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DECEMBER 2020 FREE

Schools go remote for rest of 2020

Amazon’s coming to town?

Retailer eyes new warehouse on Princess Road as last-mile hub

By ROB ANTHeS

By ROB ANTHeS

Online retail giant Amazon has its eyes on the new 340,000-square-foot warehouse on Princess Road, and has submitted an application to Lawrence Township to turn the site into a “last-mile” delivery hub.

The warehouse at 10 Princess Road would be almost a 24/7 facility, with trucks arriving late at night and shifts running from 2 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. seven days a week.

According to the application, the hub would open by 2022, and serve Amazon customers within a 45-minute drive of the facility.

The site has been assessed at $23.8 million by Lawrence Township for 2021, and would generate approximately $690,000 in taxes. Of that total, $373,000 would go to the school district and $140,000 to the Lawrence municipal government. Both would be a substantial increase from 2020, when the developer paid a land-only tax total of $149,313, according to township records.

The proposal anticipates 250 workers at the site, with increased hiring during peak periods. Of the people working there, 70 would have Amazon associate jobs, with 150 See AMAZON, Page 7

Lawrence residents Alexander and Eric Xia raised money for Lawrence-based nonprofit HomeFront in order to help local families struggling with hunger, job loss and homelessness during the pandemic.

The season of giving Volunteers help nonprofits provide amid pandemic

By ROB ANTHeS aNd JOe EMaNSki

Every year, Meals on Wheels of Mercer County partners with The Church of St. Ann in Lawrence and the Trenton Kiwanis Club to provide Thanksgiving day meals to seniors who are spending the holiday alone.

That was true even in this year of COVID-19, although the coronavirus forced the organizations—and their volunteers—to adapt to the con-

straints of the pandemic.

In ordinary times, volunteers from St. Ann’s and the Kiwanis gather at the church to make the food before it is delivered by Meals on Wheels to those in need. This year, Leonardo’s, the Lawrence restaurant, agreed to prepare the meals in their kitchen to limit volunteers’ exposure to the virus.

More than a third of Meals on Wheels of Mercer County’s 325 clients opted into this year’s Thanksgiving Day program. MOW volunteers picked up fully prepared meals on Thanksgiving morning and delivered them to 120 clients throughout the area.

While Meals on Wheels volunteers won’t be going out on Christmas day to deliver meals, they will be providing the nonprofit organization’s homebound senior clients with traditional Christmas meals earlier in the week that they will be able to heat and eat on the holiday. This month they will also be distributing “Blizzard Bags” to their clients—care packages full of nonperishable items intended to help the clients get through any winter emergencies that might arise.

Meals on Wheels continues to fulfill its mission of providing nutritious meals and easing social isolation for homebound See NONPrOFITS, Page 4

HEALTH

HEADLINES M O N T H LY N E WS F R O M

Lawrence Township Public Schools will spend the rest of 2020—and a bit of 2021—in full-remote instruction.

Just weeks before it could complete its plan to reintroduce students to school buildings, the district decided to call an audible by returning all students to remote learning until Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. It is the first school district in Mercer County to make such a call.

LTPS superintendent Ross Kasun said on Nov. 17 that he made the decision based on the rising number of COVID19 cases in the area, a difficulty maintaining proper staffing levels and the approaching holiday season and flu season.

“Although I am saddened about not opening our schools for in-person instruction and reverting back to a complete remote model, I cannot, in good conscience, open as we planned,” Kasun wrote in a Nov. 17 letter to parents. “My responsibilities include being the steward of safety and learning. Both would be compromised by instituting what we previously planned.”

The district had been reopening schools in waves, starting with special education students in October. By Nov. 9, all PreK-3 students opting for hybrid learning had started attending school inperson several times a week.

Students in grades 4-12 have not been in a school See SCHOOLS, Page 6

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AROUND TOWN Board of Education race decided by slim margins A few dozen votes decided the winners of the crowded race for Lawrence Township Board of Education, with two newcomers and one incumbent earning 3-year terms on the board.

Incumbent Michele Bowes and challenger Gregory Johnson tied for leading vote-getter, each receiving 4,620 votes (13.62% of the vote). Patricia Hendricks Farmer finished third, with 4,105 votes or 12.1%. They will be on the Board of Education, starting in January 2021.

Tabitha Bellamy McKinley (4,062 votes) and incumbents Cathy LeCompte (4,033) and Dana Drake (3,947) followed, narrowly missing out on the last seat by a half of a percentage point. Heather Camp, Jasmine Surti and Olufunmiola Ladigbolu rounded out the 9-person race.

Mercer County clerk Paula Sollami Covello said in an email to the Gazette that the totals were final as of Nov. 19, and the results were to be certified by Nov. 23. Any recount would have to be requested by and paid for by a candidate. No candidate had requested a recount, as of Nov. 20.

Bowes, 52, has been a member of the Lawrence Township Board of Education since 2016. She is a licensed social worker at SLRC. She

Bowes

Hendricks Farmer

spent a decade involved with school PTOs and the Lawrence Township Education Foundation, served on parent committees and as chair for school book fairs and volunteered as a manager for Lawrence Hamnett Soccer.

Hendricks Farmer, 52, is a business associate at Princeton Montessori School. A graduate of Lawrence High School, she is a member of Eggerts Crossing Civic League, co-chair of Princeton Common Ground and a former vice president of New Jersey Urban Bankers Association.

Johnson 59, is an attorney. He is a current board member for the Capital Region Minority Chamber of Commerce, and a former board member for the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce. He has volunteered for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer County,

Johnson

as a board member for the Lawrence Neighborhood Center and as a coach for recreation basketball and soccer teams in the township. Johnson formerly served as a Lawrence Township committeeperson from District 12.

–Rob Anthes

Knights of Columbus to send troops home for Christmas The Knights of Columbus Lawrence Council No. 7000 is conducting its annual Send a Hero Home fundraiser during December, with the goal of purchasing bus, train or airline tickets to send active military personnel home for the holidays.

It’s the organization’s seventh year

LAWRENCE GAZETTE

We are a newsroom of your neighbors. The Lawrence Gazette is for local people, by local people. As part of the community, the Gazette does more than just report the news—it connects businesses with their customers, organizations with their members and neighbors with one another. As such, our staff sets out to make our town a closer place by giving readers a reliable source to turn to when they want to know what’s going on in their neighborhood.

EDITOR Rob Anthes (Ext. 124)

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CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST Kevin Nerwinski ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Mark Nebbia (Ext. 115)

Community News Service 15 Princess Road, Suite K Lawrence, NJ 08648 Phone: (609) 396-1511 News: news@communitynews.org Events: events@communitynews.org Sports: sports@communitynews.org Letters: ranthes@communitynews.org Website: lawrencegazette.com Facebook: facebook.com/lawrencegazette Twitter: twitter.com/mercerspace

An award-winning publication of Community News Service, LLC © Copyright 2020 All rights reserved.

CO-PUBLISHER Jamie Griswold

CO-PUBLISHER Tom Valeri

MANAGING EDITOR, COMMUNITY DIVISION Rob Anthes MANAGING EDITOR, METRO DIVISION Sara Hastings ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Thomas Fritts

PRODUCTION MANAGER Stacey Micallef DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL INITIATIVES Joe Emanski

15,000 copies of the Lawrence Gazette are mailed or bulk-distributed to the residences and businesses of Lawrence 12 times a year.

TO AdVerTISe call (609) 396-1511, ext. 115 or e-mail advertise@communitynews.org A proud member of:

the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission dating back to the mid-1990s, accepted 27 pieces from 21 artists. The show was organized by Gallery Director Alice K. Thompson, juried by Colleen McCubbin Stepanic, a mixed media artist, and sponsored

by Blick Art Materials.

Tiffany Fang of Princeton took home Best in Show for her graphiteon-paper piece, “Sun Spot.”

