stony brook hospital – Greene Gazette

By Faith Welch

Day Two was fun! Not only did we get our assignments and get to have some amazing lectures; we were able to go out onto campus and exercise the lessons we’ve been learning about and putting them all together to formulate a package. Also…we were able to go to the TV room for the first time and hear ourselves on the mics in the podcast room, which was so much fun!

My group’s assignments consist of:

A video and text package on the “Weaving Words, Weaving Worlds: The Power of Indigenous Language in Contemporary Art” exhibit at the Zuccaire gallery. One of the most interesting things about it was that it was not open to the public yet, so we got a sneak peak into what’s to come soon. Weaving Words, Weaving Worlds isn’t just an art show; it’s a powerful reminder of how language holds culture, memory, and identity. Centered on Indigenous artists working with Algonquian languages spoken across Long Island and the Northeast, the exhibition explores how creative expression can help keep these languages alive.

Our second assignment was to go Stony Brook’s hospital and do a text story on the new announcement about how the Stony Brook University School of Nursing has been selected as a State University of New York (SUNY) Regional Nursing Simulation Center, one of only three in New York State. We spoke with the nurse practitioners, professors, the dean and even students. Through that, we learned that Stony Brook will receive a total of $20.5 million that will be used to create a new simulation center at Stony Brook that includes the latest simulation technologies to help train more nursing students and enhance the overall experience of nursing education.

Our final assignment which is being done tomorrow is a text piece about the Ditch Weekly. The Ditch Weekly is Montauk’s first-ever youth‑run, weekly print newspaper; created and published entirely by middle and high school students from the East End. Launched in summer 2024 by East Hampton High School students Billy Stern, Ellis and Teddy Rattray, and Harry Karoussos, it’s written, edited, produced, and distributed by teens aged 13–17. In an era where digital journalism is so popular, The Ditch Weekly stands out as a rare and enjoyable return to print journalism, powered by the next generation.

After all of the hard work, we went to the TV studio and learned alot of cool things about podcasting, and we got to spend some time in the booth.

Lastly we had a relaxing end to our night as we headed to the LaValle stadium and enjoyed Moana 2 at Stony Brook’s movie night.

By Gabrielle Sanders
Roosevelt High School

With the summer’s warm and really hot temperatures, it is the perfect time to go swimming. But drowning prevention advocates and Stony Brook Children’s Hospital officials urge everyone to keep an eye on children from ages 1 to 4 around bodies of water: Drowning, they say, is the No. 1 killer of kids that age in New York State and nationally.

The statistics in New York State are clear, according to Bobby Hazen, executive director of Stop Drowning Now. About 4,000 people die from drowning in the state every year. Hazen, who is also a founding member of the NY Safety Coalition, said that in addition to the alarming statistic for toddlers, water accidents are the second biggest killer of children from ages 5 to 14, behind traffic accidents.

Drownings of toddlers and young children aren’t just in pools or at beaches. This past September, two sisters, ages 2 and 4, drowned in a pond on their Holtsville apartment complex property after they had wandered from their apartment. Rescuers speculated that one child may have fallen in, and the other tried to help. In a story from CBS News, a neighbor said, “How do these things happen? That’s why they’re called tragic accidents. They have a gate. They have all the safety precautions. I’ve never seen the children left unattended.”

SUFFOLK COUNTY DROWNING PREVENTION ROUNDTABLE CONVENED TO ADDRESS COUNTY’S ALARMING RISE IN DROWNINGS. Organized by The ZAC Foundation, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, and Stop Drowning Now, Roundtable will Bring Together Water Safety Experts, Advocates, and Affected Families with the Goal of Launching the First-Ever Suffolk County Drowning Prevention Action Plan On Tuesday, July 1 from 11 AM – 12:30 PM at Stony Brook University Hospital. (7/1/25)

At Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, doctors are working to prevent child drowning. In July, the hospital organized a roundtable event with the ZAC Foundation and Stop Drowning Now, both water safety nonprofit organizations dedicated to preventing drownings, to discuss preventative measures not only in New York but also the nation as a whole.

A plan was created to educate parents, including a test of general knowledge of drowning prevention beforehand, followed by a video on what to expect, with the main goal being to inform parents so there is a higher success rate with drowning prevention.

Water safety experts recommend getting children comfortable with being near water at an early age and learning to swim. There are programs offered by local YMCAs, town pools, and commercial ventures, like Saf-T-Swim’s ABCs & Ds of Drowning Prevention, a widely recognized system of guidelines such as adults supervising their children when they are in or are around water. Swim classes for children are recommended as are life jackets for non-swimmers.

“When kids learn how to swim young, they are able to carry it when they are adults,” said Bruce Meirowitz, vice president of the Jones Beach Lifeguard Corps and president of the New York State Lifeguard Corps Chapter of United University Professionals. “You have to start somewhere.”

Day 2

Staying in the swim with drowning prevention