Fire, Building 6

	Windows have been replaced

A quote from the Highlights of Meeting of the Board of Directors, December 21, 2016
Manager's Report - ....Mr. Zsebedics noted that eight fire-damaged and water damaged 
apartments in Building 6 have been restored.  Repairs on the apartment where the fire
originated will begin on December 27.  Mr. Zsebedics stressed that the fire did not originate in the wiring of Building 6....

February 27, 2017 plywood missing from top window, blue cover missing from fire escape window.  February 28, plywood back in window.

My comment - today is January 31, 2017, the plywood and blue polyester sheet on the top floor
is still in place.  Still no explanation of how the fire started.
February 3, 2017 - inner courtyard and Van Cortlandt Park South side still have plywood on top floor
Scroll down for pictures.

Scaffolding down

November 17, 2016 I was at a meeting this afternoon about the proposed carrying charge increase and I asked about the fire.  Mr. Zsebedics said the cause had not yet been determined.

This letter to the editor was published in the November 3, 2016 edition of the Riverdale Press.

I have been a resident of the Amalgamated Houses for thirty years.  I
read Ed Yaker's letter to the editor in the October 20, 2016 edition.
The beginning of the next to the last sentence states "I prefer trans-
parency to secrecy,"  His letter only dealt with procedures he felt
should be followed in contacting the manager and not with the issues
that have made some Park Reservoir residents very displeased with the
Amalgamated management.  I would like to know more about the discontents.
If Park Reservoir chooses to hire a different management company the
costs of the Amalgamated management will have to be reconsidered.  We
probably won't need an assistant manager and would have to dismiss
employees who staff the management office, security and service
departments.
Another unnecessary bit of secrecy concerns the fire that occurred
in Building 6, on September 26, 2016.  We have been given no
information on the fire.  On October 20, scaffolding and protective
curtains were hung on the Saxon Ave. side of the building.  It is
time we were told the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage.
Sincerely,
Lora Frisch


Note:  These are casual observations, there may be other ongoing work that I have not seen.
November 7, 2016 saw men working on Saxon Ave. side.
October 31, observed men working, November 1, saw no one on outside of building.

October 27, 2016 - raining but the red cable is plugged in, indicating work is going on inside.

 

View from Van Cortlandt Park S, Inner Courtyard

Saxon Avenue

Fire, again, September 26, 2016

Two days after the fire

Paylease Amalgamated Housing's new partner

If you can name which Amalgamated building this is, your processing fee is waived (I'm joking).

On doorknob March 1, 2017 evening

How to avoid paying an employee a living wage while maintaining the comfortable lifestyles of the Paylease principals in California.
The motto of Amalgamated is "For Service Not for Profit".  What is Paylease, a privately held San Diego Company getting paid for processing Amalgamated payments?

Senior Center lunch reservation notice

Amalgamated Houses wants another multi-million dollar loan

November 15,2016 The management and board of directors once again want to take out a multimillion dollar mortgage and increase carrying charges to pay for it.

July 22, 2013 The 30 million dollar loan, 20 million of which will be used to repair balconies, windows, the Gale Place garage.  The other ten million will be used to pay off debt.  Previous debt was at a higher interest rate than this loan.  The lender is the National Cooperative Bank.

Rain pouring from G line balcony

Closer View

Waiting for a special event at the senior center

Buses for special events don't arrive on time and then there still is a wait for stragglers.

When Medicare can Dis-Advantage you

If you have an individual policy with a health insurance company when you become medicare eligible you can be added to a Medicare Advantage program that may not suit your needs.  You have sixty days to opt out, but in the deluge of insurance mail you receive you may miss the notification.
Medicare Disadvantage

Update, air conditioning and other issues at the Van Cortlandt Village Senior Center

July 15, 2016 At last air conditioning on in the morning.  I participated in Doriana Castro's aerobics class.
During June 2016 the issues regarding lack of air conditioning continued.
Today July 16, 2015 when I walked into the dining room I saw this

This is the first time I have observed the senior center tolerating this behavior.  It was one table, the other tables did not have reserved seating.

July 14, 2015 this week the air conditioning was on in the morning.  Last week it was turned on near lunchtime.  This should never have been an issue.