Other winners include “Skull Drawing” (Conte crayon on paper) by Larry Chestnut of Hamilton; “Bahamian Magic” (oil on board mounted canvas)

by Carlo Fiorentini of Princeton; “Dialogue 2” (acrylic) by Shahla Mansouri of Hamilton; “Hippo” (automotive paint on Masonite) by Megan Uhaze of Hamilton; “The Moment in Time” (mixed media) by Janis Purcell of East Windsor; “Glitch” (oil on canvas) by Megan Serfass of Princeton Junction and “Rooted” (digital art on paper) a self-portrait by Danielle Rackowski of Hamilton.

The Gallery at Mercer County Community College is funded by Mercer County Community College with addiLocal artist honored at tional support through a grant from the Mercer County Cultural and Hericounty Artists Exhibit tage Commission. All events are free Lawrence resident William Plank and open to the public. For more inforwas honored at the Mercer County mation email gallery@mccc.edu.

Artists Exhibit, hosted by The Gallery at Mercer County Community College WHAT DID WE MISS? What are you Oct. 29, for his acrylic on canvas work noticing in your community? What “Autumn Starfish”. The show was held stories do you think we should tell? virtually using online conferencing.

Do you have news to share? We want The exhibition, an outgrowth of a to hear from you. Send your news or partnership between the college and tips to news@communitynews.org. doing the fundraiser, with more than $260,000 raised in that time. In 2013, Lawrence Council No. 7000 purchased arrangements for 11 people.

Last year, that number grew to 224.

Several recipients said the donation allowed them to be home for Christmas for the first time in many years, the council said.

The program is mostly for junior enlisted members with a rank no higher than E3, with a focus on those stationed at Joint Base McGuire-DixLakehurst in New Jersey. The Knights of Columbus works with base chaplains to identify recipients.

The average ticket price purchased by the Knights of Columbus is $500, but donations in any amount are welcomed.

For more information or to make a donation, contact Lou Peoples at (609) 240-7991 or send a check payable to “K of C Council #7000” with “Send a Hero Home” in the memo line to K of C Lawrence Council #7000, PO Box 6425, Lawrence, NJ 08648.

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Every year, the Angiolino family collects toys for sick children through their Joey’s Little Angels nonprofit. James Angiolino (at right in black) coaches soccer at Notre Dame High School in Lawrence. A toy drive was scheduled for Nov. 28 at Notre Dame, but JLA will be accepting and distributing donations up until Christmas Day. For more on Joey’s Little Angels and other area nonprofits not included in the print version of this story, go online to communitynews.org.

NONPrOFITS continued from Page 1 individuals despite the challenges presented by the pandemic. Many volunteers who had regular delivery routes were themselves seniors, and Sasa Olessi Montaño, MOWMC’s chief executive officer, says that many have reluctantly stepped away out of concern for their own health.

She estimates that she has lost 65 to 70 percent of her regular delivery team. “If somebody came and offered me either a million dollar check or a million volunteers, I would take the volunteers, because the volunteers are like money for us,” she says.

Montaño and her staff have been able to keep meal deliveries going out the standard five days a week — even if it means handling some routes themselves — but she says the Meals on Wheels mission encompasses more than just food. For some clients, the daily visit from their deliverers is the only human contact they will have all week.

“The pandemic is upending all our lives—it’s making all of us homebound,” Montaño says. “But for the people we’re serving, being homebound is nothing different than what they are used to.

Our model is to have regular deliverers with permanent routes, so they can develop relationships with the people they serve, week after week. That’s where the magic happens.”

The sight of a familiar face can be really important in terms of helping clients feel safe. “They look forward to seeing the volunteers, they’re so grateful when they come. That three minutes of checking in, of conversation, can make all the difference.

Adding to the challenge is that many Meals on Wheels clients have seen their already fragile social networks diminished further. “Maybe a neighbor or a friend or even family members that were helping, they’re now staying away to stay safe,” Montaño says. “That consistency of seeing the same people— even at a safe distance—has become even more important now.”

So while Meals on Wheels of Mercer County is always looking for new volun-

4  Lawrence Gazette | December 2020

teers, the need is greater now than ever.

Training is provided to all new volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, contact the volunteer coordinator at (609) 695-3483, or email questions to info@mealsonwheelsmercer.org. Meals on Wheels of Mercer County can be found on the web at mealsonwheelsmercer.org.

Meals on Wheels of Mercer County is just one nonprofit in the area attempting to serve patrons this holiday season amid the heightened demands of the coronavirus pandemic. Across Mercer County, dozens of organizations continue to serve their mission despite new challenges.

What follows is a few of their stories. *** Last holiday season, Ewing residents Kelly and Chris Stevens had extra reasons to be thankful.

They had moved into a new apartment with their two sons, age 15 and 8, thanks to a security deposit from Lawrence-based nonprofit HomeFront.

This ended a period of homelessness for their family, during which they stayed in a low-budget hotel and their oldest son tried to run away.

They said the move was a fresh start. Kelly and Chris had jobs they liked at local restaurants. Their children benefited from the stability of having a home of their own.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March. Slowly, everything unraveled.

Chris and Kelly lost their jobs and got several months behind on rent.

Chris got a new position at a shipping company and worked night shifts at a restaurant, but it wasn’t enough.

Afraid, they called HomeFront, and received help with back rent and groceries. Their boys were placed on a list to be sponsored so that they might receive presents this Christmas.

HomeFront has provided these kinds of services to local families for 30 years.

But it has found surging demand during the pandemic. The nonprofit has distributed more than double the number of groceries and other basic essentials in 2020 than in a normal year, and six times

the number of diapers and baby wipes.

The pandemic also hasn’t lessened the need for other services provided

by HomeFront, such as emergency shelter for 38 families at its Family Campus in Ewing, managing 115 lowcost apartments and helping families with education, job training and placement and life skills.

Each holiday season, it also puts on its Christmas Wishes program, where individuals, churches and businesses purchase gifts for children.

Homefront supplies the child’s gender, age and a wish list so that each child will have presents to open on Christmas Day. In 2019, the community supported 3,300 homeless or formerly homeless children through Homefront.

The nonprofit always has relied on help from the community in order to provide relief to local people.

This remains true as it attempts to meet the increased need in the area.

Much of this support comes in the form of volunteering. More than 3,000 people volunteer at Homefront every year. Volunteers, in conjunction with in-kind donations and financial support from the community, have allowed Homefront to help 32,000 local people just this year.

In May, Lawrence residents Alexander and Eric Xia dropped off some

donations for the food pantry at HomeFront’s main office on Princeton Avenue. They were shocked by the long lines of people needing help.

A month later, in June, the Xias organized a GoFundMe campaign they called “Lawrenceville HomeFront Donation.”

They are still receiving donations, and have raised nearly $1,200 to date.

With the money, they purchased nonperishable foods and some personal hygiene products.

“I wanted to help those in the Lawrenceville community, most of whom have only recently been struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Alexander Xia said. “I always want to help those who do not have the privileges or resources as I do...

When I wanted to help the families of the local Lawrenceville community, I knew where to go.”

For more information, go online at homefrontnj.org or email getinvolved@ homefrontnj.org.

The print version of this article has been abridged due to space limitations.

To read about more organizations in our area, go online to communitynews.org.

FAMILY DENTISTRY • IMPLANTS • ORTHODONTICS

‘If somebody offered me a million dollars or a million volunteers, I’d take the volunteers.’

– Sasa Olessi Montaño, Meals on Wheels of Mercer County CEO

Contact editor ROB ANTHES: ranthes@communitynews.org, (609) 3961511, ext. 124, facebook.com/RobAnthes, twitter.com/RobAnthes.

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SCHOOLS continued from Page 1 building for instruction since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. They were scheduled to return Nov. 30.

Now, they will remain on the same schedule they have used since the start of the 2020-21 school year until at least Monday, Jan. 25, 2021.

Students in grades PreK-3 and special education students will remain in full-remote learning until after Martin Luther King Day, using schedules to be issued by the principal of each student’s school.

School buildings will be closed to nearly everyone during most of the full-remote period. Previously, staff members had been able to use classrooms even if students were remote.

This will not be the case for two weeks following Thanksgiving (Nov. 30-Dec. 11) and Winter Break (Jan. 4-15). Staff must work remotely during those weeks, Kasun said.

