* * * * ** * * * *I N S I D EI N S I D E

* * * * ** * * * *New Top Staff atOMRDD...........................E4

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Pesach in Hamaspik Group-Homes............E2

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Gov. Spitzer's Major"Health Coordination"Initiative............................E2

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Your Health Today.......E4

Hamaspik Gazette Hamaspik GazetteHamaspik Gazette Hamaspik GazetteHamaspik Gazette Hamaspik GazetteNews of Hamaspik Agencies and General HealthDecember 2005 • Issue No. 24April 2007 . Issue No. 35

With names like Lazer Runner,Motion Simulator, Free Fall, JetRider, Vapor TRX, and DDR SuperNova, you might just think you land-ed on another planet. But no, youwould actually be in East Hanover,New Jersey, inside a 100,000 square-foot family entertainment center,otherwise known as FUNPLEX. Andthis is precisely where Hamaspikwent on Thursday, April 5th, for aterrific Chol HaMoed Pesach cee-bration.

More than a dozen full buses -from Monroe, New Square, Monseyand Brooklyn - arrived shortly afternoon with over 450 passengers onboard, including consumers, family,staff, and chaperones to enjoy a day"away from it all" at this huge,indoor amusement center.

Indeed, Funplex has somethingfor everyone - from state-of-the-artarcades, bumper cars, and electricgo-karts to batting cages, foam fren-zy and a new, virtual entertainmentpavilion. So each and every con-sumer, young and old alike, werekept busy amidst the multi-coloredlights and non-stop thrill of theFunplex experience.

Lunch was served to everyone,

on the buses, going to the amuse-ment park and snacks were reservedfor the ride back. And in-between,from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m. the action, aswell as the smiles on everyone's

face, was non-stop. For consumers,it meant one ride or arcade gameafter another, and for parents andother adults, there was ample timeand space to sit, chat, and simply

enjoy the company of other familiesand staff members.

When it was finally time to leaveand the tallies came in, it turned outthat Hamaspik made use of a whop-

ping 8,000 Funplex tokens in thecourse of the day, and that translatedinto hundreds of prizes and goody-bags that were divided among con-sumers and their siblings.

Everyone boarded their buses,cars, and wheelchair-accessible vansfor the trip back home, with feelingsof good cheer and lingering smiles,and it could very well be that no one,that afternoon, was happier thanMrs. Brenda Katina.

Mrs. Katina is the ProjectCoordinator at Hamaspik, and forher, this one day - Thursday, CholHamoed Pesach - was the culmina-tion of months of meticulous,behind-the-scenes planning. At thehelm of such a project, one has towonder - hope and pray - that every-thing should fall into place whenthere are so many details and poten-tial loose ends to consider. Andthankfully, everything did. The eventturned out to be a tremendous suc-cess.

"You could sense the joy andhappiness on everyone's face. It wastangible. And this was my greatestsatisfaction to see all these kids have

Continued on Page E3

Visitors are always welcome atthe South 9 Inzerheim located in theheart of Williamsburg, but on thisparticular occasion the visitor wasnone other than Donna Limity,Deputy Director for the DDSO StateOffice in Brooklyn, New York.

After hearing glowing reportsabout the services and program atthe South 9 Inzerheim, Ms. Limitydecided that this was somethingworth experiencing first hand. Andso she did.

There to greet her on a balmy

April morning were Mr. Joel Freund,Executive Director of Hamaspik ofKings County, along with South 9'sHome Manager, Mrs. MalkieCziment, as well as an anxious andexcited group of young consumers.

Ms. Limity was given aguided tour of South 9Inzerheim, and she wasobviously impressed by howbeautifully decorated, organ-ized, and orderly the homewas kept. She was then treat-ed to a delicious "heimish"lunch that, in turn, preparedher for the rest of a busy day.

From the Inzerheim IRA

Ms. Limity went on to visit theHamaspik Day Habilitation Centerin Brooklyn, actually just few blocksaway. She spoke at length with con-sumers, observed the day's programand activities, and, once again, came

away impressed byHamaspik's quality of serv-ice and attention to detail.

All and all, it was a daywell spent - for DonnaLimity as well as the con-sumers and staff ofHamaspik. And asHamaspik always likes tosay to all its visitors: "Comeagain, soon."

