Woman charged with assault of paramedics
SLCH is ‘ most wired ’
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our water ,” “ Say NO to PFOS from Stewart ANG Base ,” and “ Honk for clean water .”
The honking was almost non-stop during the rally . “ Water is something that all of us need ,” said King of Kings Lutheran Church Pastor Mary Lou Baumgartner , who was joined by about 50 others at the demonstration .
“ I was tested for PFOS and my numbers are high ,” said city resident Linda Schuyler , who participated in the state-sponsored blood testing program for the Newburgh region . “ I think I ’ ll be gone before it will be out of my system .”
Quassaick Creek Watershed Alliance Chairman John Gebhards explained that Recreation Pond – a stormwater retention pond next to the air base , found to have very high levels of PFOS last year – flows directly into Silver Stream . The stream flows past Washington Lake and into the Moodna Creek , which flows into the Hudson River .
“ Silver Stream , for over 100 years , has been critical to Washington Lake ,” said Gebhards . “ As long as the DoD allows polluted water from Recreation Pond and other sources into Silver Stream , we can ’ t use it ,” he said . “ We must get back to where Silver Stream is in its natural state .”
The state has spent millions of dollars on the cleanup so far , said state Assemblyman Frank Skartados . Earlier this year , Skartados added , the state announced $ 2.5 billion in funding for improvements to drinking- and clean-water infrastructure , and water-quality protections across the state .
“ You break something , you fix it ,” thundered Skartados . “ The DoD has a responsibility to make the state whole .”
At the onset of the water crisis last year , the DEC
Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , July 19 , 2017
Demonstrators rally against PFOS pollution from air base
Protesters call on the Dept . of Defense to clean up PFOS contamination at Stewart Air National Guard Base .
Continued from page 1 took immediate steps to assist the city in securing a new drinking-water source and install a filtration system to clean PFOS from Washington Lake . The state later conducted a regionwide blood testing program and is currently helping to complete a major overhaul of the city ’ s water filtration plant . To date , the DoD has taken no known remedial action related to the contamination of the watershed .
If the DoD refuses to compensate the state for the work it has performed and paid for , legal steps must be taken , Skartados said . “ If we have to bring the DoD to court , that ’ s what we ’ ll do ,” he said .
In May this year , the DEC ’ s Martin Brand said the DoD would carry out its own investigation of perfluorinatedchemical contamination at the air base this summer .
Meanwhile , the city is up against a hard deadline in the fall when the Catskill Aqueduct , its current source of drinking water , is shut down for repairs . “ The water flowing into Silver Stream must be clean at that time ,” said Riverkeeper ’ s Director of Community Engagement Sarah Womer .
The DoD can use a similar filtration system at the air base as the one next to Washington Lake , said Womer . “ We know the technology exists to filter the water ,” she said , pointing to the water tanks behind her .
In addition to cleaning up the contamination at and coming from the base , a long-term control plan for the protection of the Newburgh drinking water supply is needed , she said . “ We have a big fight still ahead of us ,” Womer said .
To comment on the Newburgh water crisis , contact the U . S . Department of Defense Public Affairs Office at 703-571-3343 or write to U . S . Department of Defense , 1400 Defense Pentagon Washington , D . C . 20301 ; for U . S . Air Force public inquiries , call 703-697-3039 .
In Brief
Woman charged with assault of paramedics
A City of Newburgh woman was arrested Monday in connection with an assault an attempted robbery involving members of the New Windsor Volunteer
Corps a day earlier .
Rebekah Hemingway , 32 was charged with attempted Robbery 1st and two counts of Assault 2nd following Sunday ’ s incident .
According to police reports , the New Windsor Volunteer Ambulance Corps responded to a call to take a woman to
Hemingway St . Luke ’ s Cornwall Hospital for
a mental-health evaluation just before 9 p . m . During the ride , it was reported that Hemingway became agitated and punched one of the two EMTs riding with her in the back of the ambulance .
She then pepper-sprayed them both as well as the driver , and tried to take over the ambulance . Ambulance Corps personnel were able to wrestle her out of the seat and detain her until the police arrived .
The Town of New Windsor Ambulance Corps personnel are expected to recover from the physical injuries sustained during this incident .
SLCH is ‘ most wired ’
For the fourth consecutive year , St . Luke ’ s Cornwall Hospital ( SLCH ) has been included on the list of Health Care ’ s Most Wired hospitals , ranking among the nation ’ s best in using information technology to improve patient care .
New tools are helping patients become more actively involved in their care and maintaining their health , according to results of the 19th Annual Health Care ’ s Most Wired ® survey , released this week by the American Hospital Association ’ s ( AHA ) Health Forum . SLCH has worked diligently to enhance its information technology infrastructure throughout the last four years , making it easier for patients , as well as providers to access necessary data in timely and convenient fashion .
“ As healthcare delivery shifts from reactive medicine to a population health model , it is vital that we bolster our technology to best meet the needs of the patients we serve ,” said SLCH President and CEO Joan Cusack-McGuirk . “ I am incredibly proud to see the advances that have been made under our current IT leadership . Through our partnership with the Montefiore Health System , we have worked to integrate our systems into the MHS model , which is one of the leading organizations in the nation for population health management . This award is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of our team .”