Oceanside/Island Park
HERALD A parade passes through O’side
I.P. schools finalize budget
A special gift at the Senior Center
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VOL. 55 NO. 22
MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2020
At MSSN, surgery makes a comeback before an operation, and that they isolate themselves from others in the days before the proceDoctors at Mount Sinai South dure. Once guidelines are met, Nassau hospital had to put off patients can undergo elective 800 to 1,000 elective surgeries to surgeries, such as hernia operatreat Covid-19 patients during tions or cosmetic procedures. the height of the pandemic. With Doctors are now scheduling cases steadily declining, howev- these and other procedures. er, the staff is starting to sched- Datta said it might take up to 10 ule the procedures. days for the hospi“At this point, tal to return to its the state has said regular daily we can proceed, schedule of elecand we are followtive procedures. ing the guidelines,” Typically, before s a i d D r. R a j iv the pandemic, Datta, chairman of MSSN doctors perthe hospital’s formed 40 surgerDepartment of Suries a day. There are gery and the medinow, on average, 15 cal director of its per day, and doccancer program. tors may be gin “It’s safe now to scheduling them at come and get these night and on weekprocedures done, ends to accommobefore an elective DR. RAJIV DATTA date all requests. surgery becomes Chairman, MSSN Elective surgeran emergency.” ies were paused to Department of Surgery ensure there were Guidelines that hospital officials enough beds, ventiurge patients to follow include lators, doctors and personal promaking sure that they are social tective equipment to treat Coviddistancing for up to 14 days 19 patients. before surgery, that they be testThe hospital is promoting a ed for Covid-19 at the hospital’s “Don’t Put Your Health on Hold” drive-through site on Washington Avenue at least three days CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
By MIKE SMOLLINS msmollins@liherald.com
Photos by Christina Daly/Herald
Remembering the fallen Paul Randazzo, of Oceanside, above, watched the Nassau County Memorial Day ceremony at Eisenhower Park Monday from his 1960 Hotchkiss-Willys M201. His father’s military unit number is on the front and back of the vehicle. Right, Alfred Ficalora, the county American Legion commander, also from Oceanside, during the playing of taps.
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t’s safe now to come and get these procedures done, before an elective surgery becomes an emergency.
Library’s $33.5M bond put to vote ‘Vision 2020’ ballots sent to Oceanside homes By MIKE SMOLLINS msmollins@liherald.com
The future of the Oceanside Library will be in the hands of residents who will vote on a proposed $33.5 million bond, known as Vision 2020, to upgrade the facility. Ballots were sent out last Friday and must be mailed in and postmarked by June 9. Tony Iovino, the library’s director of community services, said the library board met sever-
al times to discuss whether to go forward with the bond proposal amid the coronavirus pandemic, and decided it was necessary to move ahead. “We understand that this is an extremely difficult time, but we know this may be the best time financially to do it,” Iovino said. “It gives us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and is necessary to meet the needs of our public.” Iovino explained that interest
rates are projected to be lower than they were when the library board voted 7-0 to approve the project in January. He added that construction costs are expected to decline after the virus, and the plan to purchase a doctor’s office next door and turn it into a parking lot — adding about 20 spaces —could be lost if the board doesn’t move forward. The bond would fund the renCONTINUED ON PAGE 3