HAMASPIK GAZETTEPublished and © Copyright April 2007 by:HAMASPIK 58 Rt. 59 Suite 1 Monsey NY 10952Telephone: (845) 503-0211 / Fax (845) 503-1211

Non Profit Org.US Postage

PAIDHAMASPIK

Deputy Director of Brooklyn DDSO EnjoysDay at Local Hamaspik IRA and Day-Hab

Special Yom Tov:

8,000 Tokens Later, Hamaspik Consumers Still in High Spirits from Chol Hamoed at the "Funplex"

E2 April '07 | Hamaspik Gazette

When it comes to Pesach prepa-rations we're all familiar with thestate of "high alert" that takes holdonce the month of Nissan arrives:Clearing and cleaning the house,shopping and shlepping, and other-wise getting ready for the Festival ofFreedom.

Well, this is exactly the sceneyou would have encountered, hadyou entered any one of Hamaspik'smany group homes in the weeksprior to Pesach.

Never let it be said thatHamaspik consumers are strictly a"homebound" crew. On the contrary,when there's a mitzvah to perform,they tend to get very "up close andpersonal." Plus, in honor of the festi-val, everyone received a new articleof clothing, as time-honored tradi-tion dictates.

All consumers - young and oldalike - eagerly participated in clean-ing and polishing and all the rear-ranging that takes place in anyJewish home before Yom Tov. Andthen, with white bakers' capsperched high on top of their heads,consumers helped bake matzos inthe nearby matzah bakeries.

Six of Hamaspik's homes hadtwo Sedorim for residents, overseenand accompanied by staff coupleswho lived in the homes for the entire

holiday. Step by step on Seder night,all those present went through theHaggadah, and when it came timefor the Afikoman, the young con-sumers knew exactly what to do -stealthily taking the coveted matzahfrom staff members in order to hideit from them. In return for theAfikoman, one consumer insistedthat he wanted nothing less thanMoshiach's imminent arrival.Everyone present echoed andadmired his lofty and heartfeltrequest.

All meals - throughout Yom Tov- were prepared in the group resi-dence kitchens, every meal carryingthe special taste and aroma unique tothe holiday. Hamaspik staff, asalways, are to be highly commendedfor bringing such spirit into everyHamaspik group-home.

Consumers attended Yom Tovservices in nearby community Shuls.Their presence, as always, eagerlyanticipated in Shul, where they arewelcome with open arms. For theboys - they look forward to going toshul - because for them, the Shulexperience is simply a warm exten-sion of their group-home experience,being an integral part of vital com-munity life.

In the new group homes in BoroPark, all consumers went home to be

with their parents for Pesach, andreturned to their Hamaspik resi-

dences for Chol HaMoed.After all, who would want to

miss out on all the fun and excite-ment of a Hamaspik Chol HaMoedtrip? (see feature headline.)

The last two days of Pesach -like the first two days - were spent inroyal splendor: Hamaspik group-homes bedecked with the sights,sounds, and smells of Yom Tov.

Pesach of 5767, alas, is overnow, but it certainly still resides inthe heart and mind of everyHamaspik consumer.

Hamaspik Freedom:

Agency Group-Homes Enjoy RoyalTreatment on 8-Day Festival of Pesach

OMRDD, DOH, AmongState Agencies in Major

"Health Coordination"Plan by Gov. Spitzer

Governor Eliot Spitzerannounced that the commissioner ofthe Department of Health (DOH)and the Office of Mental Retardationand Developmental Disabilities(OMRDD), among other heads ofhealth-related state departments, willbe touring the state, listen to thehealth care needs of New Yorkers,and provide recommendations onhow to improve and coordinate sup-port for people who have needsacross the health systems.

The "People First" CoordinatedCare Listening Forums are a startingpoint for new collaborative initia-tives aimed at better serving people'sneeds with the goal of obtaininginsight on how to improve qualityand outcomes, as well as coordinatesupports for individuals.

OMRDD Commissioner DianaJones Ritter said, "New Yorkers whohave multiple disabilities including

developmental disabilities must haveaccess to high quality care thatassures their various and continuingneeds are met. I am committed toworking together with my sisteragencies toward a more seamlessservice system that puts the personreceiving services first and provideseach individual with opportunitiesand choices for and about their owncare. What better way to kick-startthis effort than to go right to the peo-ple who receive or require theseservices? I look forward to hearingfrom our residents across the stateon how we can better meet theirneeds."

DOH Commissioner Richard F.Daines said, "Access to appropriate,high-quality care is our goal for allNew Yorkers in need. I look forwardto hearing from the people in theircommunities to spark the innovativesolutions we seek."

