In Melrose and Morrisania — what were once villages and now part of the then recently formed Bronx County in 1914 and part of New York City — 7 breweries were spread throughout the area within about 18 blocks of each other at the turn of the 20th century.
As I write this and look out my window, right behind my building, I see the houses and buildings that sit where once the Haffen Brewery sat on 152nd Street between Melrose and Courtlandt Avenues.
The Haffen Brewery was in existence since 1850 while Melrose was just an unincorporated village in Westchester County and belonged to the parents of Louis F. Haffen, The Bronx’s first borough president (served from 1898 – 1909) who was born and raised in the village that would eventually become the center of civic life of a new found county and borough of the City of New York.
Also in Melrose, just a few blocks away along St. Ann’s Avenue between 156th Streets and 161st were two breweries right next to each other: Ebling’s Brewery (the largest of the bunch) and Hupfel’s Brewery.
The only brewery that survived (at least the structure) Prohibition was Hupfel’s. It still stands today but sitting in the middle of a block cut off from the modern world. The building, as decayed as it is, is still a fixture in Melrose.Hupfel’s Brewery as it appeared in 1869 in the Village of Melrose. / Image Credit Unknown
Further up north, entering Morrisania, along Third Avenue you had a total of 3 on between 168th Street and 169th Street — Mayer’s Brewery, North Side Brewery, and Eichler’s Brewery. One more block north at 170th Street you had Zeltner’s Brewery.
Once Prohibition started, the breweries began to falter. Hupfel’s went into the mushroom farming business. North Side Brewery, Haffen’s, and Mayer’s closed shop as did Zeltner’s years down the road and only three of the remaining breweries at the time continued to brew beer but only at the allowable .5% alcohol (Ebling’s, Eichler’s, and Mayer’s). It was an end of an era and a way of life for so many Bronxites who’s livelihoods depended on the beer industry.
5 years ago I was fortunate enough to explore the old network of beer caves that ran underneath Melrose which were used to keep the beer at the perfect temperatures all year round. Unfortunately with the construction of the mega-development of St. Ann’s Terrace, the Ebling beer caverns and caves were filled in to build the 800 unit complex. Local legend has it that the network of caves went far beyond the breweries themselves and were used to move real beer in the black market under Prohibition but alas, those rumors have not been verified. Considering how far they went out, it wouldn’t be surprising.
The old Ebling Beer caves were rediscovered a little over 5 years ago when construction began on St. Ann’s Terrace. Now they are no more as they were all collapsed and filled in.The old Ebling Beer caves, now long gone as they were collapsed and filled in to construct St. Ann’s Terrace.
95 years later after Prohibition destroyed a way of life in this corner of The Bronx, our borough is brewing yet again.
Top 5 Reasons Why Growing Up In The Bronx Was Awesome!
Growing up in New York City is an experience unlike any other. Growing up in the Bronx, in NYC, is an entirely different experience unto itself. There is the good, and there is the bad in it. You will have some amazing experiences, and some that are best forgotten.
Today I will be sharing with you 5 of the most awesome things about growing up in the Bronx, right here in New York City.
Friendships and lifelong bonds
One of the greatest and coolest things about growing up in the South Bronx, in the 90s, were the bonds and friendships that you made. There would be hundreds of kids living in the same building, across the street, up the block, down the block. We all attended the same schools, played at the same arcades, and shopped at the same bodegas for those 25 cent “little hug” flavored waters!
Quarter waters!
With that many kids in such a small radius, you were bound to encounter some really cool kids, as well as some not so cool kids. But one of the coolest aspects of growing up in that “hood” environment, was definitely the friendships that one would make.
All that being said, in no particular order, here are five awesome things that we used to do growing up in the South Bronx!
Number one: Gaming!
Yes, gaming! Before online gaming was a thing, we’d actually play together, in person! Can you believe that concept? We would all grab our game controllers, grab our games, and head over to one of buddy’s houses for hours of gaming. This is the way it was done back in the days. To this very day, this is one of the things I truly miss most about that time period. There was nothing like waking up that saturday morning, and spending the day hanging out with your friends beating each other’s butt in video games.
On a side note, I have been trying to set up a game night with some of my buddies for some time now. So far it has been postponed a few times, and has yet to happen. Isn’t that sad? So much planning and ceremony, just to get together with some friends and play a freaking video game. Yes, this is definitely one of the things I miss most from back then. It saddens me that my son will never truly experience this part of growing up in the hood. However, we had to forego this, in order to forego the negative aspects that we were protecting him from. Such is life.
Number two: Communication.
Back in those days we did not have texting, we did not have cell phones, and we weren’t allowed to use the home phone a lot. We didn’t have any computers, email, or social media, none of that existed back then. I bet that you younger people who have grown up with this technology are probably scratching your heads right now wondering how the hell did we communicate?
Well, let me tell you kids, even I have become extremely dependent on email, social media, and all of the other modern methods of communication. I love them, and I’m not sure how I would survive without them today. However, I have not forgotten the way we used to do it back then. It was quite simple, if you wanted to hang out with Stefano, you would go to your window, if it happened to face the same direction as Stefano’s, or you’d have to go downstairs by their window, and then scream their name.
STEFANO! YO STEFANO!!!! COME OUTSIDE!
