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WPCNR SHINING LIGHTS. Obituary from McMahon,Lyon & Hartnett Funeral Home. August 1, 2023:

Isabel Elsa Villar…

Founding Executive Director of El Centro Hispano in White Plains and a retired guidance counselor in the Norwalk, CT, school system, passed away July 12, 2023 after battling ovarian cancer for the last 15 years at the age of 74.

Born on September 23, 1948 in Cuba, she resided in White Plains for last 57 years.

Isabel immigrated to the US with her family in 1966.

Upon enrolling soon thereafter at White Plains High School, she was immediately sensitized to the problems newcomers to this country face because of the language barrier and cultural differences. Her experiences in those early years were instrumental in shaping her future vocation, her calling in life.

After receiving her B.A. in Political Science/Latin American Studies from Manhattanville College, Isabel was hired in 1972 as a bilingual middle school teacher in Norwalk, CT. In 1978 she began teaching American History, ESOL and Spanish at Brien McMahon High School.

During those years she earned three master’s degrees, from New York University, Iona College, and Long Island University as well as her license in counseling. In 1988 Isabel became a guidance counselor at Brien McMahon and a decade later founded the Brien McMahon High School Hispanic Alumni Association with the mission of having Hispanic alumni serve as role models and mentors for current students.

A devoted educator and counselor, Isabel herself was an extraordinary role model who earned the gratitude of so many students who understood that she had once walked in their shoes.

In spite of a demanding full-time job in education, Isabel wanted to do even more to help those newly arrived in this country. In 1974 she co-founded El Centro Hispano in White Plains, New York.

This community organization offers a variety of programs to Hispanic residents of White Plains and Westchester County. The programs currently offered by El Centro Hispano are changing the lives of their clients through education, technology, support services, cultural events, outreach, counseling and empowerment, and through special activities.

They include but are not limited to English as a Second Language; High School Equivalency Prep; Citizenship classes; all levels of computer classes for adults, tutorial services for children in k-12; scholarships for graduating high school students; a stipend program for college and high school students tutoring children in all our educational programs; educational and informational workshops; semimonthly food distribution; legal and Affordable Care Program assistance; free health services, as well as translation services and assistance in finding housing and looking for employment.

These programs educate and inform the immigrant community about how to exercise their rights in this country and prepare them to succeed and make a better future for themselves and their children.

From its inception in 1974 El Centro Hispano was housed at St. Bernard’s Roman Catholic Church in White Plains. The support of the parish over the years enabled the fledging organization to not only survive but to grow and flourish. When circumstances changed in early 2020, it became clear that Centro Hispano needed a new home. Even though plagued by health problems, Isabel devoted her last years to making that dream a reality.

Thanks to her vision and hard work, as well as the support of many individuals and community organizations, in June of 2022 El Centro Hispano purchased a building on Central Avenue in White Plains. Renovations took almost a year, but on June 26 2023, El Centro Hispano opened its doors and began serving the Hispanic community in its new location.

Throughout her long and distinguished career, Isabel was not only co-host of the Centro Hispano cable TV program, “El Centro Hispano Informa”, but she served on numerous committees, councils and advisory boards.

Her voice and influence reached far beyond her own community. Honored with forty-two different awards over the years, she was grateful for each and every one. A few of those that were especially meaningful to her were The Statue of Liberty Award, the Americanism Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Women of Distinction Award from the New York State Senate,

The Caring New Yorker Award from Fidelis Care New York Liberty at the Madison Square Garden arena, the Harold Fitzpatrick Community Leadership Award from the African American Men of Westchester and the Business Council of Westchester, The AJC Westchester/Fairfield Woman of Valor Award and the Westchester County Board of Legislator for her outstanding contributions and civic activities in Westchester County as the Founding Director of El Centro Hispano.

She was proud to be inducted into the White Plains High School Hall of Fame, the YWCA Hall of Fame, and the Westchester Senior Citizens Hall of Fame. A very special moment was having a section of Lexington Avenue in White Plains renamed Isabel Elsa Villar Boulevard in her honor in October of 2013.

Isabel loved life and her spirit was indomitable. No matter how busy, she still found time for her two great passions, travel and music, sometimes combining them. She traveled to 102 countries and islands, some of them more than once, and she always had her next trip lined up. Isabel had a lovely voice and enjoyed singing, sometimes accompanying herself on the piano.

She delighted wedding guests in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Spain, Italy, and here at home in New York, Connecticut and Florida with her rendition of Ave Maria, and she never missed an opportunity to sing along with street musicians wherever she was. From 1966 – 2020 she was director of the Spanish choir at St. Bernard’s Church in White Plains.