E3Hamaspik Gazette | April '07

"Up for review!" We hear thatphrase repeatedly and in variouscontexts: Schools, offices, corpora-tions, you name it. The periodicreassessment of a person, product,service, or facility is just, well, stan-dard procedure in the contemporaryworkplace.

It makes perfect sense, then, tostop and look back at Hamaspik DayHabilitation Center of Kings County,located in the Williamsburg sectionof Brooklyn, NY, and issue somekind of a progress report. It's been

six months since the Center opened,thus making a reasonable timeframe, so let's take a brief look back.How active has the Center been andwith what sort of activities?

One project that kept consumersoccupied and excited, virtually fromday one, was packaging a special setof sink-faucet covers and filter thatdozens of thousands of Orthodoxhouseholds make use of duringPassover to facilitate pure tap-wateruse according to holiday customs.The network of Vein Learning

Centers, also located inWilliamsburg, pioneered this proj-ect. However, in addition to its man-ufacture, this unique set of productsrequires proper packaging, undersupervision, and this is whereHamaspik came in. For nearly sixmonths, the Day-Hab Center wasinvolved with packaging thesePassover faucet sets.

As an aside to the core goal oflearning the art of accomplishingthings to perfection, the consumersvery much enjoyed taking their part

in this community project, toiling inPassover preparations for months.And it was quite an achievement toget so much sets of this productpackaged on time. The consumersearned an added sense of satisfactionknowing that they not only suppliedso many families with an essentialPassover tool, but they were alsoinstrumental in helping a worthyinstitution of learning with a vitalproject.

Another project that kept con-sumers active and productive wasthe packaging of special aluminumpans, another most welcome kitchenconvenience for households duringthe holiday. And believe it or not,consumers at the Hamaspik DayHabilitation Center stepped up to theplate and packaged over 100,000pans for the festival. That's a gargan-tuan number by anyone's standards,but Hamaspik consumers got the jobdone, and absolutely on time.

Of course, in addition to theseactivities, there was something thatHamaspik consumers had to do toprepare themselves for Passover.

A week before the holiday, twospecial seder events were arranged:one mock seder for the young men,and another for the women. At eachevent, under proper supervision,each participant went through theproper sequence of the seder - aninstructive rehearsal of sorts - aweek before the actual seder takesplace. Everyone went through theHaggadah text, practicing the 15 dif-ferent steps that comprise the

sequence of every seder. It wasexcellent preparation for the holiday,and at the end of the seder, everyparticipant came away with a greatpacket of gifts that included amatzah holder, a kiddush cup, and anillustrated Haggadah. As an addedbonus, the mock seder was filmedand recorded onto CDs which every-one took home - for viewing andreviewing by their parents andfriends - to their delight.

The itinerary of Hamaspik DayHab in Brooklyn included varioustrips. There was a visit to New YorkCity's famous Transit Museum aswell as an outing to Kiryas Joel inOrange County, New York. In thecountry quiet of Orange County'speaceful hillsides, Hamaspik con-sumers were able to recite the yearlyblessing that is said over blossomingfruit trees. Their visit coincided withthe first yahrtzeit since the passingof the Satmar Rebbe, zt"l, so con-sumers also paid a visit to theRebbe's mausoleum. At the end ofthe trip, consumers enjoyed a warmmeal at Hamaspik Day Habilitationin Kiryas Joel where all consumerswere able to meet and socializetogether.

In retrospect, then, these first sixmonths at the new Day Habilitationcenter have been active, productive,and - according to all reports - havemet with satisfaction from con-sumers, staff, and parents alike. Thelight is bright green for Hamaspik'sKings County Day HabilitationCenter to proceed in the direction itis going, to bring the brightest offutures for the special consumers.

Anyone interested in more infor-mation about the Day HabilitationCenter is encouraged to call themanager Mr. Israel Lichtenstein at718-302-3333.

Special Yom Tov:

8,000 Tokens Later, Hamaspik Consumers Still in High Spirits from Chol Hamoed at the "Funplex"

such a wonderful time," said Mrs.Katina. She was also quick topoint out that the staff atFunplex were extremelyaccommodating. "Theywere friendly, alwaysavailable, and dideverything theycould to make ourstay a pleasantone."

Well, theHamaspik ageny'snext Chol Hamoedproject is still manymonths away. But youcan be sure of onething: Hamaspik's ProjectCoordinator is already busyplanning for that event…evenas you read these words.