This film was on July 2, 2015
Fan in dining hall  This is the room where exercise classes take place as well as lunch.  It is now a month and the air conditioning still hasn't been fixed.  Filmed this morning around 10 a.m.

Summer Storm July 14 2016

Avoiding white coat syndrome

Ambulatory measure of BP recommended

We are being poisoned by the parks department.

Vulnerable Plaque hypothesis in CVD may be going away

A powerful article by Larry Husten The Vulnerable Plaque 'Hype-othesis'

An explanation of the no enclosure balcony rule

In 2015 the building code will make it hard to have enclosures

Here are articles from the September 2015 Habitat Magazine about balcony enclosures.
When must enclosures come down
Floor Area Ratio
Types of balcony enclosures and when do they have to be altered

Battery dies, the patient is at risk

Short Battery Life of Cardiac Devices 
The theme of this article is that it's not in the best financial interest of battery manufacturers to make a longer lasting battery.  Every time one has to be replaced, you the patient, are at risk of harm.  Remember, the consent form you sign when you enter the hospital is a carte blanche for your medical team to do whatever they want when you are in surgery.

New Year, first winter snowstorm

Van Cortlandt Park January 26, 2016 

New trees on Saxon Avenue

Newly planted trees on Saxon Avenue

I was happy to see new trees all over my neighborhood.  It has rained since I took the picture so the trees have been watered.

Lobby Restoration, The Towers

Lobby, November 27, 2015 finishing touches to bottom of seating

October 30, 2015 Lobby almost finished

August, lobby is starting to get the paneling.   Waiting for the updated notice.

July 3, 2015 lobby still unfinished.  No explanation given.

Scenes at the Amalgamated Housing

November 24, 2015 Window Washing Tower 2

November 23, 2015 the windows of my living room in Tower 1 were washed.

Windows being washed on Building 9, September 18, 2015

Balcony Restoration Project, Memos, Photos

The first item, attaching items to railings is important.  Once during a snowstorm a falling flower pot hit my railing and split in half.  Half dropped to the ground, fortunately, no one was out there and hit by it.

Balcony restoration completed

Balcony just before windows boarded up

The dates have been pushed back, no explanation given.  No completion date even hinted at for the B & E lines.

Manhattan woman resists giving up her balcony

Woman fights the law and the law won.

Fortunately, we haven't yet had this problem.  We have had challenges with severely mentally ill people but this story was the most extreme I've heard of.

Discontinuing Heart Drugs

Larry Husten wrote this thought provoking article.  Almost nothing is known about the long term impact of taking heart drugs such as statins, ACE inhibitors, beta blockers and aspirin.  No one has the financial motive to do the research.  On an autobiographical note, I discontinued two medications clopidogrel and amplodipine because I could see no reason to continue with them.  I tried to talk to my cardiologist about my medications and he cut me off with the remark "you don't know how serious your condition is".  I understand, I have a right to discuss my medications.
When should drugs be discontinued

Intercom keypad

The glyph for the bell is hard to decipher.

Aug 24, 2015 I contacted Elvox and learned that the display can be customized.  Instead of showing date and time we could have another instructional panel telling people how to get into the building.  It could be in Spanish.  Management needs to look into how to make the display more meaningful.

FUBU

This did not happen.  The main intercom panel was not installed, no apartments were visited.  Cooperators were not notified of the change in plans.

Plywood off windows

Yeaaay!  The plywood is off my living room windows, the sun is shining in!

Van Cortlandt Village Senior Center

6/16/2015 No air conditioning in the dining room, the room where exercise classes are held.  I spoke to someone in the office who said it will be repaired today.

6/17/2015 again, no air conditioning in the dining room

Amalgamated Nursery Flea Market May 17, 2015

Amalgamated Nursery Flea Market 

TAVR poor survival with severe aortic stenosis

TAVR decreases overall survival in patients with severe aortic stenosis

Here's the first paragraph
Overall survival of patients with severe aortic stenosis assigned transcatheter aortic valve replacement decreased drastically 24 months after surgery compared with patients who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement or sutureless valves.

Bellezza Tempo review

My review of Bellezza Tempo was published in the Amalgamated Houses Community News of March 2015. I have reprinted the review here because someone sent me an email and asked me if I had written it just to get published. No, I wrote it because I was pleased with the haircut I got.

