www.BXTimes.com BRONX WEEKLY August 23, 2020 4
Councilman Mark Gjonaj, Senator Jamaal Bailey and Deputy Borough President Marricka Scott-McFadden presented the
lifeguards with citations for their heroic actions. Photo by Jason Cohen
Lifeguards who rescued who
man who suffered a heart attack
while swimming in the ocean last
month were honored Monday by
elected offi cials.
On July 29, lifeguards Julio
Benjamin, Troy Washington,
Andres Rodriguez, Arlene Suzana
and Andriy Kapys rescued
33-year-old Joachin Rosado,
who collapsed in knee-deep
water. Chief Lifeguard Elvin
Calderin and Chief Lifeguard
Jorge Mino also assisted in
the rescue.
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Helping women
get health care
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Violeta Rodriguez, a promotora on
the front lines of COVID-19 Courtesy
of Grameen America
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“We saw him wade out and
suddenly he collapsed face down
into the water,” said Lifeguard
Supervisor Neil Veloz. “When
we reached him and pulled
him out, he had no pulse and
wasn’t breathing.”
Kapys and Suzana pulled
Rosado from the water. Immediately
Benjamin and Washington
began CPR to resuscitate
him. But when they used
the defi brillator, “he had no
shockable heart rhythm,”
Veloz said.
Lifeguards began a cycle of
cardio-pulmonary resuscitation
and used a bag valve mask
(BVM) to pump air into Rosado’s
lungs. Soon they saw signs of life
return even as the victim lay on
a backboard semi-unconscious.
“I always check on our rescues,”
Veloz said. “I was relieved
when the doctors said he was going
to make it and has no apparent
permanent damage.”
Councilman Mark Gjonaj,
Senator Jamaal Bailey and Deputy
Borough President Marricka
Scott-McFadden presented the
lifeguards with citations for their
heroic actions.
“The men and women behind
us are unsung heroes,” Gjonaj
said. “When we think of fi rst
responders we often think of
EMS, fi re and police, seldom do
we think of fi rst responders as
life guards. Today we recognize
this group and recognize all
the lifeguards.”
BY JASON COHEN
An organization, which
helps its members get business
loans, is also helping
Bronx women get access to
health care.
According to data, more
than 1 in 8 women in the
United States live in poverty
and among minority women,
the rates are even higher.
Also, women receive only
4 percent of all small business
loans from mainstream
fi nancial institutions.
One organization that helps
women is Grameen America,
which provides microloans,
starting at no more than $2,000,
fi nancial training and support
to members. Members open
free savings accounts with
commercial banks and make
weekly deposits.
Among the programs at
the nonprofi t is Grameen Promotoras,
a joint initiative between
Grameen America and
Grameen PrimaCare, supported
by the Medtronic Foundation.
The promotoras, Spanish
for community health
workers, provide women with
basic health screenings, referrals
for health services at existing
local resources, assistance
in scheduling necessary
medical appointments and support
in navigating the city’s
health system and attaining
social services.
Violeta Rodriguez, a promotora
on the front lines,
spoke with the Bronx Times
about how they’re working to
bridge unjust gaps in health
care access.
“Most members don’t have
insurance,” she explained. “I
let them know there is a service
out there for them.”
Rodriguez, 29, of Westchester
Square, joined Grameen in
March. As a Bronx resident she
knows how hard it is for undocumented
women to not only
survive, but also get proper
health care.
While many of the husbands
are working, the women are often
home taking care of the kids
or selling things like fl owers,
food or clothing in the streets.
None of these women can get
benefi ts or loans from a bank.
Rodriguez stressed that it’s
really about giving these hardworking
women a voice.
“I wish years ago that
there was someone to help my
mother madrina,” she commented.
“Every time I see one
of these ladies I see my mom.”
Now with COVID-19 upon
us, promotoras are even more
crucial, she explained. Many
women need medical care and
don’t know where to go without
insurance. So, the past fi ve
months Rodriquez and her colleagues
have made sure these
women have gotten the help
they needed.
“We as promotoras are able
to be the mental support right
now,” she stated. “We have to
listen to them.”
Saving a life
Lifeguards honored for saving
Orchard Beach swimmer
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