Why, the major holiday ofSuccos, coming up at the end of

September, has two intermittent dayssuitable for Hamaspik Chol Hamoed

festivities.So mark your calendars for

either Sep. 30 or Oct. 1st, and staytuned for details.

Continued from Page 1

At Hamaspik Day-Hab Center in Brooklyn,After First Six Months, the Grades Are In

E4 April '07 | Hamaspik Gazette

SENATE TO CONSIDERFDA DRUG-SAFETY

SYSTEM

The U.S. Senate is scheduled tostart debating a bill that wouldrequire the Food and DrugAdministration to establish a safetysystem to monitor new drugs for atleast three years after they have beenapproved.

The Kennedy-Enzi bill, knownas the FDA Revitalization Act,would also renew through 2012 alaw about "User Fees" that fund partof the FDA's annual budget. Thefees are collected, for example,when companies file applicationsseeking approval of new medicines.

The FDA Revitalization Act alsorenews another law that gives drugcompanies incentives to conductresearch on drugs for children. Thebulk of drugs on the U.S. marketwere developed for adult consump-tion. The Kennedy-Enzi bill alsomandates companies to register clin-ical studies of drugs in a public data-base as well as make all the resultsavailable.

NEW TOP STAFF ATOMRDD

OMRDD has named two veteranpublic servants as top staff underCommissioner Diana Ritter Jones,namely, Max E. Chmura as the newExecutive Deputy Commissioner,and Patricia Martinelli, Esq. asGeneral Counsel of the agency fordevelopmental disabilities.

Mr. Schmura brings to OMRDDmore than 25 years of human serviceand health care management andconsulting experience, especially inthe area of developmental disabili-ties, and has earned a national repu-tation of excellence for his expertisein the area of person-centered sup-ports and services to people withdisabilities, children and youth infoster care, court-involved youth andfamilies and other services.

Mrs. Martinelli brings an in-depth understanding of state govern-ment as well as advocacy experienceto OMRDD, having served from1999-2007 as Assistant DeputyAttorney General under then-AGand now Governor Eliot Spitzer. Shewas working for the Department ofMental Hygiene from 1974-1976,where, as she says, she "developedher roots."

DRUG MAKER LILLYDISCLOSES FUNDINGAmid criticism that money from

drug companies is overly influentialin the practice of medicine, Eli Lilly& Co. for the first time plans torelease a detailed report on its grantsto nonprofit groups and educationalinstitutions.

Recipients of the $11.8 million

that the Indianapolis-based drugmaker gave out in the first quarter of2007 include some of the best-known medical institutions in thecountry, a range of foundationsdevoted to disease research and edu-cation and some for-profit compa-nies specializing in continuing med-ical education for doctors.

The largest single grant was$825,000 to Massachusetts GeneralHospital's psychiatry department fora year-long educational programwith more than 150,000 registrants.The National Alliance for theMentally Ill, an advocacy group forpatients, received $544,500. Of that,$450,000 went to fund a projectcalled "Campaign for the Mind ofAmerica."

STUDY: RISING TOOTHDECAY IN KIDS

Tooth decay in young children'sbaby teeth is on the rise, a worryingtrend that signals the preschoolcrowd is eating too much sugar,according to the largest governmentstudy of the nation's dental health inmore than 25 years.

The study also noted a drop inthe proportion of non-elderly adultswho have visited a dentist in the pastyear -- a possible indicator of declin-ing dental insurance. But there wassome good news: Older childrenhave fewer cavities and adults haveless periodontal disease than in thepast, and more of the elderly areretaining their teeth.

"Overall, we can say that mostAmericans are noticing an improve-ment in their oral health," said thestudy's lead author, Bruce Dye of theNational Center for Health Statistics.

ALZHEIMER'S MEMORYLOSS MAY REVERSEA new study suggests it may one

day be possible to reverse the mem-ory loss associated with Alzheimer'sand similar degenerative brain dis-eases. Scientists at MIT's Picower

Institute for Learning and Memoryin Cambridge, MA, led by Professorof Neuroscience Li-Huei Tsai, putmice with induced brain atrophy inan enriched environment, andshowed that it was possible to "re-established access to long-termmemories after significant brainatrophy and neuronal loss hadalready occurred".

The stimulated mice's brain cellshad sprouted new dendrites and pro-duced new synapses -- in effectreversing the degeneration. Prof Tsaisaid: "This is exciting because ourresults show that learning ability canbe improved and 'lost' long-termmemories can be recovered evenafter a significant number of neuronshave already been lost in the brain."