The YMCA child care program will remain open, however, and meal pick-

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ups for those who have signed up for the meal program will continue on the same schedule.

“We knew it was a possibility that we may need to pivot from our plans during the school year, and this is one of those times,” Kasun wrote.

Statewide daily cases were 5-times higher in mid-November as they were at the beginning of October. Kasun pointed to this data specifically, saying positive COVID-19 cases in New Jersey have increased from 760 per day to 3,212 daily in six weeks.

Lawrence Township has seen an increase of its own, with double-digit new cases five times in one week after not seeing a day with 10 or more cases since May 10. In a five-day span in midNovember, the total number of new cases was triple the five days before it.

While Lawrence stood alone in Mercer County at the time of its decision, a growing number of school districts around New Jersey have made similar calls in light of the new wave of COVID-

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19 cases. The districts include Hamilton, Robbinsville, Delran, East Brunswick, Jersey City, Newark and Paterson.

Most, like Lawrence, plan on bringing students back after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Plainfield in Union County, however, won’t attempt to return students to school buildings until February.

School districts have been left to make their own plans, with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy saying Nov. 12 that he is not planning to order another statewide shutdown.

According to state data, schools have not been a major contributor to the spread of COVID-19. Mercer County, for example, had only had one outbreak of COVID-19 linked to a school, as of Nov. 17. That outbreak included two linked cases, which is the minimum number needed for an outbreak to be declared.

However, even single cases of COVID-19 within a school can cause problems, particularly with staffing. A case in one high school student, who changes classes frequently throughout the day, could force multiple teachers into a two-week quarantine.

Quarantine of 14 days also has been required of any student or staff member who has travelled out of state, has had a family member test positive for COVID-19 or has experienced COVID19 symptoms and has not received an alternate diagnosis.

The quarantine rules—plus difficulty getting COVID-19 tests and results in a timely manner—have

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caused staffing issues in nearby Hamilton. The Hamilton Township School District returned all grades, K-12, to some in-person instruction simultaneously on Oct. 12.

“All of these issues mean that our ability to maintain an appropriate in person learning environment for our students will become increasingly difficult as cases continue to rise and more faculty and staff are required to quarantine,” Hamilton Township School District superintendent Scott Rocco wrote to parents there Nov. 16.

Kasun said staffing challenges were a major contributor in the decision to modify the LTPS reopening plan.

Since September, more than 40 LTPS staff members have had to quarantine, and Kasun said there would not have been enough teachers to cover the classes of quarantining staff members had the district been using a hybrid model at all grade levels.

Districts across the country had been experiencing shortages of substitute teachers prior to the COVID19 pandemic. The problem has been exacerbated by the pandemic.

“This year, it is simply not possible to cover all classes with substitutes, as many are not available to work due to their concerns about COVID-19,” Kasun wrote. “Substitute availability is almost nonexistent.”

Contact editor ROB ANTHES: ranthes@communitynews.org, (609) 3961511, ext. 124, facebook.com/RobAnthes, twitter.com/RobAnthes.

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Lawrence Township honored veterans Nov. 10, 2020 with a ceremony and a free lunch. Veterans could pull up to the municipal building in their cars and receive a hot dog lunch courtesy of Captain Paul’s Firehouse Dogs and a United States Veteran mask. Pictured are councilman John Ryan, Mayor Jim Kownacki, Pete Radice and American Legion Post 414’s Sam Alphin.

AMAZON continued from Page 1 “delivery partner” drivers and managers and 30 Amazon Flex jobs (independent contractors that set their own schedule and use their own vehicles to deliver packages).

Amazon anticipates the facility would receive deliveries from 12 tractor trailers daily, arriving during “overnight hours.” The packages would then be offloaded, sorted and prepared for dispatch by first-shift employees who would work in the early morning and finish their shift around 12:30 p.m.

Delivery drivers would arrive at the site around 9 a.m., with 114 delivery vans being loaded and dispatched—in groups no larger than 48—at 20-minute intervals between 10 and 11:15 a.m. The vans would then return to Princess Road between 7 and 9 p.m., and the drivers leaving for the day in their personal vehicles.

Amazon Flex drivers, meanwhile, would arrive during the evening rush hour—between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m.— but do not return to the facility once they complete their routes.

Despite painting a picture of a bustling facility in its proposal, Amazon said the Princess Road facility won’t be like the fulfillment centers that often make headlines. Amazon’s fulfillment center in Robbinsville, for example, is three times the size of the proposed Lawrence last-mile hub.

“It is important to understand that this delivery station is very different, and indeed, much smaller than the larger Amazon Fulfillment Centers that are often on the news,” the application says. “What is proposed here is a last mile delivery station, which is smaller in nature and is the last stop between purchasing a product on Amazon and having it delivered to an individual’s home.”

Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, Amazon’s engineer on the project, said in a Sept. 30 letter to the township that it was unable to do a traffic study on the area, due to the pandemic. Instead, it used a 2018 study completed during the warehouse’s initial approval process. It estimated an annual 1% growth in traffic to estimate numbers for 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Langan projected most of the traf-

Online retailer Amazon wants to use the new warehouse at 10 Princess Road, just off of Princeton Pike and I-295, as a last-mile delivery hub. (Photo by Megan Durelli.)

fic from the facility to head to Princeton Pike, 64% of departing vehicles heading north on the road toward the Interstate 295 interchange and Princeton. Arriving traffic will be more dispersed, but Langan estimates 75% will access Princess Road via Princeton Pike.

“We expect area traffic operations will not significantly change because of the proposed delivery station,” Langan principal Daniel D. Disario wrote in his Sept. 30 report to the Lawrence Township planning board.

The planning board unanimously approved a warehouse at the site two years ago during its Dec. 3, 2018 meeting. Construction started in the summer 2019. The developer built the warehouse on-spec, meaning PSIP Metrix Princess Road LLC did not have a tenant on hand when it started the project. The facility is located at the bend on Princess Road, near the former site of Hub Distributing.

Potential traffic implications of a new warehouse worried residents in the area from the start, particularly concern over noise and diesel exhaust pollution that could accompany increased truck traffic.

There are a number of residential developments along Princess Road, near its intersection with Franklin

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Corner Road. Residents in the Gatherings at Lawrenceville, a 55-plus community that is the nearest development to the Princess Road warehouse, expressed their concerns at a number of planning board meetings in 2018, citing past problems with trucks in their community generated by existing businesses on Princess Road.

The Gatherings sued the planning board after it approved the facility’s application in December 2018, but later withdrew the suit.

One of the township’s conditions to approving the warehouse was that trucks would not be allowed to access or leave the facility through the residential portion of Princess Road. Langan’s traffic evaluation includes traffic coming and going from Franklin Corner Road, most likely because the vast majority of vehicles using the facility will be delivery vans or employees’ personal vehicles. Neither of those were included in the initial traffic stipulation.

Township manager Kevin Nerwinski said in 2019 that the township would consider closing Princess Road off from Franklin Corner Road in order to prevent trucks from the new warehouse from traveling through the neighborhood. The township would then study the impact of the road closure. In this case, the only access to any of the commercial buildings on Princess Road would come from Princeton Pike.

This is still being discussed, municipal engineer James Parvesse said, but it’s unclear right now how the Amazon proposal would impact the decision.

The Gazette’s parent company, Community News Service, is headquartered at 15 Princess Road, adjacent to the 10 Princess Road warehouse.

Contact editor ROB ANTHES: ranthes@communitynews.org, (609) 3961511, ext. 124, facebook.com/RobAnthes, twitter.com/RobAnthes.

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December 2020 | Lawrence Gazette7

SPORTS

Lawrence High girls’ tennis wins regional title

The Lawrence High School girls’ tennis team defeated Hopewell Valley, 4-1, in the Central West B regional finals Oct. 31, 2020. The Cardinals finished the season with a 12-2 record. Pictured are head coach Antonio Stapleton, Kerianne Nweje, Courtney Copeland, Sara Suri, Dhakshayini Suresh, Lina Chihoub, Sia Anand, Emily Pirone and assistant coach Dan Christel.