Back in those days that’s how we communicated. You go to the window, and you scream for them. Then your friend would show up and you could plan your day while screaming at each from the window. In some cases the parent of your friend, or one of your other lovely neighbors from the block would stick their head out the window and tell you to shut the hell up and stop screaming like animals because they were trying to sleep. On those occasions we would try and actually use the phone, but that was extremely rare.
Number three: Hanging in front of the building.
I don’t know if this is still safe to do. When I go to my old neighborhood, I do see kids hanging outside and playing. So I do believe it still happens, but I don’t see that around here. That is strictly a hood thing. These kids in this quasi suburban neighborhood will never know this awesomeness.
There was nothing as awesome as simply just hanging out with your buddies playing tag, talking crap, watching the pretty girls walk by, snapping on each other and making jokes all day. Just having a grand ole time.
Now, hanging out in front of the building could become unpleasant when the bad kids came around. It was a dangerous place to be when shootouts would happen, and on occasion when the police felt like doing a raid, if you happened to be there you’d probably end up with your hands against the wall. However, even with all that this was definitely one of the most awesome perks of growing up in the hood. It was definitely one of the few things that I would consider a perk of the hood, hanging out with your buddies in front of the building just kicking it.
Number four: Cruising!
Basically my little group would all get together with skateboards, bikes, scooters or whatever rideable device you had at the time. We would coordinate and then we’d go riding to other neighborhoods where there was less car traffic.
A whole bunch of us would ride our bikes down the block, and across Jerome avenue. We used to go to this one place we called “Peace Land.” In hindsight, this wasn’t a very safe area for young kids, but it was sort of like an industrial space. We called the area “Peace land” because it was so desolate and seemed somewhat peaceful. The area was very quiet, there were maybe one or two houses, and the people there never really bothered us. The rest of the space was occupied by lots, factories and a few small businesses. It was a nice, quiet road where we could ride our bikes mostly uninterrupted by oncoming traffic.
(Inwood Avenue in the Bronx. Google maps shows me that this area is much, much busier now. Weak sauce!)
On the next block over we had this other spot we called “Doggie biscuit.” This side housed a bunch of mailing and what I think were garbage trucks. I think they used to go park there. The reason we call this one “Doggie biscuit,” is because every time we went there and rolled by on our bicycles we would get chased out by the local guard dogs.
I still remember the time that one of my friends lost his balance and fell of his bike. He was crazy, and stood there fighting off the dogs with his bike! That was absolutely hilarious, but it showed us all that this kid had some balls on him. I think he eventually made the dogs go away, and he walked out with his head held up high. He wasn’t scared, or at least he didn’t let on that he was scared.
(Cromwell Avenue in the Bronx. Google map shows that there is a”Cubesmart” there now. LOL. Garbage trucks still sleep there though.)
One block further in and you had what we called “Killer hill” and “Snake Mountain.” This is probably the steepest hill I had ever seen in the area at that point. Only later in life when visiting San Francisco, and even here in NYC did I find steeper hills. However, to my young mind, this was a killer hill! Anyway, we would walk our bikes to the top of the hill, get on the road and then ride down at full speed! We’d come to the bottom and then merge into the four-lane highway which we had named “Snake Mountain” because it had so many twists and turns.
Thinking back to this time, we are so very lucky that we didn’t get killed back then. (This was Edward L Grant Highway, and the hill was on West 169th Street.) Seriously, we are lucky we didn’t get killed! As a parent today, I can’t imagine my son doing this, the danger was immeasurable.
This is the top of Killer Hill.
The bottom of Killer Hill connects to a 4 lane highway. What where we thinking?
I remember this one time one of my buddies lost control of his bike and he couldn’t make the turn from killer hill into snake Mountain. So he ended up going across Snake Mountain with cars coming from the left and the right! Dude just went straight across a four lane highway! The fact that this guy did not get hit and killed by a car that day was absolutely miraculous.
The downside of Cruising.
You may be wondering how cruising can go bad? It’s quite simple, sometimes we’d get a flat tire while we were far away from home, and we’d have to walk the bike’s back. Of course at that point you now increase the risk of getting robbed for your bike. The thugs were always trying to steal our bikes, and if you couldn’t ride the bike to get away, you had a greater chance of getting caught.
The most memorable time for me was at Crotona Park. I was much younger, and naive. I was invited to hang out with a group of kids, so I joined them. Next thing I knew, I was surrounded, had a knife put to my neck, and I was getting punched and kicked. That day, they succeeded and stole my very cool bike. I still remember my family running over with cooking knives, ready to fight. LOL. They were long gone by then, those kids were bigger, faster, and apparently quite skilled at riding a bike with one hand, and carrying a stolen one with the free hand. Ahh, the future prison population!
I remember another time I was riding my bike while the Grand Concourse was closed off for bicyclists, and some guys started launching tree branches at me trying to get me to fall off my bike. By then I was a bit older, and wiser. Though the branch hurt, and I did stumble, realizing that I was in their hood, and greatly outnumbered, I didn’t stop. I kept going and I managed to get away from the punks.
