
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The late night and early morning clamor from deliveries, back-up beepers, steel doors and trash pickup have been irking residents of the Christie Place apartments who shared their pain with Scarsdale Village Trustees and managers. Though current Village Code prevents "the making of deliveries of supplies or merchandise or collection of garbage or refuse of any store or other place of business between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., except in cases of emergencies," this rule could not be practically enforced.
For one, the Scarsdale Post Office, which is directly across the street from Christie Place receives deliveries at 2:30 am, 4:30 am and 6:30 am – and according to the Postmaster these overnight deliveries are necessary to ensure the timely delivery of mail in Scarsdale.
In addition, Christie Place is home to the Village's only food market that is by necessity a hubbub of activity. The two trash compactors in the DeCicco's parking lot need to be emptied once a week in the off-hours, as the store's parking lot has to be empty to accommodate large carting trucks. DeCiccos receives food deliveries in the early morning hours so that fresh merchandise is available to shoppers.
A concerned group of residents from Christie Place met with Village Managers, the Chamber of Commerce, the police and downtown business owners on
several occasions to see what could be done to ameliorate if not prevent the noise. Over the past few months they met, gathered information, discussed and ultimately reached a solution that for now appears satisfactory to all.
Trustee David Lee, who heads the Law Committee of the Village Board of Trustees convened a meeting on October 22 to share information and propose a revision to the code.
Deputy Village Manager relayed his conversation with the Scarsdale Postmaster who said that the overnight deliveries were necessary but agreed to ask employees to refrain from banging open and close the steel delivery doors in back of the post office during night-time hours. The doors will also be greased regularly to decrease the noise when opening and closing.
Frank DeCicco, owner of DeCicco's was also present and agreed to prevent any deliveries before 6:30 am on weekdays and 8 am on weekends. He also said that smaller delivery trucks are now entering the store through the Spencer Place entrance to cut down on noise on Christie Place.
With that, Trustee Lee proposed that the code be changed to alter the hours for delivery and to make a distinction between weekdays and weekends. He recommended that there be no deliveries between 11:30 pm and 6 am on weekdays and 11:00 pm and 8 am on weekends. These new regulations would be enforced by the police.
Residents were pleased with the proposal and applauded the village for listening and working with them to come up with a solution.
Mr. Conroy of Christie Place said, "On behalf of the people of Christie Place I applaud the efforts of Village Hall and Mr. DeCicco to solve the problems." Another Christie Place resident said, "Some of the noise has already abated. I am delighted that you listened to us and allowed everyone to express their views. It's a great compromise."
The proposal was passed unanimously by the Board of Trustees. A Public Hearing on the code revision will be scheduled for the November 26 meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Following the agreement on new noise code, the Board turned to a discussion of renovations to Fire Station #1, the firehouse at Village Hall. The 1923 structure is badly in need of repair and updating to shore up the foundation and accommodate large fire apparatus.
The Board heard a presentation from Louis Grigg of Grigg and Davis Engineers on proposed changes to the 8,000 square foot building to resolve structural and safety issues.
Plans call for a new apron or driveway into the garage that will be rebuilt and graded downward to accommodate larger fire trucks. There will be larger garage doors and bays and the ceiling of the garage will be raised to give the trucks more clearance.
New facilities are needed to accommodate female firefighters. A second story addition will be added at the rear of the building to include a dormitory for female firefighters, an elevator and a stairway for public entry. The new addition will include a kitchen and an exercise room to help the firefighters stay in shape. The male firefighters dormitory will be renovated and the building will be brought up to code in terms of handicapped accessibility.
According to the Ms. Grigg the new facility will improve the village's emergency response capabilities while preserving Village period architecture on the exterior of the building.
The cost for labor and materails is estimated at $2.6mm with an additional $396,000 for professional fees, bringing the total for the renovation to $3,375,000. The project timeline calls for bids to be received by June, 2014 and construction to start in August 2014 for completion by August 2015.