LHS field hockey finishes program-best season THE BUXTON-MONSPORT TEAM SELLS LAWRENCE! Dawn:

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Mark Stefanie Dawn John Mercer CountyTop Producers: $25M in 2019 Broker & Sales Associates Licensed in NJ & PA 8  Lawrence Gazette | December 2020

The Lawrence High School field hockey team finished the 2020 season with an 11-1 record and the program’s first appearance in a sectional or regional final.

The Cardinals’ historic campaign ended as Central West A runners-up, after they dropped the final, 4-2, to powerhouse Vorhees Nov. 20, 2020. Pictured are (back) Rebecca Macaroni, Miduna Rishindran, Olivia Drake, Radini Wijesuriya, Riley Burns, Ang Agulair, Alex Murphy, Julia Krimmel, Macey Vice, Ashley Belgrave, Brooke Roslon, Haley Adamzack, Talia Schenck, Abbie Duncan, (front) Jamie Slutzky, Emma Quattrochi, Kerstyn Johnson and Olivia Szela.

december 2020

Focus = student and staff safety

Plans for new school year began in early spring personal protective equipment (PPE) and sanitation supplies we would need once our schools reopened to keep students and staff as safe as possible.

Funds providing the supplies strained an already tight district budget.

Fortunately, the district received over $211,000 for COVID-19 related expenses from New Jersey’s Coronavirus Relief Fund.

The district anticipates that it also will receive assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Social justice curriculum key to equity work Children develop racial biases by 3-5 yrs

O

Under the direction of Tom Eldridge, business administrator, and James Alberti, director of facilities, supply orders included items listed on page 2. Most items have been received and were distributed to our buildings and classrooms in preparation for the return of students and staff.

Plastic shields installed between seats on district-owned buses help when social distancing cannot be maintained.

N

ot long after our district closed on March 16, 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, our Business Office and Facilities Department wasted no time. Without knowing where COVID-19 would take us or the length of our closure, the departments immediately began assessing and ordering the

(continued page 2)

ur district made an intentional decision three years ago to focus on improving equity within our schools. We worked with consultants, formed an Equity Committee, had multiple professional developments for staff, reached out to universities to learn how we may recruit more staff of color, and have two administrators who serve on New Jersey’s core team of the Diverse Learner Ready Teacher Initiative.

Our work with consultants and staff professional development continues. Before the end of this school year, plans call for inviting the Lawrence community to join us in a session with our consultants. It takes everyone working together and listening to each other to make progress on combating racism.

Additionally, the Board of Education approved 17 staff members to serve as Equity Warriors throughout the seven schools. The district created these stipend positions to assist in reaching our equity goals. Equity Warriors serve as equity leaders in their buildings to support the planning and delivery of

Lawrence High football extends kindness to residents facing challenges “Kind” probably is not the first word that comes to mind when thinking about a football player.

More likely, descriptions might include tough, aggressive, physical, competitive, brave, and strong.

Three Lawrence High School (LHS) varsity football team captains left those characteristics on the gridiron on November 16th and extended acts of kindness to people combating challenges.

Jalen Burks; head coach Rob Radice; and athletic director Gregg Zenerovitz surprised four Lawrence

On the 16th, LHS senior players Tolu Olajide, Diesel Barnes and

families impacted by breast cancer.

The players delivered to each family

“. . .life is bigger than football. . .”

(continued page 4)

flowers, a “pink out” t-shirt, and a $200 gift card to Pennington Market for Thanksgiving dinner.

The visits with residents had quite an impact on the athletes.

Diesel Barnes — “Great experience.

It showed me that life is bigger than football and that there’s nothing wrong with being a helping hand to people in need.” (continued page 2)

Lawrence Public Schools | December 2020 | Lawrence Gazette 9

Schools earn bronze sustainability certification. . .again All seven Lawrence Public Schools have met the rigorous requirements to achieve Sustainable Jersey for Schools Bronze Certification for the second time. Schools will maintain this status for three years.

Lawrence has a Green Team and each school has a Green Team leader. Cari Gallagher, Lawrenceville Elementary School third grade teacher, leads the district Green Team. Certified schools and their district receive priority consideration in the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Grant Program. Our district has applied for and received multiple grants from this program for our environmental efforts.

L-R: Principals Jeanne Muzi, Tom Toohey, Melissa Lockett, Jay Billy, Amy Amiet, Alyson Fischer, Mindy Milavsky, Assistant Superintendent Andrew Zuckerman, Principal David Adam

(continued from page 1) Kindness . . .

Photo: Sam Pasterella

Jalen Burks — “It was an amazing experience beyond football. It showed me that everyone goes through tough times in their life and nobody’s life is perfect, and everyone can use a little help in their life when in need. There is nothing wrong with helping others, especially when you have the ability and desire to do so.”

Tolu Olajide — “The experience was definitely a life lesson taught and an eyeopening experience. It showed me that people always have it even harder than you. No matter what it is, just goes to show you how strong all of these families are. Each and every last family we visited all faced adversity and the way they are battling and overcoming all these difficulties is the amazing part. Overall, I’m just so glad and honored I was able to participate in such a great experience. It also hit closer to home because these were all families that live in our wonderful community.”

The football team and booster club raised funds for the gifts with the sale of “pink out” t-shirts last fall.

L-R: Gregg Zenerovitz, athletic director; players Tolu Olajide, Diesel Barnes & Jalen Burks; Rob Radice

(continued from page 1) Safety . . .

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Disinfectant Hand sanitizer for all classrooms (500 jugs.

Smaller sizes for offices and other sites) Hand sanitizer for other areas (foaming type: concentrated dispensing) Surgical masks – 3-ply ear loop (215,000) Surgical masks pediatric (750) Clear plastic bus seat dividers for Lawrence buses Gloves – nitrile, non-powdered, medium (1,400 hands) Gloves – back-up supply held by food service (30 more cases in excess of another 3,000 hands) Sanitizing, ultraviolet cabinets for nurses’ offices (10 cabinets) Face shields (170 units) Thermometers (18) N95 masks (150 for nurses. 200+ KN95s childsized ear loop masks and two dozen masks with clear mouth areas) Air filters and purifiers (Hydroxyl units) – uses UV-C light to purify air (22 units for nurses’ offices and isolation rooms)

• • • • • • • • •

Sprayers for disinfectant – many and varied Desktop dividers – 300+ Floor tape (various colors to assist with social distancing) Plexiglass barriers in main offices UV wands for disinfecting purposes (10) Touchless bathroom cleaning machines Safety goggles (100) Peroxy Hdox cleaning and disinfectant products for all classrooms HEPA filtration units and replacement filters (300 purchased, another 200 units in the process of being purchased) We have been told HEPA units are not necessary, but we feel they are an added layer of safety.

We have verified that unit ventilators are working and are ensuring there is proper ventilation in “internal” rooms (rooms without windows).

We have purchased face shields for staff who asked for them, and goggles for others, depending upon need.

While we have requested that staff and students bring their own masks, we have over 200,000 masks on hand.

10 Lawrence Gazette | December 2020 | Lawrence Public Schools

Our maintenance staff have built plexiglass screens for all walk-up counters in main offices. We have a supply of desk shields for other offices where the large counter-sized screens are not suitable.

We have many types of sprayers that we use to apply a fine mist of our peroxide solution on student chairs, desks, bus seats, windows, doors, etc.

There is one bathroom sprayer on wheels for each building. These sprayers are used to spray disinfectant and saturate walls, stalls, handles, and sinks, as well as over, around, and under toilets and urinals. The rooms’ floors are swept, saturated with cleaner using the new sprayers, pressure washed, blow dried, and vacuumed. This is a “touchless” cleaning process.

We have shut down water fountains and have kept bottle filler stations operational. Pallets of bottled water were ordered so a supply is on hand in each building.

Questions? Please contact Business Administrator Tom Eldridge at teldridge@ltps.org.

District returns to all remote instruction As the calendar turned to 2020, an outbreak of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) threatened world health. When the number of cases steadily increased and the virus spread, the Lawrence Public Schools closed March 16, 2020 and all students began receiving remote instruction.