Another time one of the guys from my own block was trying to steal the inner tubes from my bike! I let him borrow my bike for a “ride.” It was quite common to have someone say “Yo, let me get a ride.” He was gone for a while, which wasn’t uncommon with this particular person. He was one of the local bullies, and I figured it was best to comply rather than risk having him or his gang steal it from me. So I was going to go home for a while and come back later, when I entered the building, the freaking guy was emptying my tires attempting to switch my functional inner tubes with his broken tubes. I took my bike back and walked away, I couldn’t do anything to him, like I said, he kind of ran the block.
So all that is what we used to call “cruising.”
Number five: Going on “adventures.”
This was kind of like the movie “Stand by me,” but the ghetto version. For instance sometimes we would take the long treacherous walk from 169th St. and the Grand Concourse over to Highbridge pool in Manhattan. To get there you would have to walk on highways, and cross bridges, and we would do all that on foot. Times were so different back then!
There is a bridge called High Bridge, it was out of service back then but has since reopened to pedestrians.
Baron Ambrosia walks across The High Bridge on the day of its reopening.
However, back in those days, it was closed. Now that didn’t stop some creative individuals from using supermarket carts to build a pathway in from the Bronx side of the bridge! You would cross the bridge, and then on the other side someone had tied some ropes so that we could get over the barricades and wall that they built.
Understand the magnitude of what I’m telling you. We were teens, unarmed, during a time when cell phones were unheard off. We used to cross an abandoned bridge to get to High bridge pool. This was an area where you were pretty much isolated from main society once you were in there.
When I think back to that, and consider the risk and danger that we put ourselves in, its mind-boggling to me. I can’t believe that I made it out of there unscathed! Not only did I climb the rope, I remember hanging from it upside down, and making faces! Imagine if that thing snapped and I fell! I’d be done! Not to mention that we could have gotten jumped, robbed, raped, thrown off the bridge and no one would know what happened! At least not until a fisherman found us!
Another dangerous activity that we used to take part in during our adventures was rooftop jumping. We used to go to a roof and make our way over to the other building’s roof. Sometimes they were connected and you could just climb down from one side to the other, and other times there was a gap and you’d have to jump.
I remember one time we jumped from one roof which was higher, and we dropped really hard on the other rooftop! The picture above shows the actual buildings I’m talking about, take a look. So the guy who lived on the sixth floor came upstairs with a weapon screaming and threatening us because we were messing up his chandeliers while jumping. I wonder how that fool would do with my current noisy neighbors! Back then you’d stab a motherfreaker, today we write letters to coop boards! SMH.
On a side note, apparently they are leaving this Friday, I’m counting the days! Interestingly enough, I just heard screaming in the hallway, followed by banging, guess who just walked into their apartment? Right now I’m blasting “Home” by Daughtry to drown out their incessant noise. This is an appropriate song considering I’m writing about my old home.
One of my buddies actually fell down six stories from a rooftop. Thankfully, this dude is still around today! We can laugh and joke about those days, but there was nothing funny about falling from a roof. My man is extremely lucky to be alive today. In fact, considering some of the things that we used to do, many of us are lucky to be alive today.
No awesome growing up in the Bronx column could be complete without talking about the POMPA!
The fire hydrant provided us with much needed cooling down during those hot summer days. I also recall drivers would stop in front of it to get a quick wash! Not everyone was happy with this practice though, clearly we were wasting water, and the water pressure in the buildings would become very low because of this. Many a time we had the cops and firemen called on us, and other times one of the tenants would just curse us out from the window and make us close the hydrant.
Most of these stories I’m sharing with you took place while we were still relatively young, and for the most part we were still innocent kids. Though inevitably life did become more complicated as we got older, and things started to change. Some of us moved to new neighborhoods, and though we tried to remain close, friendships are affected by distance. Thankfully I am still in touch with most of my close friends from that era, and thankfully most of us went on to lead safe and productive adult lives.
These few personal experiences that I have just shared with you are some of the awesome experiences I had growing up in the hood. This was the South Bronx back in the 90s.
If you have any memories or stories that you would like to share with us, please do so in the comments and we will share any outstanding ones in a future post.
Angel Rodriguez has been seen on HLN, NatGeo, MTV, NY1, Bronxnet, MNN, WND, and many popular online sites. Angel is a U.S Air Force Veteran, Political Columnist, Musician, Former MMA Fighter, Foodie, and Host of The Hidden Report Talk Show.
Come one, come all and meet your new furry little friend! New Beginnings Animal Rescue is holding a big adoption event this Saturday January 17th from 1-4PM to help these beautiful, and loving critters find forever homes and someone to give them all the loving they need! Oh and you also get to have some great Morris Perk Coffee which will be privately sponsored by a kind donor!
Check out some of these beautiful animals, how could you say no to these faces?
️Tiny is 5lbs of <3Jenny has lived at NYCs Top Dog for a long time. She needs a patient person who loves terriers and will give her time to decompress from shelter life. Not ready to adopt but want to help? Sponsor Jenny using the link below. https://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/26953066/Have you read the recent Daily News article about the pair of dogs tossed from a truck? Here is Jay, a beautiful male spaniel-Bassett mix, who was shaken up but otherwise unharmed. He’s a sweet young dog who would thrive in an active home.Guardian is a long time resident at Top Dog. Too long! He is popular amongst the volunteers but he needs time to really warm up to someone. Guardian loves his time out of the cage and walks well on the leash. He needs time and patience and a quiet home so he can be the happy dog we know he can be.Maple is a sweet young girl who could barely sit still to have her photo taken. Come meet Maple on Saturday!Charlie needs her angel. Charlie is a year old and is about 15lbs. She is friendly and shy but likes to guard her bones!
