The animal was collected in East Hills on March 31. In 2004, 10 racoons were confirmed rabid. The first case of terrestrial rabies in the county occurred last year in a racoon from the Old Brookville area. As results, the New York State Department of Health and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), along with the county's Department of Health, launched a massive program to trap and test animals as well as to distribute the racoon rabies vaccine by hand and by helicopter. The goals was to prevent the establishment of terrestrial rabies on Long Island by capturing sick racoons and vaccinating a substantial percentage of healthy racoons.This year, the New York State Department of Health and the county are continuing to conduct a surveillance program. The county's Department of Health is continuing to collect and test animals and plans are currently being considered for another immunization program.Health Commissioner Dr. Davis M. Ackman,is asking residents to report any animal, especially racoons or opossums that are ill, dead or acting unusually, to the county's Department of Health at 571-2290. "For the safety of your family, do not attempt to feed or handle any wild animal," he said. "However, surveillance is critical for the entire county in order to determine how far the outbreak has spread." Residents are reminded that nuisance wildlife that appears to be healthy or acting normally should be referred to licensed wildlife trappers. Remember, New York State laws requires all dogs, cats and domesticated ferrets to be vaccinated against rabies. Individuals bitten or scratched by any animal should immediately contact their physicians or seek medical help at a hospital emergency room and call the Nassau County Department of Health. Additional recommendations to protect yourself and your loved ones from exposure to rabies:
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Keep domestic animals on a leash and keep livestock confined in the evenings.
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Do not touch or have contact with any animal other than your own.
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Do not touch dying or dead animals. If you must move them, use a shovel, wear heavy rubber gloves and double bag the carcass.
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Advise your family against approaching any unknown animal - wild or domestic - especially those acting in an unusual way.
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Instruct your children to tell you immediately if they were bitten or scratched by an animal.
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If a bat is found in a room where adults or children were sleeping, or if an adult enters a room and finds a bat with a child, do not release the bat, and notify the county health department immediately.
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Do not feed unknown animals and discourage them from seeking food near your home.
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Keep garbage cans tightly covered and avoid storing any food outside.
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Verify that your pets have current rabies vaccination, including dogs, cats, ferrets, livestock and horses.Rabies is a viral infection that affects the nervous system of racoons and other mammals, including humans. The disease is always fatal once clinical signs of infection occur. Vaccination will greatly decrease the chances of human and domestic animal contact with rabid racoons. Rabies is transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal. However, the virus may also be transmitted when the saliva of a rabid animal comes into contact with cut, open or scratched skin lesions.For information regarding rabies visit the department website at www.co.nassau .ny.us/health or the state website at www.state.ny.us/nydoh/zoonoses/rabies or call the Nassau County Department of Health at 571-250 or the New York State Department of Health at 474-3186 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
SNCH Community Service Plan available
South Nassau Communities Hospital's 53-page Community Service Plan, which is a report that details the hospital's mission statement, corporate structure, performance in meeting community health needs and charity care, is available to the public upon request. To obtain a free copy, call the Department of External Affairs at (516) 377-5370.
LIJ names chief operating officers
As part of a continuing effort to improve operating efficiencies and achieve greater accountability, the North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System has split its second-in-command role in two.LIJ President and CEO Michael J. Dowling has appointed Senior Vice Presidents Mark Solazzo and Charles M. Trunz III as chief operating officers of the $3.7 billion health network, which includes 15 hospitals across Long Island, Queens and Staten Island. Trunz and Solazzo had served as chief administrative officer and chief of staff respectively.Trunz will be responsible for operations at North Short University Hospital in Manhasset, LIJ Medical Center and Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park, the Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, Huntington Hospital, the health system's ambulatory care programs, information technology and clinical supplies procurement.Solazzo will be responsible for Staten Island University Hospital, the health system's community hospitals, nursing homes, real estate services, facilities designed and construction, and other healthy system-related businesses.Before joining LIJ in 2002, Trunz was a senior managing director at J.P. Morgan for more than n 20 years, where he served in numerous leadership capacities, including president of J.P. Morgan Securities, chief operating officer of its Global Markets businesses, and chief financial officer of J.P. Morgan Investment Bank. Solazzo has been with LIJ since 1995. Prior to serving as Dowling's chief of staff, he was the health system's chief administrative officer, senior vice president of network operations and senior assistant to the chief operating officer. Before joining the health system, he held a number of senior-level positions working on health and social services issues in the New York State Department of Social Services, where he worked for 15 years.
