6 Brooklyn Paper • www.BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260-2500 March 27–April 2, 2020
IF YOU’RE
CARING FOR A
FAMILY MEMBER
WITH MEMORY LOSS,
WHO’S CARING
FOR YOU?
THE ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
AND RELATED DEMENTIAS
FAMILY SUPPORT PROGRAM.
Caring for a family member who has trouble with thinking
and memory can be extremely challenging. So challenging,
in fact, that caregivers may feel overwhelmed, struggling
to maintain their own health and well-being.
NYU Langone’s Family Support Program provides
convenient, personalized, and ongoing support to people
caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or other thinking and
memory disorders.
The program is provided free of charge to individuals
living within the five boroughs. You will receive access to
counseling; connections to doctors and support groups;
and compassionate guidance by being paired with a
caregiver who has had a similar experience.
Join a community dedicated to providing the support and
guidance you need, for as long as you need it.
For more information or to enroll, call us at 646-754-2277
or visit nyulangone.org/memorydisordersupport.
The Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Family Support Program
is supported by a grant from the New York State Department of Health.
Fear for prison
Coronavirus case at Brooklyn jail sparks
calls to release vulnerable inmates
By Rose Adams
Brooklyn Paper
After an inmate at a Brooklyn
detention center was diagnosed
with COVID-19,
activists have renewed their
demands for federal authorities
to release detainees vulnerable
to the virus.
“This is a real disaster waiting
to happen,” said David
Patton, the executive director
of the Federal Defenders
of New York at a press conference.
The male detainee — who
was arrested and brought to the
Metropolitan Detention Center
in Sunset Park while waiting
a court date on March 16
— first complained of chest
pains on March 19, and underwent
coronavirus testing
at a nearby hospital, according
to a spokesperson at the Federal
Bureau of Prisons, who
said the test results came back
positive on March 21. The inmate
had been kept in isolation
while awaiting official results,
and his bunkmates have
since been quarantined, the
spokesperson added.
To stem the virus’ spread,
authorities have suspended
all visits to all federal jails,
stopped inmates from mov-
An inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center in
Sunset Park has tested positive for COVID-19.
ing within facilities, and are
testing and quarantining all
new inmates, the bureau confirmed.
However, a group of public
defenders blasted those precautions
as infective at reducing
the virus’ spread through
the crowded jails — which
house a number of inmates
considered to be particularly
at risk.
About one-third of the
2,000 inmates detained at
Sunset Park’s Metropolitan
Detention Center and Manhattan’s
Metropolitan Correctional
Center are classified as
within the “vulnerable population”
— meaning the virus is
more likely to be lethal if they
contract it, Patton said.
Both facilities — which
mostly house people awaiting
their trials, as well as some
serving short sentences —
have a constant flow of new
arrests, which make them a
hotbed for disease, according
to Patton.
“These are places that are
particularly susceptible to contagion,”
Patton warned. “They
are not sanitary, social distancing
is not a possibility, they’re
overcrowded.”
To truly mitigate coronavirus’
spread, Patton and a group
of elected officials claimed the
US Attorney’s Office needed
to release vulnerable inmates
who are not deemed a risk to
the general public, and stop
new inmates from entering the
premises to allow inmates to
be physically spread out.
“Mitigating efforts such as
physical distancing and frequent
hand washing is impossible
in jails. People are
escorted most places in correctional
settings so it’s very
difficult for people to stand
six feet apart,” said Jonathan
Giftos, the former medical director
at Rikers Island. “The
only measure that will meaningfully
impact the spread coronavirus
in the jail system is
to depopulate.”
Last week, authorities
agreed to release 56 vulnerable
inmates from Rikers Island,
where about 38 people
have tested positive for the virus
as of March 23, the Associated
Press reported. Another
200 people are being
reviewed for release, according
to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Advocates, however, said
that officials have to release
a much larger percentage of
inmates in order to reduce the
threat of further contagion.
