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July 23, 2008

YAPHANK, NY -- In a ceremony at a county-run health center which he fought to keep from a possible sale or shutdown, Suffolk County Legislator John M. Kennedy, Jr. was presented with George W. Bush Presidential Award for Community Service in recognition of extensive work over his career for HIV and AIDS advocacy.

Well-known AIDS advocate and media personality Dale Anthony flew in from Washington, DC, on Friday to deliver the Award to Kennedy at the John J. Foley Skilled Nursing in Yaphank, where the legislator was joined by family, friends, patients, and staff.  Anthony, also founder and CEO of Dale House, a Long Island community resource center for HIV/AIDS afflicted, was appointed by President Bush to the presidential HIV/AIDS committee.

(above)  Legislator John Kennedy (r) receives the Presidential Community Service Award from Dale Anthony.

 “It’s really quite an honor, not to mention a very substantial and impressive pin,” quipped Kennedy regarding the Presidential citation.  “And I am very pleased that we could also draw attention to the very good work that is done here at the John J. Foley facility.”

 “It’s really been a team effort, with my wife Leslie, who has worked on a number of medical issues, and Dale,” said Kennedy of the years of community service work.  “I’m personally grateful for the recognition, but at the same time I want to use the recognition to put a spotlight to an issue for which there remains a serious need.”

Joined by friends, family, and staff at the Foley Nursing Facility

The Foley facility has an extensive long term HIV and AIDS care Unit, “which is second to none in Suffolk County” according to Kennedy, making it an appropriate venue for the ceremony.  Some twelve dedicated beds are never empty, he added.  Given efforts earlier this year by County Executive Steve Levy to sell or close the Foley home, however, a second purpose may have been at work.  Kennedy was one of the more outspoken lawmakers opposing Levy’s plans regarding the nursing home.

 Kennedy has known Anthony for nearly two decades, originally through a law school classmate of the legislator, and has worked with him on a number of healthcare and community service initiatives.

 Dale & Tough Talk

 In January of this year, Anthony announced the launching of the Dale House Community Resource Center and its 24-hour Hotline (1-866- 769-3005), an addition to his media efforts through Tough Talk Media, Inc.

 “Our goal is to spread the message of HIV/AIDS prevention in an effort to help stem the tide of this dreadful epidemic which is devastating all communities,” he said.

“We have a special focus on saving the lives of our youth populations, which represent a high percentage of new HIV/AIDS cases.  We also aim to address the peripheral concerns surrounding this epidemic, such as social, economic, and political issues.  Tough Talk Media is committed to continuously alerting and educating the community at large,” he wrote on his website.

 The Tough Talk host describes himself as a “model, actor, television/radio director.”  Assisting him in his endeavor is his sister and co-host, Rebe, and an “experienced team of community-minded individuals who help to present the show beyond the common talk show formats.”

Tough Talk has enlarged its viewership to encompass audiences throughout the New York Metropolitan area.  Viewed weekly in five boroughs, the combined reach includes approximately 2.5 million households across a total of 11 states on the East coast.

            “I am committed to penetrating viable information to our nation, our communities, and our youth that are rapidly becoming victims of this devastating epidemic,” said Anthony.

 Ongoing AIDS Epidemic

 According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), HIV/AIDS has claimed the lives of over 500,000 Americans.  Currently, about one million Americans are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and roughly 25% of those infected are unaware of their infection.

 New York State reported to the CDC a cumulative 172,377 cases of AIDS from the beginning of the epidemic through December 2005.  In fact, New York ranked highest among the 50 states in number of reported AIDS cases in 2005, according to a federal compilation of state profiles (NCHHSTP State Profiles), including statistical data on HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB for all fifty states and Washington, DC, as of September 2007.

 In 2006 alone, the estimated number of cases of AIDS in the United States and dependent areas was 37,852.  Of these, adult and adolescent AIDS cases totaled 36,790 with 26,989 cases in males and 9,801 cases in females, and 38 cases estimated in children under age 13 years.  These numbers do not represent reported case counts, notes the CDC.  Rather, these numbers are “point estimates,” which result from adjustments of reported case counts.

AIDS Cases by Top 10 States/Dependent Areas

The 10 states or dependent areas reporting the highest number of AIDS cases were:

 Foley Nursing Facility

 The John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility was a state-of-the-art long-term care and sub-acute rehabilitation facility when originally constructed in 1995.  More recently, an extensive, $4.5 million expansion was completed in 2006 to enhance the already substantial physical rehabilitation capabilities.  The expansion also nearly doubled the number of participants that could be accommodated in its Adult Day Health Care Program.

(right)  Dale Anthony and Legislator Kennedy at the Foley facility entrance.

 With separate wings extending from a central core, the five-story structure sits on landscaped grounds that include a year-round gazebo and a special walking garden for our Alzheimer’s/Dementia residents.  Residential rooms are spacious, with ample opportunities for the kind of personalization that makes residents “feel like home,” according to the facility’s website.  Large windows provide views of Suffolk’s protected Pine Barrens nearby.

 The Shutdown Rationale

 County Executive Levy outlined his rationale for selling, leasing or closing the John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility—actions that he and some members of the County Legislature were considering to address the county’s estimated 2009 budgetary shortfall.  Levy expressed confidence that patients at the nursing facility can get equal or better care at private facilities and that county taxpayers are paying to run a facility that is now obsolete.

 “So much has changed since the 1800s, when the home was first developed as an almshouse for the poor, aged and destitute.  It is a whole different world today,” Levy explained

“It makes no sense to continue having Suffolk taxpayers pay for the care of Medicaid-eligible residents when the same level of care and service can be provided by private facilities at essentially no cost to Suffolk taxpayers,” he stated.

             The Legislature has thwarted the plans for the time being.

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