New Beginnings Animal Rescue is located at 2515 Newbold Avenue in The Bronx:
Scaffolding is already going up around the Old Bronx Courthouse in preparation for major exterior cleaning, installation of windows and renovations to the ground and second floors.
Today we received word from Henry Weinstein, the owner of the landmark Old Bronx Courthouse, who confirmed that not only are major renovations underway at the treasured building in Melrose but it will be the host of a major exhibition by the organization No Longer Empty.
You may recall that 3 years ago this coming April, No Longer Empty held ‘This Side of Paradise’ at the Andrew Freedman home. Those who were there for that opening night remember that the place was packed and attendance was well over 1,000 individuals including Academy Award Winner Adrien Brody who’s mother, photojournalist Sylvia Plachy was one of the dozens of artists and organizations exhibiting at the event. Plachy had a connection to the Andrew Freedman Home when she documented its residents during the summer of 1980 for the Village Voice.
The impact that that event had at the then underutilized landmark is still felt today as the Andrew Freedman Home has become a major cultural center hosting dozens of exhibitions, plays, and the first ever Bronx Fashion Week.
One of the many works of art from No Longer Empty’s ‘This Side of Paradise’ at the Andrew Freedman home in April 2012.
No Longer Empty’s mission is to activate, “…public engagement with contemporary art through curated, community-responsive exhibitions and education programs that revive underutilized properties.”
The organization goes on to say:
“No Longer Empty works with internationally recognized curators to feature established artists alongside emerging artists. The synthesis of community interviews and site research drives the curatorial theme and revives the history of buildings. The curatorial premise and the physical realities of the site provide artists with an alternative to today’s art world status quo, allowing them to expand their practice through site commissioned work.
No Longer Empty presents art in environments that are free and accessible to all. Our collaborative cultural and educational programming strengthen community links and bolster a vibrant cultural landscape. Harnessing the opportunity of interim use, we act as a catalyst and a model for building resilience and opportunity for all members of the community.
At the heart of the experience is community engagement. Our presence in each neighborhood focuses on encouraging local participation and attracting new visitors to the neighborhood. We nourish and build relationships with the people that come to our exhibitions, the community around our activities, and the artist community we form around us. “
One of the many works of art from No Longer Empty’s ‘This Side of Paradise’ at the Andrew Freedman home in April 2012.
As far as the Old Bronx Courthouse goes, scaffolding is already going up around the structure as Weinstein begins the process of restoring the exterior to its former glory. “I’ve ordered the windows already, and the exterior will undergo a major cleaning,” Weinstein told Welcome2TheBronx earlier today.
Lady Justice (who in this case ISN’T blind as she’s without a blindfold) is being protected as work on the exterior begins.
Other work that will be done on the property will be repointing the exterior, knocking open the sealed up windows and installing the new ones and renovations to the ground floor and second floor to accommodate the exhibition.
As for more information on No Longer Empty’s exhibition, we’ll provide that as soon as we get it so stay tuned!
One of the many works of art from No Longer Empty’s ‘This Side of Paradise’ at the Andrew Freedman home in April 2012.One of the many works of art from No Longer Empty’s ‘This Side of Paradise’ at the Andrew Freedman home in April 2012.
One of the many works of art from No Longer Empty’s ‘This Side of Paradise’ at the Andrew Freedman home in April 2012.One of the many works of art from No Longer Empty’s ‘This Side of Paradise’ at the Andrew Freedman home in April 2012.
From the Wall Street Journal: Yahaira Ramos, 6, and her parents, Priscilla Ramos, right, and Jonathan Sirera Jr. with pediatric psychologist Dana Crawford at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, N.Y. Yahaira, after coming in for a pediatric appointment, was seen by Dr. Crawford and later a psychiatrist for ADHD-related behavior. BRIAN HARKIN FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
The Wall Street Journal reports that Montefiore Medical Center in The Bronx is at the forefront on how access to mental health care for children is approached and will be the largest program of its kind in the country.
Susan Blumenthal, MD, former US Surgeon General as well as Public Health Editor at The Huffington Post wrote the following with Deepa Kannappan (who at the time was an undergraduate at Stanford University):
Despite the prevalence of mental illness, the stigma is so profound that many consider mental health problems to be the result of personal character flaws rather than real illnesses, like heart disease or diabetes. Addressing mental illness as a serious 21st-century public health challenge means:
Focusing on specific age, racial/ethnic and gender-related risk factors
Improving public education and reducing stigma so that more people are willing and able to seek help
Strengthening the role of primary care doctors in screening for mental illness and referring patients to mental health professionals
Creating a comprehensive therapeutic approach that combines culturally competent, psychotherapeutic approaches with medication, if indicated.
Providing parity for health insurance coverage for mental illness
The study revealed that out of 281,629 children between the ages of 5-17, an estimated 56,326 had any mental health disorder and half of that group, 28,163 were estimated to have serious emotional disturbances.
In conversations with Jonathan Giftos, MD, a primary care physician at Montefiore’s Comprehensive Health Care Clinic (CHCC) on 161st and Park Avenue in Melrose said of the integrated care model, “At the end of the day, expanding access to and quality of mental health services is pivotal to improving health outcomes in all communities. This is especially true in the Bronx, where there is a shortage of mental health providers — especially Spanish-speaking ones — in many neighborhoods.”