“It needs to be an efficient,
quick, and big effort, it can’t
just be a handful of people,”
Patton said. “We have several
hundred people who fall
into the CDC vulnerable category,
and we need to make
a massive effort to get them
out of there.”
Grimaldi’s now offers delivery
By Ben Verde
Brooklyn Paper
It’s a slice of history!
Grimaldi’s, the famed pizza
joint beneath the Brooklyn
Bridge, announced on March
20 that it would offer takeout
delivery for the first time
in the shop’s storied history,
which comes amid restrictions
on eat-in restaurants due to the
coronavirus pandemic.
The shop has long banned
takeout from its Dumbo location,
where pizza maestros
work tirelessly to perfect
Grimaldi’s charred thin-crust
pies in brick ovens — which
File photo by Sarah Portlock
storied Dumbo spot has never delivered before. icy for the time being.
Broadway Stages recently
hosted a group of young teens
to learn about the TV and film
industry, as well as green and
sustainable initiatives. This
group was part of the Berrie
Center Winter Fun Program,
an annual event where teens
with type 1 diabetes (T1D)
come together for four days of
empowering activities and experiences.
According to the CDC, this
health condition “can develop
at any age, but is usually diagnosed
in children, teens, and
young adults,” and it “accounts
for approximately 5-10% of the
more than 34 million people in
the United States who have
diabetes.”
During the day-long event
at Broadway Stages’ facilities
in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the
teens were given a behind-thescenes
look at several sets. A
production assistant and crew
members from set construction
and design, provided their perspectives
about the business
and gave the teens a glimpse
into the varied and numerous
opportunities in the TV and
film industry to consider as
the teens plan their future education
and careers.
After touring the sets, the
group moved on to see the work
that Broadway Stages is doing
to support the environment.
They were greeted by Willis
Elkins, Executive Director of
the Newtown Creek Alliance
(NCA), an organization that
works to restore waterways,
and also stewards the educational
programming at Kingsland
Wildflowers at Broadway
Stages, a green rooftop garden
atop one of Broadway Stages’
Greenpoint sound stages.
The teens learned about the
work of NCA to restore, reveal
and revitalize Newtown Creek,
and toured the garden rooftop.
After a bit of nourishment,
they were then introduced to
Annie Novak, author, founder
and director of Growing Chefs
field-to-fork food education
program, and co-founder and
farmer of Eagle Street Rooftop
Farm, located at another
of Broadway Stages’ film studios
in Brooklyn. With her
was Jessica Shavley, a Growing
Chefs educator and Eagle
St. apprentice alumna. Annie
and Jessica provided the kids
with information about urban
agriculture and showed them
how to make their own candles
infused with essential oils that
are beneficial for individuals
with diabetes.
It was a great day for everyone
at Broadway Stages, NCA
and Growing Chefs. We hope to
see some of these young teens
consider a future in the TV/
pie-pursuits argue makes the
pizza unfriendly to travel and
extended time out of the oven,
according to their owners.
And now, for the first
time in the shop’s long history,
you can taste the delicious
dough without leaving
the comfort of your couch, as
the renowned pizzeria is offering
delivery.
The shop will operate over
the phone and through online
third-party apps like Seamless
and Grubhub.
They will also be waiving
its restrictive cash-only polThe
film industry, environmental
science or urban agriculture.
The Naomi Berrie Diabetes
Center is part of the Columbia
University Medical Center. The
Berrie Center is involved in research,
clinical trials, care and
disease management. Launched
by the Berrie Foundation in
1998, their support has helped
to advance diabetes research
and to greatly improve diabetes
care for thousands of people in
the New York metropolitan area
and beyond. Their goal is to
work toward a cure for diabetes,
and to help those with diabetes
to manage their disease and experience
full, happy, and prosperous
lives.
BUS INES S PROFI LE
Teens Tour Broadway Stages:
Berrie Center Winter Fun Program
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