_______ Malverne/West HeMpstead ______
HERALD Also serving Lakeview
Vol. 31 No. 32
Town calling for less plane noise
‘The Westerners’ earn first place
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AUGUST 1 - 7, 2024
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NUMC opens new suite for mental health played an important role in the county’s health care services for decades, Meg Ryan, the The Nassau University Med- medical center’s interim presiical Center in East Meadow has dent and chief executive, said opened a newly remodeled at a ribbon-cutting ceremony mental health clinic — a state- on July 23. of-the-art facility designed to “We receive referrals from provide comprea l l ove r N a s s a u h e n s iv e m e n t a l County — the health services to courts, the correcsome of Long tional center, diviIsland’s most vulsion of social sernerable populavices,” Ryan said. tions. “It has the largest NUMC, which is training program overseen by the in Nassau County Nassau Health for both psychiatric Care Corporation, residents and psypreviously housed cholog y inter ns its mental health and externs.” facilities in the J After touring the Building, which is DR. CoNSTANTINE mental health clinone of the many IoANNoU ic in the J Building, buildings on its Ryan said she felt Chair of psychiatry, campus. The medithe hospital could Nassau University cal center and “do better.” N u H e a l t h , t h e Medical Center “It was immedihealth care netately clear to me work that the hospital is part that we could do better for our of, has provided adult outpa- patients, and we certainly tient psychiatric services to could do better for our staff,” Nassau County residents for 42 she explained. years, including comprehenThe building lacked an elesive psychiatric care and psy- vator, central air conditioning chotherapy, delivered by both and was in poor physical condipsychologists and psychiatrists. tion, and the estimated cost to The mental health clinic has Continued on page 9
By JoRDAN VAlloNE
jvallone@liherald.com
I
Courtesy Victor Bahna
a novel by Victor Bahna, who is originally from Malverne, was released on Monday. ‘Heliacal Star’ is a suspense novel that explores the dark side of horse racing.
Author aims to shed light on the dark side of horse racing By NIColE FoRMISANo nformisano@liherald.com
Victor Bahna is a tech executive, a family man and a lover of horse racing — and the Malverne native surprised even himself when he recently added “published author” to that list. “It only took me 59 years to get there,” Bahna said with a laugh. Bahna’s debut novel, “Heliacal Star,” was released by Bahna’s publishing company, Bahna Publishing, on Monday. The suspense novel already has glowing reviews from the likes of the Seattle Book Review, which gave
it five stars. The story follows a former bookie named Matt, and a horse trainer, Kristine, as they confront Matt’s past in organized crime. The story will hit particularly close to home — literally — for residents of Malverne and Elmont, because it grew out of Bahna’s love for the races at Belmont. When he was a teenager, Bahna and his friends made their way to the racetrack one day, and Bahna was immediately hooked. “Just the excitement of the race itself,” Bahna, who now lives in Washington, said. “I had not experienced anything like that Continued on page 7
think it will help us provide a better and less stigmatizing source of care for our patients.