This winter has been very cold.  We’ve all had plans disrupted because of the weather.  One of my delayed excursions was to get a hair cut.  For years I have been going to a beauty salon in Manhattan but this winter I wasn’t able to go there and by February my hair had metamorphosed into a tangled mess.  On Saturday, February 8, there was a break in the weather and I hurried out to run errands.  It began to snow again and for a while it was very heavy.  I decided to cut short my shopping and go home.  On the way back I passed a beauty parlor and it looked empty, Saturday is usually a very busy day.  Hmm, perhaps I’ll get a haircut I thought.  I got off the bus by Bellezza Tempo, and walked inside.  I saw several young women under the dryers but no one was getting a haircut.  A beautician was available.  I got a shampoo and cut.  It came out really well, I’m now set until spring.  These stylists can do hair for both young and old and I suggest you give them a try.

TAVR you have a good chance of dying within 3 years, at least a 24% chance within the first year

Fewer people are getting coronary artery stents, so TAVR is the new cash cow for interventional cardiologists.

26% 1-year death, stroke rate after TAVR

Causes and timing of death during long-term follow-up after transcatheter aortic valve replacement - American Heart Journal

Here's an article about how hospitals in their advertising for TAVR downplay the risks.
U.S. hospitals tout TAVR's benefits, downplay risks
By: MITCHEL L. ZOLER. Cardiology News Digital Network Jan 13, 2015
If patients seek out information online about transcatheter aortic
valve replacement, they'll read mostly about the procedure's benefits
and see much less about its risks, according to a survey of 317 U.S.
hospital websites done in spring 2014.
Close examination of the information available for transcatheter aortic
valve replacement (TAVR) on the websites of U.S. hospitals that perform
the procedure revealed that 99% of the 262 hospitals with websites that
described TAVR mentioned at least one benefit from the procedure, while
26% mentioned at least one risk, Dr. Mark D. Neuman and his associates
reported in a research letter published online on Jan. 12 (JAMA Internal
Medicine 2015:[doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.7392]).
"Our findings suggest that web-based advertising of TAVR to the public
by hospitals may understate the established risks of this procedure and
provide little context for the magnitude of those risks to inform patient
decisionmaking. Hospitals may promote appropriate use of TAVR by
presenting more balanced information regarding TAVR's risks and benefits,"
wrote Dr. Neuman, an anesthesiologist at the University of Pennsylvania
in Philadelphia, and his coauthors.
During May-June 2014 they reviewed the websites for each of the 317 U.S.
hospitals listed as sites that offer TAVR by the Society of Thoracic
Surgeons and the American College of Cardiology. Fifty-five of the
hospitals' websites did not have their own English-language web page
that mentioned TAVR. Of the 262 U.S. TAVR centers with a web page that
described the procedure, 260 mentioned at least one benefit, most
commonly the reduced degree of invasiveness of the procedure compared with
open-surgery valve replacement, which appeared on 250 (95%) of the websites.
Of the 69 websites that mentioned at least one risk, they most commonly cited
stroke, on 18% of the sites, followed by vascular complications, on 14%, and
death, on 12%. In addition, the hospital sites supplied numerical
quantification for benefits more frequently than for risks.
mzoler@frontlinemedcomcom
On Twitter @mitche1zo1er
Copyright © 2015 Frontline Medical Communication, LLC. All rights
reserved. This page was printed from www.ecardiologynews.com.
For reprint inquires, call 877-652-5295, ext. 102.

Dust Mitigation Tower 1

The Oculostenotic Reflex

The definition is  “Any blockage you see is a blockage you treat, even if evidence suggests no benefit.” 

This is the article see-it-stent-it-the-oculostenotic-reflex

Donations vs Diseases that kill us

A balcony reconstruction that ballooned in cost

Men of Steel Repairing Structural Issues at a New Rochelle Co-op | Co-op & Condo Boards | Habitat Magazine

A very difficult situation, but better than losing your home.

When you can't access your balcony

Here is an account of one person who sued when they didn't have access to the shared terrace space they were paying for
Access Denied

Here's another article featured in the Brick Underground that gives you even more insight into what a co-op board can and can't do.
More legal judgments

My reason for providing links to this information is that these stories imply that Amalgamated Cooperators who have lost access to their balconies have little or no legal recourse.  The work is progressing, it does not appear that these repairs will last more than a couple of years.