Predeceased by her parents, Elsa Sanchez and Francisco Villar, Isabel’s survivors include her brother, Dr. Frank Villar Sanchez (Dr. Celis Fernandez) and her sister, Dalia Gonzalez (Carlos). She is also survived by her nephew, Dr. Franco Villar Fernandez, nieces, Yvette and Vanessa Gonzalez, grand-nephew, Ephrain Castillo, Jr., two aunts, one uncle, and eighteen cousins.

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306 NEW CASES IN WESTCHESTER JULY 23-29,  

980 IN MONTH. UP FROM 826 IN JUNE. 

HIGHEST WEEK OF INFECTIONS IN 5 MONTHS

WPCNR COVID SURVEILLANCE. From the New York Covid Tracker. Observation and Analysis By John F. Bailey. July 31, 2023:

Westchester experienced its third consecutive week of more persons coming down with lab-verified cases of covid since declining the first week in July. The county was reported by the state with 306 cases the week of July 23-29.

Last week saw a continuation of more infections immediately after the weekend, the daily cases last week Sunday through Saturday were 28, 38, 47,37,56,46,and 54,  an average of 44 new cases a day. Westchester has not seen this consistent level of lab-verified infections since the second week of March (354)  and third week of the same month (238).

The daily AVERAGE  covid infections repoted was 5 persons per 100,000 persons last week. The population of Westchester is 1,004,000. Multiplying 5 persons times 10.04 means 50 person a day caught covid. If this  rate continues this would give Westchester  344 new cases a week, or 2,410 for the month.

There could be a number of easons for this sharp increase in the daily infection rate: People are definitely socializing more at beaches, concerts, it is summer vacation. People are hardly masking at all. They are not socially distancing. Many according to the CDC have not gotten the bivalent booster. (CDC reports only 17% of the nation have gotten the booster.

Reporting only lab-verified cases creates a false sense of confidence that the disease is spreading at a less rate than it actually is, so we are more confident not taking personal precautions.

Antigen tests (the home covid test kit)  may tell persons they are positive, but unless they have symptoms they may ignore having it verified. But and this is a big but, they may be carriers of the didease in their nose and mouth. Everytime they breathe they spread the disease.

Last week show 306 Westchester residents catching covid two weeks ago there were  212 new cases. This means those 212 spread the disease to roughly 4 pers (1.4) who in turn may spread it to 4 others per person. This Spread Rate has been the same for the past two weeks. It tells me the disease is likely to spread quicker if present behavior continues.

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District 92 | News You Can Use   National Immunization Awareness Month At this midpoint in summer—with our thoughts turning ahead to the next school year—it’s important to make sure your children are getting their annual physical check-ups and are on schedule with their routinely recommended vaccines. This is also a good time to review the recommendations for staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, as new vaccines to treat the most recent strains are expected to arrive in fall 2023. By each of us doing our part, we can minimize the spread of disease and keep our families and communities safe!     New York State Unclaimed Funds Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office has announced that New York State currently holds over $18.4 billion in unclaimed funds—money from dormant utility and bank accounts, uncashed checks, investment accounts, insurance claims, stocks and other inactive accounts. Visit www.osc.state.ny.us/unclaimed-funds to see if any of this money belongs to you.     Affordable Connectivity Program As part of the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) reduces the cost of high-speed internet. Eligible households can save on their internet bill each month and can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 on the purchase of a qualifying device. For more information and to check eligibility, visit: www.affordableconnectivity.gov.     REMINDER: Heat Advisory Now through July 29 The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory through the evening of Saturday, July 29. You can learn about staying cool and safe in the summer heat here on the NYS Dept. of Health website. ***CLICK HERE TO FIND A COOLING CENTER NEAR YOU***     Upcoming Community Events   Friday, July 28: Screening Under the Stars: DC League of Super-Pets – 5:30 PM at Kensico Dam Plaza, Valhalla Jazz at Pierson Park: Wayne Tucker & the Bad Mothas – 6:30–8 PM at Pierson Park, Tarrytown Dobbs Ferry Friday Night River Jam: Slingshots – 7–9 PM at Dobbs Ferry Waterfront Park Saturday, July 29: Untermyer World Fest 2023: Calpulli Mexican Dance Company – 6:30–7:30 PM at Samuel Untermyer Memorial Park, Yonkers Ardsley Concert in the Park: Crossfire Hurricane – 7–9 PM at Pascone Park, Ardsley Sunday, July 30: Hastings on Jazz: David Janeway Quartet – 3–5:30 PM at VFW Plaza, Hastings-on-Hudson Tuesday, August 1: National Night Out: Kickball With Cops – 4:30–8 PM at Kensico Dam, Valhalla Jazz at Horan’s Landing: Mark Morganelli & the Jazz Forum All-Stars – 6:30–8 PM at Horan’s Landing, Sleepy Hollow Hastings Free Concert: Grateful to Be Alive – 7–9 PM at MacEachron Waterfront Park, Hastings-on-Hudson Wednesday, August 2: Rivertowns Repair Café: Dobbs Ferry Library Pop-up – 3–6 PM at the Dobbs Ferry Public Library Dobbs Ferry Summer Music Series: Vanessa Falabella – 6:30–8 PM at Dobbs Ferry Waterfront Park (Jitterbug Jam Session for kids at 5:30 PM) Mt. Pleasant Summer Concert: Russ Davis – 7 PM at James M. Carroll Park, Thornwood The American Revolution in Westchester: From the Hudson to the Sound – 7 PM via Zoom with Revolutionary Westchester 250 President Constance Kehoe (register here) Saw Mill River Audubon: Shorebird ID Workshop – 7:30 PM via Zoom (register here)