Watering Restrictions Lifted: At the October 22 meeting of the Scarsdale Board of Trustees, Mayor Bob Steves announced that based on the reduction in water demand due to the change of season, the lawn watering restrictions adopted by resolution of the Village Board on July 23, 2013 have been lifted as of October 23, 2013,
A Politically Correct Halloween Costume ...Is There Such a Thing?
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We received this amusing note about what is and what is not allowed in terms of Halloween costumes at a New York City private school. After you consider all the rules below, what would be permissable? See below!
Hello 6th Grade Families,
Halloween is tomorrow and your children are permitted to wear their costumes in school. This is a good opportunity to begin a discussion with them, if you haven't already, about the importance of being sensitive when choosing their costumes. Here are some guidelines and questions that we encourage you to consider and discuss with your child:
· Wearing a funny costume: Is the humor based on making fun of real people, human traits or culture?
· Wearing a historical costume: If the costume is meant to be historical, does it further misinformation or historical or cultural inaccuracies?
· Wearing a cultural costume: Does the costume reduce cultural differences to jokes or stereotypes?
· Could someone take offense with your costume and why?
Today, I learned that some students are considering either dressing as a classmate (in a lovely, mutually agreed upon way) and/or dressing as someone of the opposite gender.
In line with our ethical values that pertain to inclusion and respect for culture and identity, dressing up as someone else's identity (e.g. race, gender, religion, nationality, etc.), even if mutually agreed upon, will not be condoned. I request your partnership in making sure that your students follow this expectation.
Attached, please find an article from Teaching Tolerance Magazine "What do Halloween Costumes Say?"
It is a bit long but it does have some good points to think about.
Many thanks and, as always, please feel free to be in touch with me if you'd like to discuss further.
Sincerely,
Your Principal
Update on District Facilities and Strategic Plans from BOE President Suzanne Seiden
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Here is an update from Scarsdale Board of Education President Suzanne Seiden on the Strategic Plan and Facilities Master Plan that are both currently in development by members of the Board:
Dear Parents and Community Members,
I would like to give you an update on two of our goals for this upcoming school year:
1. The Strategic Plan and
2. The Facilities Master Plan
The Strategic Plan
- Last year, the Board promised the community we would undertake a long range planning process. Given that we will have new leadership next year, we felt it was an ideal time to begin the process.
- The Board is not planning to hand our new Superintendent a finished detailed strategic plan to implement.
- This is really a plan for the plan.
- We want to understand community views and educational values. This will be achieved through focus groups and surveys. We hope you will participate.
- We also want to develop a quantitative fact base with a baseline scenario that projects the costs of maintaining current programs and enrollment. We will also consider denidenscenarios involving variations in enrollment.
- The new Superintendent should lead the strategic planning effort and "own" the plan. This background material will provide valuable information for the community and new superintendent so we can develop a detailed strategic plan together.
The Facilities Master Plan
- The Board promised the community that we would develop a long range plan for the District's facilities. The plan will include potential renovations and improvements to a high school building that will be 100 years old in four years.
- We need the plan for two reasons. First, it is important to understand what kinds of facilities may be required to support emerging technologies and teaching approaches.
- Second, we need to be able to project long term needs as part of our strategic budget planning.
- We do not know how quickly we will pursue these plans or how they will fit into long term financial planning. We probably will include some items in the regular operating budget, as we have for years.
- The only decision we have made is to develop a long range plan.
- As we have discussed with the community, we will consider whether some projects might be bonded. A natural time to do that would be in 2015-2106 when a significant portion of debt falls off, and renovation and construction might involve little or no increase in taxes.
- We are in the process of appointing a joint committee of community members and staff to help assure we are considering fully—the range of building needs and to help us understand community views.
We will continue to keep you updated on the strategic and facilities master plans. Please look for these updates and let us know if you have any questions.
Suzanne Seiden
President
Board of Education