Balcony Restoration, continued

NYS repeatedly fails nursing home patients

May 18, 2014, Jessie Thompson was found at Penn Station in Manhattan.

Since I first posted these comments, Jessie Thompson, diagnosed with dementia, walked out the door of Jewish Lifecare Services in the Bronx.  This was on Sunday, May 4, 2014.  As of May 15, 2014 she has not been found.
Miguel Canatini, suffering from depression and schizophrenia,  was in the care of Daughters of Jacob in the Bronx.  On a field trip to a restaurant on City Island,  May 13, 2014 walked away.  He uses a walker and has one leg.  Obviously the caretakers from Daughters of Jacob failed miserably.  Thank you Bronx 12 News for not forgetting Jessie Thompson and Miguel Canatini.

This was posted on February 27, 2014
Suffolk Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing

Here is a quote from the news report on NBC NY

In recent years, New York state has steadily relaxed the number of penalties levied against long-term care facilities.

According to data compiled by the Long Term Care Community Coalition, the Health Department issued 142 enforcement actions against nursing homes in 2007. In 2011, the number was down to 81. Last year there were 27 enforcement actions against New York nursing homes totaling just over $217,000 in fines. Of those, the Suffolk Center was found responsible for just over $36,000.

The New York Health Department declined to share any reason for the drop in enforcement actions against nursing homes.

New York is also one of few states that have no law establishing a minimum number of assistants per nursing home resident. A bill in the New York legislature called the “Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act” sought to change that, but it stalled in committee last year.

A Trip to JoAnn's should not have been advertised in this bulletin

No one got permission from Phyllis, who organized the trip to Jo-Ann's, before someone asked the Co-Op to post the message.  This caused a big screw up.

Again, St. Jude Medical being investigated for kickbacks

st-jude-discloses-another-doj-cardiac-kickback-investigation

Amalgamated Houses, balcony railing

Mr. Zsebedics, the manager, showing the new railing.

Physicians fail to give patients a true picture of having an ICD

Here's a quote from the article

Trained observers faulted 18 of the 22 cardiologist-patient interviews because the cardiologists didn’t address, minimized, or outright denied quality of life issues and the long-term consequences of ICD therapy, including increased risks for anxiety and depression as well as for inappropriate shocks

Physician/patient communication on ICDs deemed problematic : Cardiology News

Increased risk of falls in the elderly on blood pressure medications

Falls, Hypertension Meds and the Elderly

Wingspan stent a danger to sufferers of intracranial atherosclerosis

This is the scary story
stent-remains-available-despite-trial-showing-dangers

Possible replacement for the Holter monitor

iRhythm ZIO patch

This patch is worn for two weeks on the chest and then sent back to the lab for analysis.  It records ones heart rhythm while you go about your daily routine.  Early testing indicates greater accuracy than the Holter monitor.  It would be nice if it does prove out.

Abbott Laboratories kickbacks

Reuters has the following news story:
Abbott Labs settles with U.S. over kickback claim

Beware the stent industry

Stents Lose in Comparisons With Surgery and Medical Therapy

This is an article by Larry Husten in Cardiobrief.  He is a reliable source of information.

Cardiotoxity of Anticancer Drugs and Radiation

Chemotherapy for cancer can lead to cardiomyopathy. Our current state of knowledge is that chemotherapy is a shotgun approach to treating cancer. Many more cells than cancer cells are affected. Among the chemotherapy drugs that can cause heart problems are the anthracyclines, a class of chemotherapy drugs that includes doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and daunorubicin (Cerubidine). There are other chemical agents that also have these terrible effects.
Radiation treatments for cancer can also create serious risks for the heart.
Some large medical centers are developing programs to treat the heart damaging effects of chemotherapy. In other words, yet another money maker for the facilities. When will we see more concern for the whole person?
Here's the link for the Heart Failure Society of America

Many herbal products don't list all ingredients and contain fillers

Study: Herbal products omit ingredients, contain fillers

Here's the first paragraph:
Consumers of natural health products beware. The majority of herbal products on the market contain ingredients not listed on the label, with most companies substituting cheaper alternatives and using fillers, according to new research from the University of Guelph
The report says approximately 60 per cent of the products tested had cheaper alternatives.

Of great danger to people with allergies, is this quote from the story

More than 20 per cent of the products included fillers such as rice, soybeans and wheat not listed on the label.

Little Risk When Doc Says Stop DAPT

The European Society of Cardiology is having their big meeting.  Here is the story
Discontinuing DAPT per doctor's orders is ok else big trouble
Here are the highlights

• For patients undergoing PCI and discharged on dual anti-platelet therapy (DAPT), patients who discontinue dual anti-platelet therapy on the advice of their physician are much less likely to have a disruption-triggered event, a study found.
• Note that there was an increased risk observed in patients who stopped DAPT due to bleeding or non-compliance, although there was a wide variation according to the underlying context in which antiplatelet therapy was withdrawn.

Public Citizen petitions the FDA for a black box regarding a clopidogrel

I am not passing judgment on the wisdom of this, just making this document available
Clopidogrel warning via Public Citizen

Here is a quote from it:

Public Citizen, representing more than 300,000 members and supporters nationwide, and 
Neil A. Holtzman, M.D., hereby petition the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 
pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act 21 U.S.C. Section 355(e)(3) and 21
C.F.R. 10.30, to immediately add a black-box warning on clopidogrel (brand name: 
Plavix, as well as generic equivalents). The black-box warning must address the 
increased risks of major and minor bleeding with use beyond 12 months following 
implantation of drug-eluting coronary artery stents. Such warning is made necessary both 
by a lack of evidence of a further reduction of thrombotic cardiovascular events, such as 
myocardial infarction or stroke, as well as existing evidence of continued risk of major 
bleeding with more prolonged use. We also urge the FDA to require the distribution of an 
FDA-approved, updated Medication Guide containing this information to be dispensed to 
all patients when their prescriptions are filled and to ask companies to send a “Dear 
Doctor” letter to warn physicians of these preventable adverse effects that occur with use 
for greater than one year.

Follows is a link from Sanofi that gives extensive product information on Plavix.
Sanofi info on Plavix

There are two passages I am quoting regarding Plavix and excessive bleeding.

Page 7
ADVERSE REACTIONS
Adverse Drug Reaction Overview
The safety profile of clopidogrel has been evaluated in clinical trials in more than 44,000 patients including over 1200 patients treated for 1 year or more and further assessed during post-marketing experience.
Of the patients who participated in the CAPRIE, CURE and CLARITY double-blind international clinical trials, approximately 50% were elderly patients (> 65 years) and 15% were 75 years and older. In the ACTIVE A trial, 75% of patients treated with PLAVIX were 65 years of age and older, and 41% were 75 years and older. In COMMIT study, approximately 58% of the patients treated with PLAVIX were 60 years and older, 26% of whom were 70 years and older.
The most frequent adverse drug reactions (≥1%) with PLAVIX (with or without associated ASA) in controlled clinical trials were hemorrhage and bleeding disorders including purpura, any rash, dyspepsia, abdominal pain and diarrhea (see "Clinical Trial Adverse Drug Reactions").
The most serious adverse drug reactions from controlled clinical trials rarely reported (<1%) were bleeding and clotting disorders including gastrointestinal hemorrhage, hemorrhagic ulcer and hemothorax.

Page 20
OVERDOSAGE
Overdose following clopidogrel administration may lead to prolonged bleeding time and
subsequent bleeding complications. Appropriate therapy should be considered if bleeding is
observed or suspected.
A single oral dose of clopidogrel at 1500 or 2000 mg/kg was lethal to mice and rats, and at 3000
mg/kg to baboons.
Treatment:
No antidote to the pharmacological activity of clopidogrel has been found. Platelet transfusion may
be used to reverse the pharmacological effects of PLAVIX when quick reversal is required.
For management of a suspected drug overdose, contact your regional Poison Control Centre.

TAVR, the new cash in for cardiologists

Aortic valve stenosis, no doubt more people will be told they have it and urged to have TAVR, transcatheter aortic value replacement.  It's the new cash in for cardiologists.  Beware, look into your options if this is proposed for you.