Students remained on remote instruction for the remainder of the school year and for the first five weeks of the new year.

Staff compiled “essential bags” of school supplies for students in the lower grades and in preparation for the new school year.

Plans to return students to district included surveying parents to learn if they wanted their child to remain on remote instruction or to have the hybrid option, a mix of remote and in-person instruction.

Students in the hybrid model began returning to the district as outlined below.

•

October 12—a small group of special educa-

•

• •

tion students in self-contained classes at Ben Franklin and Lawrenceville Elementary October 26—kindergarten students, integrated Pre-K students, all other elementary special education students in self-contained programs (K-6) November 9—students in grades 1-3 November 30—students in grades 4-12

As scientists predicted, positive coronavirus cases increased as the weather turned colder and we approached the regular flu season. Although the district did not have many positive cases, staffing became a challenge. More and more staff and students needed to quarantine for 14 days for reasons that include a positive COVID test, a person living in the same dwelling tests positive, an exposure as a close contact of someone who tests positive, travel to almost anywhere, and COVID-like symptoms without an alternate diagnosis.

Based on the upcoming holidays commonly involving travel or visits from people outside of New Jersey and the subsequent need for staff and students to quarantine, Superintendent Ross Kasun took the precaution of putting all students on remote instruction from November 25-January 15. Hybrid students through grade 3 will return to in-person instruction January 19th and grades 4-12 will return January 25th.

Technology

We routinely provide chromebooks to students in grades 6-12. After schools closed in March 2020, we also provided chromebooks to PreK thru grade 5 students whose families requested a device. We arranged for interenet service for students who requested it, either through a hot spot or through Comcast Internet Essentials. Approximately 45 families requested internet service.

Substitutes are in short supply as many do not want to work for fear of contracting COVID-19.

Very first student to reenter district on October 12th. First order of business? Wash hands!

Students are pros at wearing masks!

Lawrence Public Schools | December 2020 | Lawrence Gazette 11

Pandemic does not stop education foundation support Although district schools closed abruptly in mid-March 2020 due to the spreading coronavirus and remained closed for the rest of the school year and beginning of the next, the Lawrence Township Education Foundation (LTEF) never wavered in its support of our schools. LTEF faced big fundraising challenges as everything closed down yet it continued funding grants and assisting with special projects.

Board of Education Kevin Van Hise, Esq., Pres.

Dana Drake, Vice Pres.

Michele Bowes Jonathan Dauber, Ed.D. Pepper Evans Jo Ann Groeger Michelle King, Ph.D. Cathy LeCompte Joyce Scott

District Mission The mission of the Lawrence Township Public Schools is to foster a community that: • values academic excellence, critical thinking skills, and lifelong learning; • challenges each student to become a responsible citizen of a global society; and • respects different learning styles and adapts instruction accordingly.

Check us out on the Web! www.ltps.org Follow us on Facebook!

Follow us on Twitter! @ltps1 Online Backpack

As part of the district’s “greening” initiatives, we continue to successfully promote the use of the Online Backpack on the district website. Information from non-profit entities is entered as it is received. Check the site often.

LTEF funded 76 grants in 2019-2020 to the tune of $203,885. Additionally, it contributed $10,000 toward consultants leading the district’s equity work.

In October 2020, LTEF presented $3,000 to the district from a grant LTEF received from Janssen Pharmaceuticals for Eldridge Park School’s Next Generation Garden Project. The school will construct and grow plants and vegetables in raised gardens around the school. November 2020 saw even more funding as LTEF awarded 25 grants totaling $50,000.

LTEF, led by Executive Director Karen Faiman, is the gold standard of education foundations, and we are ever grateful for their generous support.

(continued from page 1) Social justice . . . professional development to staff, and to serve as liaisons to the Equity, Climate, and Culture Teams within each building.

What about the students?

Beginning in the current school year, a new social justice curriculum is in place for grades Kindergarten through sixth. The topic was already included in the social studies curriculum for the upper grades.

The district created the social justice curriculum to further support our social studies curriculum and our award-winning character education program.

Additionally, the curriculum correlates with statemandated instruction through the Amistad Commision, the Commission on Holocaust Education, and the newly-passed New Jersey law requiring accurate portrayals of LGBTQ people and people with disabilities in instruction.

Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities. to:

Ross Kasun, Ed.D. Superintendent

Andrew Zuckerman, Ed.D. Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction

Thomas Eldridge Business Administrator/Board Secretary

Sean M. Fry

Director of Personnel & Administrative Services

Linda Mithaug

Director of Student Services

Lana Mueller Editor

lmueller@ltps.org 609-671-5405 2565 Princeton Pike Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648 Phone: 609-671-5500

The Social Justice curriculum teaches students

● recognize unfair and unjust treatment of others through differences, ● understand how power can be used for making positive change, ● observe opportunities for seeing how positive change happens, and ● become leaders in creating change.

Research has also shown that children recognize gender and race by six months of age, and by two years can use racial categories to reason and draw judgement. By three to five years of age, children racially categorize themselves and others to include and exclude children and to negotiate power in their own social/play networks. We also know that bias can be unlearned and reversed if children are exposed to diversity in a positive way.

Diversity is one thing that makes Lawrence Township and Lawrence Township Public Schools exceptional. We celebrate this diversity in many ways throughout the district through cultural celebrations and our nationally-recognized character education program. Despite these efforts, we have learned through recent events and from a secondary student survey that not all of our students feel accepted and valued. The district is on a journey to provide equitable opportunities for all students in an atmosphere of understanding and acceptance.

Our social justice curriculum provides for 1-2 monthly lessons focused on district-wide themes.

These are taught through children’s literature and developmentally appropriate conversations.

The full curriculum for each grade level is on the district website (www.ltps.org) under Curriculum.

We have often been taught that children are born color-blind, and that racial biases are taught. Research has shown that is not true.

“Research clearly shows that children not only recognize race from a very young age, but also develop racial biases by ages three to five....”

(Aboud, 2008; Hirschfeld, 2008; Katz, 2003; Katz & Kofkin, 1997; Patterson & Bigler, 2006; Van Ausdale & Feagin, 2001)

12 Lawrence Gazette | December 2020 | Lawrence Public Schools

Maureen Hayes Instructional Services Supervisor

Jr. Cardinals 140s win league

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The Lawrence Jr. Cardinals 140s football team won the West Jersey Youth Football League championship Nov. 14, 2020 after defeating Palmyra, 32-0. This was the 140s’ second straight year in the championship game. The players are Nykeil Boone, Tyson Brown, Amil Doggett, Kaden Dowers, Rodney Johnson, Musa Kamara, Justin Klotz, Isiah McFarland, Qymir McMillan, Muhammed Naser, Isaac Parker, Christian Pawar, Xavier Penn, Grace Tyliczka, Josh Tyliczka, Christopher Tuccillo, Samese Walker and Shyne Williams. The head coach is Les Scipio, and the assistant coach is Bryan Carter.

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The Lawrence Jr. Cardinals 100s football team—made up of athletes aged 9 and 10—completed a successful 2020 season in the 14-team West Jersey Youth Football League in November. The 100s advanced to the championship game Nov. 14, 2020, falling in overtime to Rancocas Valley, 13-12. The players are Kyle Cambell, Ah’zaya Coleman, Jaylen Davis, Chase Gallagher, Jordan Hairston, Deatrick Hodges, Sincere Jones, Tommy Lightner, John Logorda, Malik Montgomery, Micah Montgomery, Ian Murray, Kaiyelle Smith, Avery Sykes, Ahzeir Thomas, Jayon Tiggett, Laventa Tillery, Ronald Vennie, Zavion Williams and Vincent Zimmaro. The head coach is Larry Green, and the assistant coaches are John Logorda and Duane Davis.

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December 2020 | Lawrence Gazette13

thanks or to support our Emergency Response Fund,

Medical weight loss and other healthy ways to slim down Ask The Doctor visit rwjbh.org/heroes

And please, for them, stay home and safe.

coordination with a behavior specialist; sicians and counselors help you idencoordination with a dietitian for cus- tify and establish the lifestyle changes tomized diet and menu planning; and they need to make your weight an exercise program designed specifi- loss surgery a continuing success. cally for Weight Loss participants.