Dr. Giftos added that, “In my experience, the integrated care model reduces logistical barriers, allows for a warm hand-off in clinic between the doctor and mental health provider, and facilitates teamwork necessary to holistically address the patients’ physical and mental health concerns.”
The Wall Street Journal reports further on the issue and Montefiore:
It is little wonder that only about 1 in 5 children with diagnosable mental-health problems gets treatment.
Now, more pediatricians are embedding mental-health professionals into their practices, where they can help spot problems early, provide care fast or reassure parents that a child’s behavior is normal.
Integrated care, as it is called, has other advantages: Pediatricians often see patients annually for a decade or more and follow families closely. If issues arise, instead of giving parents a referral, they can do a “warm handoff,” personally introducing them to a therapist down the hall. In some practices, mental-health professionals evaluate patients and devise treatment plans that pediatricians or nurses carry out.
Currently, it often takes eight to 10 years from when symptoms are first noticed before children get care for mental-health issues, says Gregory Fritz, president-elect of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, which endorses integrated care. By combining forces with primary-care doctors, “the potential to intervene early and make a lifelong difference is huge,” he says.
Watch Wall Street Journal’s Video on the topic:
There is growing recognition that many mental-health problems start in childhood; half of all adult cases had symptoms before age 14, according to government surveys. Although data is limited, many experts believe giving children and families the skills to address issues such as anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder early on can foster resilience and head off more severe problems later.
“Everything starts somewhere. That full-blown anxiety disorder where the child can’t go to school started three years earlier with him chewing on his shirt,” says Rahil Briggs, director of Pediatric Behavioral Health at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y.
Dr. Briggs oversees what will be the largest integrated-care program in the country. Montefiore is making mental-health services available in all 19 of its pediatric clinics, which serve more than 90,000 children.
Screenings for mental-health and developmental problems, in the form of questionnaires for parents, are part of every well-child visit at Montefiore. From birth to age 4, questions focus on social and emotional issues, signs of autism and communication and motor skills. “That’s where we work really intensely. Toxic stress at that age can actually change the architecture of the developing brain,” says Dr. Briggs.
Parents of newborns are asked about their own childhood experiences, which studies show can impact parenting skills. They are offered counseling as needed.
School-age children are screened for attention difficulties, internalized issues such as anxiety and depression, and externalized problems that affect behavior and conduct. Parents complete the surveys until children reach age 12; adolescents and teens complete their own.
Roughly 20% of Montefiore’s young patients screen positive for some issue, which the pediatrician explores further. “Not all those kids need treatment. Some might just need to take a deep breath before a quiz,” Dr. Briggs says.
If the situation warrants further investigation, the doctor may suggest the family speak with a social worker, psychologist or psychiatrist experienced with the issue. After an assessment, the behavioral-health team may decide a patient with severe problems needs specialized treatment elsewhere. But most care can be provided at the pediatric clinic.
Dr. Briggs’ team has developed short-term treatment protocols for addressing anxiety, depression, attention difficulties, conduct disorders and mild trauma in four to six sessions each. “That’s very different from how most mental-health professionals are trained,” she says. “But if we are providing long-term care, we won’t get to even a fraction of those that need help.”
Yahaira Ramos, 6 years old, showed clear signs of attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder, or ADHD, at a well-child visit at Montefiore last fall. She has since met with psychologist Dana Crawford four times, learning some rules for behavior and skills to handle frustrations, and she has started on medication prescribed by psychiatrist Jason Herrick.
Her parents say the difference in Yahaira is striking. “Her teacher said she’s moved up three reading levels since September,” said her mother, Priscilla Ramos, as her daughter quietly made clay sculptures during a visit to Montefiore last week.
Dr. Crawford says she will probably do two more sessions with Yahaira. “I don’t believe therapy has to take 25 years,” she says. Dr. Herrick will remain available to consult and says Yahaira’s pediatrician can help manage her medicines going forward.
From the Wall Street Journal: Yahaira Ramos, 6, and her parents, Priscilla Ramos, right, and Jonathan Sirera Jr. with pediatric psychologist Dana Crawford at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, N.Y. Yahaira, after coming in for a pediatric appointment, was seen by Dr. Crawford and later a psychiatrist for ADHD-related behavior. BRIAN HARKIN FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
The Wall Street Journal reports that Montefiore Medical Center in The Bronx is at the forefront on how access to mental health care for children is approached and will be the largest program of its kind in the country.
Susan Blumenthal, MD, former US Surgeon General as well as Public Health Editor at The Huffington Post wrote the following with Deepa Kannappan (who at the time was an undergraduate at Stanford University):
Despite the prevalence of mental illness, the stigma is so profound that many consider mental health problems to be the result of personal character flaws rather than real illnesses, like heart disease or diabetes. Addressing mental illness as a serious 21st-century public health challenge means:
Focusing on specific age, racial/ethnic and gender-related risk factors
Improving public education and reducing stigma so that more people are willing and able to seek help
Strengthening the role of primary care doctors in screening for mental illness and referring patients to mental health professionals
Creating a comprehensive therapeutic approach that combines culturally competent, psychotherapeutic approaches with medication, if indicated.