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Changes in heat-related illnesses?

BY DR.KATELYN JETELINA

(REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION)

Um, it’s hot out there. Heat records are breaking all across the globe this summer.

I just spent a week in Texas, and one of my girls got sick really fast. So, naturally, I went down the epi rabbit hole of curiosity: if heat records are breaking, have heat-related illnesses (HRI) increased, too? This may seem intuitive, but some factors are decreasing risk now, too.

This is what I found.

United States

Like many things in public health, the HRI surveillance is a suboptimal patchwork of data, and only some states are reporting, creating a fragmented picture. It seems to have improved over time, which is great.

Among states reporting, in 2021, Louisiana had the highest age-adjusted rate of emergency department visits for HRI (~50 per 100,000 per year). There are substantial year-to-year fluctuations, but rates have remained relatively stable from 2006-2021.

While state data is lagged (last update was 2021), data by region is impressively available in almost real-time. 2023 is shaping up to be unique in the Midwest, with higher rates of HRI than in previous years.

Before 2021, hospitalization rates were lower than ED visits (as expected) and have remained relatively stable since 2000. However, one state stands out: Arizona.

The largest county in Arizona—Maricopa County (i.e., Phoenix)—provides a beautiful annual heat-related death report. In Maricopa County, heat deaths increased fivefold since 2015.

An increase in outside deaths largely drives this pattern. And indoor deaths are mostly among those without a working AC.

International surveillance

Last year nearly 62,000 Europeans died due to HRI. Italy, Spain, and Greece had the highest heat deaths per capita. As Nature Medicine shows below, as temperatures rose (and fell) in Europe, so did the risk of death, particularly among older populations.

But, when looking at heat-related excess death, the Lancet found that the global leader is Eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. (It’s important to note that cold-related excess deaths have increased the most recently, though.)

What’s explaining these patterns?

Like anything in public health, several factors are increasing and decreasing HRI:

Factors increasing risk

• Heat waves. 35% of heat-related deaths are during heat waves. The frequency of heat waves is increasing over time.

  

• Increased social vulnerability. In 2016, scientists attributed an unexpected increase in Arizona heat illness to a rise in homelessness. Since 2016, homelessness has steadily increased in Maricopa County, for example.
• Power outages have increased. California had a 28% increase in blackouts from 2018 to 2019. (Unclear if these were planned for wildfires or unplanned.) Texas was the state with the second more power outages. Power outages are linked to an increase in excess deaths.

Factors decreasing risk

• Better forecasting and early warning systems allow businesses, schools, and individuals to take action sooner.
• Increased air conditioning. AC use has crept up in the United States but dramatically increased around the globe. And researchers found that broader use of AC saves lives but disproportionately benefits those with higher incomes.

  

Unknown impact

• Reporting behavior. If more physicians are aware of HRI, they are more likely to categorize it as such in a patient’s chart. Over time, it will look like more HRI when, in reality, it’s a product of increased reporting. But how much this contributes to patterns we’re currently seeing is unclear.

Bottom line

A change in weather impacts population-level health. Before 2021, increases in heat-related illnesses were strikingly apparent in Arizona. But changes are becoming more apparent in other regions now. We must better adapt communities, as these illnesses and deaths are preventable.

Love, YLE

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“Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE)” is written by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, MPH Ph.D.—an epidemiologist, wife, and mom of two little girls. During the day, she is a senior scientific consultant to several organizations. At night she writes this newsletter. Her main goal is to “translate” the ever-evolving public health world so that people will be well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is free, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support this effort, subscribe below:

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