RWJUH Hamilton also offers ongoing theyads meet SeeIfour in the medical and psycho- support group resources and nutrilogicalsection criteria, some patients choose tional counseling, exercise specialists SIX09 weight and support staff to provide pgs 5 andloss 7 surgery, or bariatric surgery. This is a a full continuum of services

By Dr. Ragui W. Sadek highly effective weight loss and counseling.

Losing weight is not easy, How does being overweight option that involves reducWork Here_4.313x11.25_HAM.indd 1 1:21 PM ing the size of the4/17/20 stomach. but the team at the Center for affectRWJ-104 ourHeroes health?

Weight Loss at RWJUH HamMore than 40 percent of American A patient will feel full sooner, ilton will help you succeed. adults are obese, according to the eat less, and with the help At every step in your journey, National Health and Nutrition Exam- of other lifestyle changes, you will feel supported and ination Survey. People with a body reduce their weight. Some in control. Start your weight mass index (BMI)—a weight-height of the surgical procedures loss journey today. Call our ratio—over 40 live 10 fewer years than we provide include Sleeve Bariatric Program Coordinathose who have a lower BMI. Obesity Gastrectomy and Gastric Dr. Sadek tor at (609) 249-7510 or visit can lead to sleep problems, heart dis- Bypass are two of the potenrwjbh.org/weightloss. ease, diabetes and uterine, esopha- tial options.

How do patients maintain their geal and colorectal cancers. Being overweight also increases the risk of weight-loss success?

Coming up this month at Whether or not to have weight-loss dying from COVID-19 and makes it more difficult to recover from respira- surgery is an important life decision. RWJUH-Hamilton To help you decide if bariatric surtory infections like pneumonia.

What medical weight loss gery is the right choice for you, Rob- Wednesday, December 2 options are available to help ert Wood Johnson University Hospital Diabetes Awareness. (609) 584-5900. Take patients live healthier, longer (RWJUH) Hamilton offers individualcontrol of your diabetes now by making small life style modifications today with ized guidance from our Bariatric Prolives? tips from your Board Certified Diabetes The Medical Weight Loss Program gram Coordinator, support group Educator, Shesha Desai, Pharm D. Rph-BCis a supportive and comprehensive meetings, dietary/nutritional classes ADM. Virtual and in-person class formats program for patients seeking a non- and educational seminars to help you available. Call to register. 2 p.m. surgical approach to weight loss or gather the information you need to who do not meet the requirements for make the best decision for you.

Thursday, December 3 After surgery or along your non- Resilience During Adversity. (609) 584surgery. This strategy may include: FDA-approved weight loss medication; surgical weight loss journey, our phy-

ENCORE! ENCORE! WEEKEND REWIND

Your Pet Matters Your Career Is Calling Master Your Finances Health 411 Catch up on the episodes you missed every Monday through Thursday at 9 a.m.

Listen on air @107.7 FM | Online @1077TheBronc.com On App @WRRC on Google Play and the Apple App store.

14  Lawrence Gazette | December 2020

5900. How do we persevere during trying times? Understand what resilience is, and how you can build it for yourself and others. In collaboration with NAMI Mercer. Dr. Aubrey Daniels, LPC. Virtual and in-person class formats available. 6:30 p.m.

Monday, December 7

Fit Families: Holiday Edition. Also Dec. 15. (609) 584-5900. Focus on staying moderate in the madness of the holiday rush: recipe makeovers, overcoming pitfalls, and incorporating fitness during the stress of the season. Registration required. Michelle Summerson, M.Ed., RD. Virtual class format. 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, December 8

Fireside Chat. (609) 584-5900. Dinner with orthopedic spine physician Dr. Marc Levine. Ask your questions in a small private, safe environment. In-person. Call to register. 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, December 15

Brain Conditions and Procedures. (609) 584-5900. Join one of the most experienced cerebrovascular neurosurgeons in the country as he describes the latest ground-breaking procedures for aneurysms, brain tumors, strokes and intracranial vascular disorders (to name a few). Erol Veznedaroglu, MD, FACS, FAANS, FAHA. Virtual class format. 6 p.m.

Beating the Holiday Blues. (609) 584-5900.

Do the holidays invoke feeling of stress and sorrow, rather than comfort and joy?

Learn practical tips to help you cope. Patti McDougall, RN, BSN, Integrative RN. Virtual class format. 1:30 p.m.

HEALTH

DECEMBER 2020

@capitalhealthnj

HEADLINES

B I - M O N T H LY N E W S F R O M C A P I TA L H E A LT H

RIDER UNIVERSITY, CAPITAL HEALTH AND ROTHMAN ORTHOPAEDICS Partner to Support Health, Well-Being of Rider Students and Employees

An innovative partnership between Rider University, Capital Health and Rothman Orthopaedics will provide health care services for students and staff on the school’s campus in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. As the official health care partner of Rider University, Capital Health will oversee the University’s student health center and provide primary care health services.

Rothman Orthopaedics, in its role as official sports medicine provider for Rider Athletics, will provide orthopaedic and sports medicine and support athletic training services.

To help students and staff manage their care and ensure they have access to the appropriate services and health education resources, Capital Health and Rothman Orthopaedics will provide a health and wellness navigator who will act as a liaison between Rider University and its new clinical partners.

“I am very pleased that through this new partnership, our students and employees will collectively benefit from the quality services, expert staff and advanced technology of Capital Health and Rothman Orthopaedics now and into the future,” said Rider’s president, Gregory G. Dell’Omo, Ph.D. “In today’s pandemic environment, protecting the health and safety of our campus community is more important than ever.”

“We’re very happy to join Rothman Orthopaedics in providing important medical services to the students and staff at Rider University,” said Al Maghazehe, president and CEO of Capital Health. “In light of current events, finding health care that is safe and convenient is more important than ever, and our network of primary care providers are known throughout the region for delivering the highest quality care. In addition to making those services easily accessible on campus, our new partnership will also give our neighbors at Rider access to Capital Health emergency services and the growing number of specialty practices in our Capital Health Medical Group when they need us most.”

“This partnership will be great for all parties involved, and we are thrilled to partner with Capital Health on providing high-quality

orthopaedic care to Rider University student-athletes,” said Alexander R. Vaccaro, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A, President of Rothman Orthopaedics, Richard H. Rothman Professor and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics, and Professor of Neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals. “Additionally, we look forward to educating the athletes on the latest evidence-based recommendations, prevention and treatment options which are essential for keeping all athletes safe.”

“Health care and education institutions are important pillars for any community, which makes this agreement particularly exciting,” said Samuel J. Plumeri, Jr., chairman of Capital Healthcare, Inc. Board of Trustees. “We’ve enjoyed a successful relationship with Rothman for several years now, and we couldn’t be happier to be joined with a partner like Rider University.

These highly respected organizations align perfectly with Capital Health’s values of integrity, excellence, and compassion and reaffirm our mission of improving the health and well-being of the communities we serve.”

Rothman Orthopaedics will work with Rider’s sports medicine staff to provide orthopaedic evaluations and surgical services (as needed), training room services, and game coverage to address sports medicine and orthopaedic issues at all home wrestling matches, all home men’s and women’s basketball games, and all home hosted championships. Rothman Orthopaedics will also provide a certified athletic trainer (ATC) to better serve Rider student athletes, and supplement the already strong training staff that Rider employs, in addition to providing education programs for Rider Sports Medicine staff. Capital Health will support the Rothman Orthopaedics Sports Medicine program at Rider by providing preseason medical evaluations, primary care and care at Capital Health’s Emergency Room when necessary. Capital Health and Rothman Orthopaedics will also coordinate wellness and preventative health sessions for club and intramural students to discuss concussion management and other topics of interest.

To learn more, visit capitalhealth.org.

