Community Magazine January 2017

co mm unity HIGHL IGHTS The BrooklynQueens Expressway is an essential part of NewYork City traffic, transporting more than 140,000 vehicles daily. Still many drivers do all they can to avoid it, considering the potholes that line the highway and the narrow lanes that often cause accidents. At long last, these hazards are going to be repaired. The city has planned at 1.7 billion dollar project to revamp the BQE – the most expensive project ever launched by the Transportation Department of New York City. By all accounts, the money spent will be worth it. “This is one of our most vital corridors in all of New York City,” says Polly Trottenberg, the city’s Transportation Commissioner. “The city relies on it.” Construction, resulting in 21 concrete-and-steel bridges over local roads, is expected to last about 5 years. All the while, at least part of the BQE will remain open with the same number of lanes in each direction. Many people don’t know this, but colon cancer is one of the most preventable forms of illness when detected early. Through routine screenings, a healthy diet, and a bit of genetic background testing, there are many steps one can take to prevent getting the disease. On November 21 st , Medstar hosted its first Colon Cancer Awareness Night to explain to the community just how important it is to stay informed and be proactive about this kind of cancer. Over 75 people filled Medstar’s headquarters at SBH to hear lectures from four speakers, all of whom were loaded with life-saving insights. Dr. Jack Braha, D.O., spoke about the latest advances in screenings, a key to early detection. Dr Josef Shehebar, MD, FACS, FASCRS, discussed the importance of knowing your genetic history and the symptoms to look for when planning a screening. Vanessa Chalme, RD, went over the foods to shy away from, such as cold cuts, which can increase the risk of colon cancer by 18%! During the evening, attendees also heard from community member and colon cancer survivor Sherry Tawil, who shared her personal journey through the disease and the importance of getting screened early. The event was an overall success! The evening’s moderator, Dr. Khaski, did a wonderful job funneling questions from audience members to each of the speakers, questions that helped them better assess their individual risks for colon cancer and make a solid game plan for monitoring their health in the future. This winter, The Department of Sanitation will implement a new way of clearing streets during and after winter storms. Instead of primary, secondary, and tertiary streets, your street will be classified as “critical,” “sector,” or “haulster.” Critical routes are the highways, main travel thoroughfares and bus routes that contain emergency services and facilities such as hospitals, fire stations, police stations and schools. Sector routes encompass all streets that are not designated as “critical” but are wide enough to accommodate a Department of Sanitation collection truck, with an attached plow. Haulster Routes will service dead ends and streets that cannot be cleared with a collection truck or salt spreader and plow because they are too narrow. This new classification system will hopefully improve efficiency. Now that snowplows will operate on defined routes, they can get to your street sooner! For more information go to PlowNYC at maps. nyc.gov/snow/. On December 8 th , a committee of dedicated and creative volunteers transformed the home of Miriam and Manny Haber into a Middle Eastern-themed shop for SBH’s annual Autumn Marketplace. Over a dozen vendors and community-owned businesses showcased their foods and cookware, with products ranging from fresh salts, spices, teas, and Syrian delicacies, to challah, maaza , olives and candy. New Jersey’s poplar vegan restaurant, Juice Theory, even opened a pop-up at the event, as did lox and truffle vendor Black Diamond Foods. In addition to the stunning marketplace, the event featured a Chinese Auction with highly coveted prizes. They included a trip for four to the Disney Half Marathon with Team SBH, designer accessories, a MacBook, a fur, and more. Proceeds from the Marketplace benefited the Sarah Sutton, A”H , Food Pantry at SBH, which feeds thousands of people every year. BQE To Finally Be Repaired First Colon Cancer Awareness Night Hosted By Medstar Ready for Winter: The Department of Sanitation Devises A Better Way To Clean Streets After Snow Storms SBH’s Autumn Marketplace Panelists Dr. Jack Braha (L) and Dr. Joseph Shehebar with evening moderator Dr. Khaski (center). 72 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE