HALF HOLLOW HILLS Copyright © 2015 Long Islander News
Online at www.LongIslanderNews.com
VOL. 17, ISSUE 1
NEWSPAPER 24 PAGES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015 DIX HILLS
Longtime FD Paramedic Dies On Duty Ralph Oswald, 64, went into cardiac arrest The Paramount Spotlight The Chris Robinson Brotherhood is set to take The Paramount’s stage on Feb. 19.
Chris Robinson Brotherhood Brings Distinct Sound By Andrew Wroblewski awroblewski@longislandergroup.com
With decades of experience under their belts, the members of blues rock band Chris Robinson Brotherhood refuse to phone things in. “As you move on in life, in everything you do, phoning it in really is a disservice to being alive,” Neal Casal, who plays guitar and provides backing vocals for the band, said of the group’s live performances. “Of course there are certain things (Continued on page A22)
By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandergroup.com
A longtime Dix Hills Fire District paramedic died suddenly Monday morning responding to a call in Hampton Bays, ambulance corps officials said. Ralph Oswald, 64, of Hampton Bays, was responding shortly before 9 a.m. Monday to a call for an unresponsive man with the Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance Corps. While caring for the man, he fell ill and told the crew he was “experiencing distress.” According to the Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Oswald went into cardiac arrest moments later.
Oswald was rushed by Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance and Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance Corps to Southampton Hospital, where he was pronounced dead after resuscitation efforts en route to and inside the hospital were unsuccessful. Dix Hills Fire Department Chief Robert Fling said Oswald’s sudden death is a huge blow to the department. “When they called me this morning, I was in absolute shock. I couldn’t believe it,” he said. Fling said Oswald was a perdiem paramedic for both Dix Hills and Hampton Bays and a longtime fixture at the Dix Hills firehouse who could frequently be seen
Ralph Oswald walking laps around the firehouse. His sterling bedside manner – with colleagues and patients alike – always stood out. (Continued on page A22)
DIX HILLS
Eight Beds Saved At Sagamore Center By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandergroup.com
After advocates and lawmakers successfully averted the closure of the Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric Center in Dix Hills last year, one area lawmaker expects another battle to preserve funding beyond April 1 of this year. Already, plans in December to close eight of the 54 in-patient beds at the facility have been staved off until at least this spring, state officials confirmed. According to a State Senate aide, New York State’s Office of Mental Health (OMH) planned in December to eliminate eight of
the existing 54 beds. In their place, eight short-term crisis/respite beds were proposed. However, in mid-January, the OMH tabled those plans; officials said they will revisit the idea in three to four months. In essence, the facility is “in a holding pattern,” said Chris Geed, spokesperson for State Senator Phil Boyle (R-Bay Shore,) an advocate for the Sagamore center. Already, though, advocates are again raising concerns about the center’s future, Geed said. While the bed count remains at 54, some advocates allege the OMH is “in effect, eliminating beds by eliminating staffing.” There’s also a
disagreement between the state and advocates, Geed said, over whether waiting lists exist for long-term care at Sagamore and neighboring Pilgrim State. “There’s just no way that’s ever going to be possible because of the wait,” Geed said of cutting beds. Official word on funding for Sagamore in the 2015-2016 budget is expected later this week, Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci (RMelville) said Monday. But Lupinacci said he and other Long Island lawmakers are gearing up to go into battle again to advocate for the psychiatric center, and he (Continued on page A22)
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