Providing parity for health insurance coverage for mental illness
The study revealed that out of 281,629 children between the ages of 5-17, an estimated 56,326 had any mental health disorder and half of that group, 28,163 were estimated to have serious emotional disturbances.
In conversations with Jonathan Giftos, MD, a primary care physician at Montefiore’s Comprehensive Health Care Clinic (CHCC) on 161st and Park Avenue in Melrose said of the integrated care model, “At the end of the day, expanding access to and quality of mental health services is pivotal to improving health outcomes in all communities. This is especially true in the Bronx, where there is a shortage of mental health providers — especially Spanish-speaking ones — in many neighborhoods.”
Dr. Giftos added that, “In my experience, the integrated care model reduces logistical barriers, allows for a warm hand-off in clinic between the doctor and mental health provider, and facilitates teamwork necessary to holistically address the patients’ physical and mental health concerns.”
The Wall Street Journal reports further on the issue and Montefiore:
It is little wonder that only about 1 in 5 children with diagnosable mental-health problems gets treatment.
Now, more pediatricians are embedding mental-health professionals into their practices, where they can help spot problems early, provide care fast or reassure parents that a child’s behavior is normal.
Integrated care, as it is called, has other advantages: Pediatricians often see patients annually for a decade or more and follow families closely. If issues arise, instead of giving parents a referral, they can do a “warm handoff,” personally introducing them to a therapist down the hall. In some practices, mental-health professionals evaluate patients and devise treatment plans that pediatricians or nurses carry out.
Currently, it often takes eight to 10 years from when symptoms are first noticed before children get care for mental-health issues, says Gregory Fritz, president-elect of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, which endorses integrated care. By combining forces with primary-care doctors, “the potential to intervene early and make a lifelong difference is huge,” he says.
Watch Wall Street Journal’s Video on the topic:
There is growing recognition that many mental-health problems start in childhood; half of all adult cases had symptoms before age 14, according to government surveys. Although data is limited, many experts believe giving children and families the skills to address issues such as anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder early on can foster resilience and head off more severe problems later.
“Everything starts somewhere. That full-blown anxiety disorder where the child can’t go to school started three years earlier with him chewing on his shirt,” says Rahil Briggs, director of Pediatric Behavioral Health at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y.
Dr. Briggs oversees what will be the largest integrated-care program in the country. Montefiore is making mental-health services available in all 19 of its pediatric clinics, which serve more than 90,000 children.
Screenings for mental-health and developmental problems, in the form of questionnaires for parents, are part of every well-child visit at Montefiore. From birth to age 4, questions focus on social and emotional issues, signs of autism and communication and motor skills. “That’s where we work really intensely. Toxic stress at that age can actually change the architecture of the developing brain,” says Dr. Briggs.
Parents of newborns are asked about their own childhood experiences, which studies show can impact parenting skills. They are offered counseling as needed.
School-age children are screened for attention difficulties, internalized issues such as anxiety and depression, and externalized problems that affect behavior and conduct. Parents complete the surveys until children reach age 12; adolescents and teens complete their own.
Roughly 20% of Montefiore’s young patients screen positive for some issue, which the pediatrician explores further. “Not all those kids need treatment. Some might just need to take a deep breath before a quiz,” Dr. Briggs says.
If the situation warrants further investigation, the doctor may suggest the family speak with a social worker, psychologist or psychiatrist experienced with the issue. After an assessment, the behavioral-health team may decide a patient with severe problems needs specialized treatment elsewhere. But most care can be provided at the pediatric clinic.
Dr. Briggs’ team has developed short-term treatment protocols for addressing anxiety, depression, attention difficulties, conduct disorders and mild trauma in four to six sessions each. “That’s very different from how most mental-health professionals are trained,” she says. “But if we are providing long-term care, we won’t get to even a fraction of those that need help.”
Yahaira Ramos, 6 years old, showed clear signs of attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder, or ADHD, at a well-child visit at Montefiore last fall. She has since met with psychologist Dana Crawford four times, learning some rules for behavior and skills to handle frustrations, and she has started on medication prescribed by psychiatrist Jason Herrick.
Her parents say the difference in Yahaira is striking. “Her teacher said she’s moved up three reading levels since September,” said her mother, Priscilla Ramos, as her daughter quietly made clay sculptures during a visit to Montefiore last week.
Dr. Crawford says she will probably do two more sessions with Yahaira. “I don’t believe therapy has to take 25 years,” she says. Dr. Herrick will remain available to consult and says Yahaira’s pediatrician can help manage her medicines going forward.
ScoutingNY thinks New York City’s prettiest subway station is in The Bronx and we wholeheartedly agree with him! I mean who doesn’t love that beauty of a station at E 180th Street on the 2 and 5 IRT line? Most people just pass right along on their train ride and if you’ve never gotten off here you would never imagine at the gorgeous structure that serves as the station.
ScoutingNY says:
“One of the things I love most about New York City’s prettiest subway station is the way it unexpectedly appears out of nowhere. As you’re heading east along 180th Street toward Morris Park Ave in the Bronx, look north…”
ScoutingNY thinks New York City’s prettiest subway station is in The Bronx and we wholeheartedly agree with him! I mean who doesn’t love that beauty of a station at E 180th Street on the 2 and 5 IRT line? Most people just pass right along on their train ride and if you’ve never gotten off here you would never imagine at the gorgeous structure that serves as the station.