Health Headlines by Capital Health | Lawrence Gazette15

Capital Health Surgeon Receives International Recognition for

EXCELLENCE IN ROBOTIC SURGERY

DR. CATALDO DORIA, medical director of the Capital Health Cancer Center and physician director of Capital Health’s Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery, was designated as a Surgeon of Excellence in Robotic Surgery (SOERS) by Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the safety, efficacy, and efficiency of surgical care worldwide. The SOERS program recognizes surgeons who demonstrate an unparalleled commitment and ability to consistently deliver safe, effective, evidence-based care.

With this designation, Dr. Doria joins a distinguished network of surgeons and hospitals worldwide performing robotic-assisted surgeries. In addition to serving as medical director of the Capital Health Cancer Center, he is a hepato-pancreato-biliary surgeon specializing in the treatment of benign conditions and cancers related to the liver, pancreas, and bile duct.

“Since joining us in 2018, Dr. Doria has worked tirelessly to advance Capital Health’s robotic-assisted surgery program,” said Al Maghazehe, president and CEO of Capital Heath. “In 2019, he began offering robotic-assisted Whipple procedures to treat pancreatic cancer at Capital Health, giving us the distinction of being the only hospital in central New Jersey and the greater Philadelphia region to offer this innovative treatment. This was another major step forward in delivering innovative health care to the community, and Dr. Doria and our other surgeons who offer robotic-assisted surgery continue to build upon these advances.”

Robotic-assisted surgery allows surgeons to use miniaturized instruments and a 3-D camera for high-resolution images of

the surgical site. The platform seamlessly translates the surgeon’s hand movements into precise micromovements. The system cannot be programmed, nor can it make decisions on its own — it requires that every surgical maneuver be performed with direct input from a surgeon.

Throughout his career, Dr. Doria has pioneered new techniques for conditions that were once considered untreatable. He has helped develop and introduce a number of innovative procedures to treat patients that were not previously available, including bloodless liver surgery, liver auto-transplantation and robotic-assisted minimally invasive hepatobiliary surgery.

The volume of robotic-assisted surgeries is expanding as new surgical techniques and procedures are introduced and refined.

Considered minimally invasive surgery, it offers patients many benefits, including smaller incisions, lower risk of infection, less pain, and a faster recovery.

Capital Health remains unwavering in its commitment to provide patients cutting-edge health care and advanced cancer treatment.

It was among one of the first hospital systems to adopt robotic technology with the purchase of the da Vinci® Xi surgical system.

Dr. Doria was also recently named a winner in the Innovation Hero – Individual category of the NJBIZ 2020 Healthcare Heroes Awards Program.

To learn more Capital Health’s Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery or the da Vinci® surgical platform, visit capitalhealth.org/davinci or call 609.537.6000.

CAPITAL HEALTH EARNS INTERNATIONAL HONOR FOR LACTATION SERVICES Capital Health recently earned recognition from the International on how to successfully initiate breastfeeding. They continue that Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners® (IBLCE®) and International assistance after the baby is born by helping families overcome Lactation Consultant Association® (ILCA®) for excellence in lactation breastfeeding challenges, providing accurate information, and care. Lactation Services at Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell continuing to support them as their baby grows. Capital Health received the IBCLC Care Award in recognition of its work to protect, IBCLCs are available seven days a week for inpatient care, phone promote, and support breastfeeding through staff education and support after discharge, and outpatient visits. training, and for staffing professionals who hold the prestigious Capital Health’s Lactation Center is part of Maternity Services at International Board Certified Lactation Consultant® (IBCLC®) Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell, the most comprehensive certification. As a twice-designated Baby-Friendly Hospital, Capital maternity program in the area. In addition, the Regional Perinatal Health continues to demonstrate its commitment to providing the Center at Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell provides highest level of breastfeeding care. neonatal care, including Mercer County's only Level III Neonatal “Supporting our new families as they learn how to feed their babies is Intensive Care Unit for at-risk births. To learn more, visit a unique privilege,” said Melanie Miller, Lactation Services coordinator capitalhealth.org/maternity. at Capital Health and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. “Our goal at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ Designates Capital Health is to provide compassionate and Capital Health a 2020 Blue Distinction Center + Program comprehensive support and education to all The Maternity Services Department at Capital Health Medical Center of our families. This international recognition – Hopewell was recently designated as a 2020 Blue Distinction demonstrates that our staff meets the highest Center + program for Maternity Care by Horizon Blue Cross Blue standards in lactation and clinical breastfeeding Shield of New Jersey. This designation is awarded by the Blue care. From the prenatal period through their Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) to providers that meet hospital stay and beyond, our families can feel quality-focused criteria that emphasize patient safety and outcomes. confident we are prepared to support them in meeting their individual goals.”

The BCBSA considers quality, cost, and access when awarding this designation in order The IBCLCs at Capital Health focus on to provide consumers with meaningful measures of expertise and value when selecting preventive care, so they are available during specialty care. By earning the Blue Distinction Center + designation, Capital Health pregnancy to assess and provide information demonstrates that it meets nationally established quality standards in maternity care.

16Lawrence Gazette | Health Headlines by Capital Health

STATE-OF-THE-ART LUNG CENTER OPENS AT CAPITAL HEALTH As part of its commitment to providing leading-edge care, Capital Health has announced the launch of its comprehensive, state-of-the-art Lung Center located at Capital Health Medical Center — Hopewell.

The program is designed to address the need for integrated, comprehensive lung services in the region.

“The launch of the Lung Center is an another example of Capital Health’s commitment to providing the highest level of specialized care,” said Al Maghazehe, president and CEO of Capital Health. “We are delivering

extraordinary, patient-centered care for a broader range of patients and lung conditions — from asthma to COPD, emphysema, pulmonary hypertension, tumors and lung cancers. The Lung Center also gives patients access to a range of specialists who have significant experience and extensive training with the most advanced medical diagnostic tools and technology.”

As co-leads in the development of Lung Center, DR. DIANA KOLMAN, director of Interventional Pulmonology, and DR. AFRICA WALLACE, director of Thoracic Surgery, share a common goal — to identify and treat potentially life-threatening lung conditions early, when they are most treatable. “We know that getting a fast and accurate diagnosis of a particular condition and receiving timely treatment can be critical, especially when it comes to cancer,” said Dr. Wallace.

Comprehensive care at the Lung Center includes a multidisciplinary team of experts focused on each patient and their specific condition. The team includes physicians from

surgery, pulmonology, radiation oncology, and medical oncology as well as nurse practitioners, clinical researchers, and support staff. “Our goal is to provide the most effective treatment pathway with a holistic, integrated approach in order to achieve the best possible outcome,” said Dr. Kolman.

The Lung Center offers a full range of lung disease care, including lung cancer screenings, a lung nodule clinic, thoracic surgery, interventional pulmonology, pulmonary rehabilitation, and smoking cessation. To learn more about Capital Health’s Lung Center, visit capitalhealth.org/lung. To schedule an appointment or for more information on the Lung Cancer CT Screening, lung nodule clinic, pulmonary rehabilitation, or smoking cessation, call 1.844.303.5864.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kolman, call 609.815.7390. For an appointment with Dr. Wallace, call 609.537.6000.

From left, Dr. Africa Wallace, director of Thoracic Surgery; Gina Petrone Mumolie, senior vice president, Hospital Administration; Dr. Diane Kolman, director of Interventional Pulmonology; and Rona Remstein, director, Oncology Services, officially open the new Capital Health Lung Center.

Capital Health Awarded National Honors for Breast Care Center for Comprehensive Breast Care earns third consecutive accreditation for high-quality care Capital Health’s Center for Comprehensive Breast Care has been granted accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons. This is the third consecutive NAPBC accreditation awarded to the Center.

The NAPBC is a consortium of national, professional organizations focused on breast health and dedicated to the improvement of quality outcomes of patients with diseases of the breast through evidence-based standards and patient and professional education.

NAPBC accreditation is granted only to those centers that are voluntarily committed to providing the best possible care to patients with diseases of the breast.

To achieve NAPBC accreditation, a breast center must meet the highest levels of breast care, quality standards, and proficiency in center leadership, clinical services, research, community outreach, professional education, and quality improvement.