Speculating on their findings,Prof Tsai and her colleagues sug-gested that perhaps degenerativebrain diseases like Alzheimer's donot wipe out memories, but makethem inaccessible in some way.

CYSTIC-FIBROSISTREATMENT HOPE

EMERGESUniversity of Pennsylvania

Medical School researchers havediscovered that a bacterial enzymemay play a role in lung damage incystic-fibrosis patients, a findingthat eventually could lead to a newtreatment.

The findings about the effects ofthe enzyme, sphingomyelinase, orSMase, might lead to a new treat-ment to improve patients' length andquality of life, if the researchers findan inhibitor for the enzyme. Such atreatment could potentially hold ben-efits for noncystic fibrosis patientswith lung-damaging infections aswell.

"We hope that application of aninhibitor, in conjunction with effec-tive antibiotic treatment and support-ive measures, will provide a signifi-cant therapeutic improvement,"researcher Dr. Zhe Lu, a physiology

professor at Penn, said.

UK GROCER TARGETSSOFT DRINK JUNK

Britain's third largest supermar-ket, Sainsbury's, plans to removeartificial flavors and colors, as wellas the aspartame sweetener, from itsprivate label soft drinks, in a newsign that demand for natural ingredi-ents is entering the mainstream softdrinks sector.

Its move could open up moreopportunities for makers of naturalingredients and preservatives if othermajor retailers and producers look tofollow suit. Where flavourings areused, these will be from the namedfruits and from other natural sources,it said. The group has also ditchedartificial sweetener aspartame infavor of sucralose.

PEDIATRIC ICUS ADVANCEAGAINST INFECTIONCritical-care specialists are tak-

ing new steps to protect the smallestand most vulnerable patients, chal-lenging the prevailing wisdom thatinfections are simply inevitable in abusy and stressful intensive-careenvironment.

The nonprofit NationalAssociation of Children's Hospitalsand Related Institutions, with 208member hospitals in the U.S. andoverseas, is leading an ambitiouseffort to eradicate bloodstreaminfections, the most severe infec-tious threat in pediatric ICUs.

In the first six months of thethree-year project, 29 participatinghospital units have slashed infectionrates by close to 70% by adhering toa rigid set of measures shown to pre-vent infection in children, the WSJreports.

AARP STEPS IN MEDICAREINSURANCE FIELD

AARP, the lobby for olderAmericans, announced that it wouldenter the nation's health insurance

market, offering a HMO to Medicarerecipients and several other productsto people 50 to 64 years old.

When the new coveragebecomes available next year, AARPwill be the largest provider of privateinsurance to Medicare recipients. Inaddition to the new H.M.O., AARPwill continue providing prescriptiondrug coverage and policies to sup-plement Medicare, known asMedigap coverage.

The organization has 38 millionmembers. The new Medicare prod-uct will be marketed withUnitedHealth Group. Policies forpeople under 65 will carry theAARP name and will be marketedwith Aetna.

OBESITY GENEDISCOVERED

Researchers have discovered acommonly occuring gene variantthat may explain why some peoplebecome overweight while others donot. However, they point out that itis unlikely to be the cause of theglobal obesity epidemic.

A UK research team, led by DrAndrew Hattersley of PeninsulaMedical School in Exeter, have dis-covered a gene variant that occurs inover half of people of Europeandescent that they think helps to regu-late the amount of fat in the body.

Commenting on the study, theteam said it reinforces findings fromprior studies that suggest obesity isdriven partly by genes. However,they added that lifestyle and envi-ronment are also strong factors. Thegenetics has not changed in the last100 years, but lifestyle and environ-ment has, they said.

NESTLE BUYS GERBERFOR $5 BILLION

Nestle is buying the Gerberbaby-food unit for $5 billion frompharmaceutical giant Novartis.

Hamaspik Gazette© 2003-2007 All Rights ReservedPublished 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 Shaya Rotbard Joseph LandauN. H. WeinbergerA. J. M.Rochel Tress

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

SEEKING GRANTPROFESSIONAL

HAMASPIK is looking tohire full-time a person withexperience in the MRDDfield to research, plan andwrite "Grant" proposals forprograms that support con-sumers with special needsand their families.

We offer a competitivesalary with benefits in awarm environment.

FAX resume to845-503-1206

So, What's Happening in Your Health Today...?