ScoutingNY says:
“One of the things I love most about New York City’s prettiest subway station is the way it unexpectedly appears out of nowhere. As you’re heading east along 180th Street toward Morris Park Ave in the Bronx, look north…”
Here’s a link to last night’s BronxTalk that featured the ‘Women of Woodlawn’ a group of women who are dedicated to positive change in their community. We talked about housing education, economic development, parks, and more. It’s an important show about how Bronx people can wrest control of their own communities.
According to an article in The Washington Post’s PostEverything section, by Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, 7,000 French Jews have fled France in the past year and moved to Israel over growing concerns of antisemitic movements. Herzfeld writes that, “The U.S. should open its doors to imperiled European Jews,” and goes on to inform us that a Bronx rabbinical school, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, is already doing just that.
He opens the article on the recent Paris attacks and says:
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders invited French Jews to move to Israel. That’s a nice gesture, but it’s not enough. The United States should join Israel and offer to also open up its shores as a refuge to the endangered Jews of France.”
Rabbi Shmuel further added:
The American Jewish community must make it a priority to helpJews in France — and other European communities facing resurgent anti-Semitism. We should use existing immigration law to bring French Jews to the United States on a case-by-case basis. For example, in addition to student visas, we should be exploring H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, J-1 visas for people with medical training and E-B5 visas for people able to invest money in the United States. A rabbinical school in the Bronx, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, is already doing this: The school is actively recruiting French students. The rest of the Jewish community should immediately follow suit and invest more resources into helping French Jews come to the United States.
While it’s hard to imagine that a proposed law intended to inform us and protect our Constitutional rights would breed controversy anywhere on U.S soil, that is exactly what’s happening in the New York City Council, and now it’s even spilling out into the Bronx neighborhoods served by those feuding council members.
It’s called the Consent To Search Bill, identified as Intro 541, and it would allow police to conduct even unreasonable searches, but only if they properly inform us of our right to refuse consent, and only if they document any consent we give them.
The way things are now, if you don’t know what your rights are, you just don’t have any rights. Period.
This law explicitly and specifically does not apply to searches that are legally justified, or where a search warrant has been obtained, or an arrest made. It certainly does not apply to situations where a police officer suspects that a person is armed and dangerous. No consent would be needed in any of those cases. It says so clearly and indisputably in the bill.
The consent requirement only applies to searches that –let’s face it– probably shouldn’t be conducted at all. It only applies to searches that are not legally justified, that is, what the U.S. Constitution calls unreasonable searches.
If Intro 541 becomes law, we would be entitled to be informed that we have the legal right to refuse the legally unjustified search, and we could exercise that right by not consenting to a search.
This Constitutional right, like all of our Constitutional rights, already exists and this proposed law is only about informing people to make sure that they are aware of their right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure by government, granted under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
Shouldn’t every American citizen and U.S. resident embrace such a law? One would think so, but, sadly, that is not the case.
So what’s the problem?
“We cannot be considering legislation that would require a police officer to ask a suspect, ‘Can I search you?’ and get their permission in writing or verbally — allowing them to rescind that permission at any point,” said Bronx City Councilman James Vacca to CBS News.
Vacca is way off base here. Because he fails to mention that the informed, documented consent is needed only for searches for which there is no legal justification. Moreover, there is no such requirement for anyone who would be described as a “suspect.”
In a letter addressed to the two community boards and precinct council presidents in his District, Vacca repeats the same gross inaccuracies and, based on these false facts, concludes that “it will endanger public safety and hurt our police as they try to keep our streets safe.”
If that is true then Vacca would have us believe that today, without this law, the police are already incapable of protecting the public and themselves from anyone who is wise enough to know his/her rights and bold enough to exercise them.
Because those who are aware of their rights already exercise them. All this new law would do is inform us of our rights, and ensure us that our rights are protected by the consent procedure.
That sounds fair and reasonable. And there is no logical reason why public safety should be at risk just because everybody knows their Constitutional rights.
Does the U.S Constitution endanger public safety? That is what the opposing argument boils down to.
Did the sky fall in New Jersey? Did it fall in Colorado? Both states already have a legal requirement to inform people of their Fourth Amendment right.
Even in New York City, some people already enjoy this right, just because they know they have it and they use it. This law will ensure that everybody enjoys their right that is guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. What’s there to argue?
But the beat goes on.
“Can you imagine someone who has committed a crime giving permission to a police officer and agreeing to a search?” Vacca asks.
No I can’t, and this bill is not at all about that. The police do not have to get permission from someone who has committed a crime, with or without this law.
In case you haven’t noticed, all of the arguments against Intro 541 have one thing in common. They all seem to require distorting the truth and misrepresenting the actual text of the proposed law.
What does that tell you? It shouts volumes.
In some places, such as New Jersey, court precedents, that is, case laws, already require police to advise people that they have the right to refuse consent for an unreasonable search. There, too, it does not apply where there is an arrest, or a search warrant, or probable cause. In other jurisdictions, such as Colorado, the law is statutory.
Let’s be clear. This is a law that would enhance policing and promote the achievement of CPRR: Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect … and Responsibility. I added the extra R because it needs to be added.