“Because of this accreditation, patients can have confidence in our comprehensive, integrated program and ability to diagnose and treat a wide range of breast conditions,” said DR.LISA ALLEN, a fellowship trained breast surgeon and medical director of Capital Health’s Center for Comprehensive Breast Care. “Capital Health was the first hospital in New Jersey to offer molecular breast

imaging (MBI), an advanced imaging technology for the screening and diagnosis of breast cancer. We continue to make investments in advanced technologies and clinicians treating benign and cancerous conditions.”

The Center for Comprehensive Breast Care offers the full scope of breast care, from cancer to cysts, abscesses, lesions, breast pain and other breast-related disorders, and although the discovery of a breast abnormality can be shocking, Capital Health is focused on treating the whole patient, not just the disease. Highly trained and experienced physicians provide specialized, care such as nipple sparing surgery, hidden scar surgery, reverse lymphatic mapping to spare unnecessary removal of lymph nodes, and targeted treatment for the diverse types of breast cancer.

Breast cancer patients are cared for by a multidisciplinary team that collaborates closely to ensure they develop a personalized treatment plan that achieves the best possible outcome. A patient’s health care team may include a breast surgeon, radiologist, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, plastic surgeon, genetics counselor, nutritionist, social worker, rehabilitation services, and more. Each cancer patient has a personal, certified breast nurse navigator, from the initial diagnosis through every phase of treatment. For patients, the NAPBC accreditation provides an extra level of confidence as they navigate the process of choosing a treatment provider. For more information, visit capitalbreast.org.

Health Headlines by Capital Health | Lawrence Gazette17

Capital Health Regional Medical Center Earns NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR EXCELLENCE IN STROKE CARE Capital Health Regional Medical Center (RMC) has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Award. This award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success in ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines and the latest scientific evidence.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of adult disability.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and more than 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

Capital Health Regional Medical Center earned the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke

treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidencebased guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions Additionally, RMC received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.

If you or a loved one is experiencing signs and symptoms of a stroke, call 911 immediately.

To learn more about Capital Health’s commitment to providing advanced care for stroke patients and those with other complex disorders of the brain and spine, visit capitalneuro.org.

RADIATION ONCOLOGIST WITH EXPERTISE IN ADVANCED TREATMENT JOINS CAPITAL HEALTH CANCER CENTER DR. KHANH NGUYEN, a board certified radiation oncologist with nearly 20 years of experience providing state-ofthe art treatments for patients with prostate, lung, breast, and central nervous system tumors and other adult malignancies, has joined Capital Health Cancer Center, located at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell.

Dr. Nguyen joins a highly trained team of experienced radiation oncologists at Capital Health that includes Dr. Timothy H. Chen, medical director of Stereotactic Radiosurgery, and Dr. Shirnett K. Williamson, medical director of Radiation Oncology Services.

“Our mission to bring expert physicians, advanced medical technology, and worldclass patient care close to home is driving tremendous growth at our Cancer Center,” said Dr. Cataldo Doria, medical director of Capital Health Cancer Center. “This expansion allows us to provide care for a broader range of patients, which is why we’re so excited to have Dr. Nguyen join our team. He brings significant experience and training in radiation oncology from some of the most respected institutions in the country right here to our community.

Now, our patients who require his services can receive the best possible care without having to travel across the country or to a large city like New York or Philadelphia.”

“Capital Health is well known in the region for its commitment to advancing patient care, but as an organization it recognizes that having the latest technology is just one part of the equation,” said Dr. Nguyen.

“I’m thrilled to be part of a team that doesn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach but instead blends technological expertise with compassion to provide care that is tailored to the specific needs of each person.”

Dr. Nguyen is an expert in advanced radiation oncology treatment modalities, including accelerated partial breast irradiation, stereotactic radiosurgery/ stereotactic body radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy/image guided radiation therapy, magnetic resonance imaging/magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and positron emission tomography/ computed tomography.

After completing undergraduate and graduate studies in physics at Harvard University, Dr. Nguyen received his medical degree at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine (UCSD), where he completed a thesis with one of the pioneers in tumor immunology.

His internship in internal medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia

18Lawrence Gazette | Health Headlines by Capital Health

was followed by a residency in radiation oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, where he trained with world leaders whose clinical research set the standards of care in breast and prostate cancer management.

Before joining Capital Health, Dr. Nguyen was a radiation oncologist at Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover, Delaware, where he implemented programs in high dose rate brachytherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery/ stereotactic body radiation therapy, as well as a multidisciplinary neuro-oncology clinic.

In academic settings, Dr. Nguyen served as an assistant professor in the Division of Radiation Oncology at City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California. He also worked with Dr. David Townsend, inventor of the PET-CT scan, in the Cancer Imaging & Tracer Development Program at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Dr. Nguyen has published research in peer-reviewed journals and presented lectures at national and international medical conferences. He is a member of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), the American Radium Society, and the American Brachytherapy Society.

Capital Health Cancer Center, located at Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell, is the area’s most advanced provider of cancer treatment. To learn more, visit capitalhealth.org/cancer.

Time to hunker down and fight the good fight KEVIN NERWINSKI FrOM THe MANAGer’S deSK

Each morning when I come to work, I check my emails. Our health officer, Carol Chamberlain, provides me with an update on the new “positive” COVID-19 cases for each day. Over the past two weeks, our community has seen a steady increase in cases.

On Nov. 13, there were 15 new cases reported. This is basically 2-3 times more than what we had been reporting a couple of weeks before that. On Nov. 16, we had 11 positive cases. On Nov. 17, we had 27 new positive coronavirus cases in our community.

We are in the midst of what the health professionals have been warning us for months. For those that want to say it is because we are testing more: no, it is not. For those that want to say the cases are primarily with our elderly at assisted living facilities: no, it is not.

Although the time to understand that politics should have no part in our fight against this deadly and contagious virus was months and months ago, it does not mean we don’t have the capacity to change our mindset and be unified in what we should do to protect ourselves, our loved ones, friends, neighbors and others we share this community with.

It is clear that the freedoms that our country has provided us for more than 240 years make it difficult for some to accept and follow the instruction of others (our leaders and public health officials) who are charged with the responsibility of protecting all of us from this pandemic.

It is also clear that there are some people that will never accept this pandemic

as something to be united against until a family member or friend either dies or is hospitalized by it.

We all need to take a moment or two to set aside whatever has caused you to this point to think that “this isn’t real” or “the media is lying to us” or “we can’t let this stop us from living our lives,” and remember that no one is asking or saying that this is a permanent, new normal. It is not.

Vaccines are on the way. We can see the light at the end of this tunnel, and it is getting brighter each day. So, now is the time where we hunker down more. Be more vigilant in our efforts to protect ourselves and others.

This is what we need to do, and it isn’t a big ask: 1) Wear a mask. It does

Please be on board with fighting this virus in a unified manner.

protect you, and it does protect others despite what people with a different agenda may say. 2) Keep a safe distance from others whenever possible; 3) Wash your hands and keep them away from your face. 4) Reduce the amount of times you gather with others and make the groups as small as possible. 5) Support your local businesses as much as you can. Give larger tips if possible. They are there for us when we want and need them. Let’s be there for them now. 6) Work hard to find real information on this virus instead of listening to TV or radio hosts who may have an agenda that does not include protecting your health or the health of your loved ones.

It is time for us to step it up and do all we can to reduce the spread of the virus.

Please, everyone, be on board with fighting this virus in a unified manner.

Kevin Nerwinski, a longtime resident of Lawrence, serves as Lawrence Township’s municipal manager.

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Regardless of the cause, people cope with pain in several different ways. Many people try to wait back pain out only to find that it keeps getting worse. They buy new mattresses, try different stretching exercises, learn new techniques for sitting and standing, yet their conditions do not improve. Some make repeated unsuccessful trips back and forth between their doctor, chiropractors and/or physical therapists. Others opt for surgery, and while it is true that surgery may be the answer for certain types of back injuries, it is highly invasive and not without serious risks.

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20  Lawrence Gazette | December 2020