RyeCity REVIEW THE
Febraury 28, 2020 | Vol. 7, Number 59 | www.ryecityreview.com
Hepatitis A confirmed in Peekskill employee
Wait a minute Westchester is considering legislation that would ban wild and exotic animals from appearing at circuses. For more, see page 6.
Feeding Westchester president leaves for NYC After three years at the helm of Feeding Westchester, President and CEO Leslie Gordon will soon be assuming leadership of the Food Bank for New York City— one of the largest food banks in the U.S. Committed to supporting the needs of the food insecure, Gordon has made remarkable contributions to Feeding Westchester during her time as CEO. Under her leadership, the organization has increased the amount of food distributed to Westchester communities by 20 percent, exceeding the average for food banks across the country. She led the charge to increase the availability of fresh produce and fresh foods, which now represent more than 40 percent of all food distributed by Feeding Westchester. And, she led
the rebranding of the organization from “Food Bank for Westchester” to Feeding Westchester—elevating the organization’s reputation as the county’s leading nonprofit hunger-relief organization, and conveying the organization’s mission to be about much more than food. During her tenure, Gordon has also forged cutting-edge, strategic alliances with non-food partners in a range of areas, including the healthcare arena. “It has been an honor and a privilege to give back to the community where I live and where I grew up,” Gordon said. “I have no doubt the talented, dedicated team of leaders at Feeding Westchester will continue to push the envelope in the fight against hunger and to better the lives of our neighbors.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve the community that will always be my home.” Sue Norton, board Chairwoman of the Feeding Westchester Board of Trustees, said, “We are tremendously grateful to Leslie for her leadership and vision. She has increased the reach and impact of this terrific organization, enhanced our range of nutritious food offerings, challenged the team to think boldly as we chart our course for the future, and created a highly collaborative and inclusive culture that’s pretty special. Thanks to Leslie, Feeding Westchester is providing meaningful support to our neighbors in need—and we’re poised to do even more. We will miss Leslie— and we wish her the very best.” Feeding Westchester’s Board of
Trustees will soon announce an interim CEO as they begin a national search for Gordon’s successor. Feeding Westchester is the county’s leading nonprofit hunger-relief organization at the heart of a network of more than 300 partners and programs. One in five people in Westchester are hungry. Feeding Westchester sources and distributes good, nutritious food and other resources to every community in Westchester—from Mount Vernon to Mount Kisco. Last year, the organization delivered more than 10.1 million pounds of food or 8.5 million meals to neighbors through soup kitchens, food pantries, schools, shelters and residential programs. Hungry to help? Visit feedingwestchester.org. (Submitted)
The Westchester County Health Department has learned that an employee with Hepatitis A worked at a private event at the event space at Factoria in Peekskill while infectious. Anyone who was there on Saturday, Feb. 15 may have been exposed. In an abundance of caution, because Fin & Brew shares an ice machine with the event space, patrons who ate at the restaurant on Sunday, Feb. 16 or Wednesday, Feb. 19 also could have been exposed. The Health Department has been contacting patrons to alert them to their potential exposure. Patrons at the other restaurants in the complex are not at risk because they have separate facilities. The county Department of Health is offering free preventive treatment to anyone who ate or drank at The Space at Factoria or at Fin & Brew during the exposure period. Preventive treatment is only effective if given within two weeks of the last day of exposure. Therefore, those who dined on Feb. 15 must receive preventive treatment by Feb. 29. Those who dined on Feb. 16 must receive treatment by March 1 and those who dined there on Feb. 19 must receive treatment by March 4. No one with a prior history of Hepatitis A vaccination or Hepatitis A infection needs to be treated. The health department will offer preventive treatment at the Health Department Clinic, 134 Court St., in White Plains. Although walk-ins are welcome, advance registration is highly recommended. To register, go to health. ny.gov/gotoclinic/60. To provide consent, a parent/guardian must accompany anyone under 18 years of age. Restaurant patrons who were exposed
also can seek preventive treatment from their own health care provider. Factoria is cooperating with the Health Department and conducted a thorough cleaning on Thursday. Staff were vaccinated today and the restaurant will be re-inspected later today by the county Department of Health before reopening for dinner. Hepatitis A is transmitted by consuming food or drinks or by using utensils that have been handled by an infected person. It may also be spread from person to person by ingesting something that has been contaminated with the stool of a person with Hepatitis A. Casual contact, such as sitting together, does not spread the virus. Hepatitis A is generally a mild illness whose symptoms include fatigue, fever, poor appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dark urine, light colored stool and jaundice, which is the yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. Not everyone infected with Hepatitis A will have all of its symptoms. Symptoms commonly appear within 28 days of exposure, with a range of 15 to 50 days. Preventive treatment is only effective within two weeks of exposure to the virus, but symptoms typically do not appear until a person has had the virus for a few weeks. The illness is rarely fatal and most people recover in a few weeks without any complications. “I urge anyone who is eligible for treatment to get a Hepatitis A vaccine,” said Dr. Sherlita Amler, commissioner of Health. “There are no special medications used to treat a person once symptoms appear, but Hepatitis A transmission to others can be prevented through proper handwashing.” (Submitted)