On March 18, 2021, representatives from Stony Brook University and AT&T joined Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. and County and Babylon Town officials to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Sheriff’s Transition and Reentry Team (START) Resource Center and announce the first community-based START Resource Center satellite location in Wyandanch, NY at the new headquarters for the non-profit Spin the Yard, Inc.

The START Resource Center offers a range of practical transitional services for people leaving the county jail, including employment assistance, connections to housing, treatment and mental healthcare, clothing, food, pandemic advice, and much more.

The START Resource Center offers a range of practical transitional services for people leaving the county jail, including employment assistance, connections to housing, treatment and mental healthcare, clothing, food, pandemic advice, and much more. 

In September, Sheriff Toulon successfully began expanding the START Resource Center into the community when he launched the Family Reunification Initiative in partnership with the Stony Brook University’s School of Social Welfare with the support of AT&T. 

“We are thrilled about this new partnership with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office,” said Jacqueline B. Mondros, Dean and Assistant Vice President for Social Determinants of Health, School of Social Welfare. “The Family Reunification Program as part of the START Resource Center will help inmates and their families deal with the multiple problems they face in the reentry to society, removing obstacles that have led to the revolving door of the prison system. Our students will be prepared with cutting edge skills to address some of the underlying issues the children of inmates face when they have an incarcerated parent. The opportunities afforded by this partnership align with the School’s mission to cultivate graduates who are grounded in social justice, human dignity and respect.”

The partnership between the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office and the Stony Brook School of Social Welfare began in July 2020 when Warren Graham, Assistant Dean for the School of Social Welfare, met with members of the Sheriff’s Office to discuss a program that would engage School of Social Welfare student interns to work with county inmates who have families residing in Suffolk County. The idea was to help improve the transition and better reunify families upon release, as well as address some of the underlying issues faced by the children of county inmates when they have an incarcerated parent.

Read the full story: https://news.stonybrook.edu/homespotlight/ssw-student-interns-are-helping-others-build-better-futures/

September 11, 2021, marked 20 years since the terrorist attacks that signify one of America’s darkest days. Since before the tragedy’s toxic dust settled, the Stony Brook World Trade Center (WTC) Health and Wellness Program has been helping make the ensuing days less dark for the survivors.

World Tarde Center Health Program Building. 

Two decades later, what started as a grassroots effort with a handful of passionate volunteers has grown into an interdisciplinary, multi-professional and multi-departmental program with federal support.

“There was a tremendous response to the attack in the days and weeks that followed,” said Benjamin Luft, director and principal investigator of the WTC Wellness Program. “Thousands of people went down to the site to help with the rescue and recovery efforts.”

At first the volume was small, but funding was secured from the Red Cross and other foundations. In 2011, just before the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, new federal funding enabled Stony Brook University Hospital to both support the existent clinical center of excellence in Islandia, NY, and establish two satellite locations, one based at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, and a second based at SUNY Downstate Medical Center for the underserved population in Brooklyn. In April 2017, the WTC Program received a transformational five-year federal grant totaling more than $60 million awarded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Later that year, the WTC Health Program Long Island Clinical Center of Excellence opened in Commack.

About 85 percent of the patients come back every year, receiving a full examination that includes physical, psychological and psychiatric evaluations. The vast majority of patients are treated for medical problems including respiratory issues, gastrointestinal issues and a very large number of cancers. Others struggle with PTSD or depression.

The program’s team takes care of all of that and looks for new health concerns that may arise as a result of exposure. In fact, the program — with a staff of 120 people, including clerks, physicians, social workers, psychologists, nurses, nutritionists, pharmacists and more — has been a leader in identifying exposures at the World Trade Center site associated with the development of cognitive problems and early dementia.

Read the full story: https://news.stonybrook.edu/university/twenty-years-on-stony-brooks-wtc-wellness-program-continues-to-serve-ground-zero-heroes/

In 2018, Carol Carter, professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, crossed paths with Stony Brook alumnus Jason Williams ’04, currently assistant director for external collaborations at the Cold Spring Harbor DNA Learning Center (CSHLC), when both served as judges in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) competitions across Long Island.

STARS students completing lab work. 

The mutual experience led to the launch of a summer camp STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math and medicine) experience directed at high school students from groups currently underrepresented in health sciences professions.

“Our intention was to arouse curiosity about science generally and to expand the pipeline of students who ultimately engage in the health science professions by reaching out to those with limited means of obtaining pertinent ‘hands-on’ opportunities,” said Carter. “In particular, we wanted to provide these students with an experience they could put on their resume that might enable greater access to research internships in colleges and universities.”

The result of their efforts – the STARS (Science, Technology and Research Scholars) Camp — is a two-week summer research experience designed to support the next generation of minority scientists, doctors, and other health professionals.

Students conduct hands-on science and computer projects and participate in enrichment activities including discussions with researchers and tours of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Stony Brook University campuses. After the two-week program concludes, students join an alumni network that links them to mentors and older STARS who encourage future research engagement and offer advice regarding college preparation, which includes school-year in-person and virtual activities.

All accepted students have the $1,200 tuition waived. In exchange, students assume a community engagement responsibility, which includes a commitment to help recruit and support future STAR scholars through the alumni network and to participate in community service. An example of a community service activity is their recent COVID-19 Community Outreach project in which students created videos to raise vaccine awareness in minority communities (https://dnalc.cshl.edu/resources/students-talk-science/ ).

“This endeavor is a perfect example of how a Cold Spring Harbor/Stony Brook collaboration can benefit the entire Long Island community,” said Carter.

Read the full story: https://news.stonybrook.edu/university/helping-underrepresented-teens-reach-for-the-stars/