Intro 541, the Consent To Search Bill, is not a law to protect criminals. It is a law to protect law-abiding citizens and our rights under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Every New Yorker, including you, me, and especially those elected to serve the people and those wearing the blue uniform, should fully embrace this proposed law, which is consistent with the United States of America that was prescribed in our Constitution.
Richard Jannaccio is an award-winning journalist, community activist, creator and administrator of the popular Facebook group City Islanders & Friends, and a resident of the Bronx.
Disclaimer:
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We can go on and on about the amazing work Tanya Fields has been doing in The Bronx since moving here 13 years ago but I’ll let you read her story below. After you read her story please do NOT forget to donate to this amazing project. Even if it’s $1.00 and you share this with your friends, we can easily help them reach their goal. That’s just $1.00 to help create change.
Who we Are
My name is Tanya Fields, I moved to the South Bronx by way of gentrified Harlem in 2002 with a small child working my way through college while also working in the corporate sector to put food on the table for my kid. In 2004 my second daughter developed chronic asthma and I noticed that my waistline was increasing. I realized I needed to make a change in our lifestyles. But what I quickly found out was it was difficult in a community with few resources and a crap load of disparities. I didn’t know what to do. Luckily, in 2006 I found Mothers on the Move and my life of activism and social justice began. Within the year I dropped my corporate job became an organizer with a local community organization and began to try to figure out the best way I could create a world for women like me. In my journey as a mom I realized that if you are low income or working class it seemed like the world wanted to penalize you for “not doing it the right way”. Social service centers left you with little dignity, child care was expensive, continuing your education and entering the career you wanted often seemed downright impossible. My experience and my growing analysis around systems of oppression lead me to want to explore the intersections between gender inequality, poverty and food access. In 2009 working with several reputable community organizations and recognizing the growing food access needs in the South Bronx I started the BLK Projek.
Strawberries at a local grocery store…no seriouslyThe BLK Projek is a radical women led organization that aims to create economic development opportunities for low-income women of color harnessing the local & good food movement and political education. In 2013 with funding from the Simon Bolivar, Jesse Noyes and Claneil Foundations and our first Indiegogo campaign we were able to rehab a bus for The South Bronx Mobile Market, we ran a pilot project including a buying club and we were able to secure a license to turn a city owned lot into an urban farm – the Libertad Urban Farm.
Our bus providing cage free, organic eggs to the folks of Mott HavenAnd for all intents and purposes 2014 was pretty epic. The bus acted as an impetus for community building with us conducting cooking demos, South Bronx Food Justice & Toxic tours and nutrition education. Our food access pilot program including a buying club serviced over 200 folks in the South Bronx and we have started the beginning phases of building our urban farm including registering it with GreenThumb. In February 2014 we were featured in the New York Times! And it is critical that people in the community see people from the community leading and stewarding these types of efforts.
What We Need & What You Get
This year’s Indiegogo will help us take the plans from last year and actually put them in place, gutting and renovating the inside of the bus. The bus would now include:
Two refrigerators
One deep freezer
Two vitamixes
A storage closet
A small seating area
About 40-45 custom made produce boxes
Adequate shelving to hold those boxes
A canopy
And a lift in the back for loading and people with mobility issues
Libertad Urban Farm would get:
A new gate
Topsoil
Lumber for raised beds
Materials to continue community outreach (fliers, food for meetings and stationary)
Seeds and seedlings
Help from small farm designers
And finally:
A stipend for an intern to manage the projects
Some overhead such as web hosting, newsletter blasts and internet service, appropriate permits including the food handler’s license for our bus driver (a wonderful community resident named Iv who currently volunteers with us and whom we could PAY with your donations!)
A long time community resident volunteer who farms, educates and DRIVES the bus!
Perks!!!
This year we are going to keep perks simple. Last year, we got a bit ahead of ourselves and didn’t have the capacity to get everyone their perks in time and still owe folks some perks. Our hope is that this year folks will invest in our project because they believe in equity and justice and the ability of the BLK Projek to be apart of that. We promise we aren’t being CHEAP! We ask for 6-8 weeks to get your perk to you, more time for more involved perks (like a plaque at our ribbon cutting).
The Impact
Your investment in this project will help our community, one that is continuing to face real challenges around food access and economic development gain the resources to help remedy those issues ourselves. It helps to send a message that people from their own communities can help to get access to the resources to change their community. It will help to get GOOD food on the table of hard working but under-resourced folks and help make the world a more equitable place one table at a time. On a more micro level it will help make the BLK Projek, a new organization with limited resources a more successful organization. We have already done so much with just a little bit imagine how much more we can do!
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can’t contribute there are other ways you can help:
Get the word out and make some noise about our campaign. Tweet about it at least twice a day. Share it on Facebook! Email it to folks who believe in the power of kick ass women, gender equity, food justice or who just really like you!
Get in touch with us regarding volunteer opportunities! We always need help distributing fliers, making calls, child care at meetings and getting the farm ready for next years growing season. Just let us know…we would love to have you!
Well, let me tell you kids, even I have become extremely dependent on email, social media, and all of the other modern methods of communication. I love them, and I’m not sure how I would survive without them today. However, I have not forgotten the way we used to do it back then. It was quite simple, if you wanted to hang out with Stefano, you would go to your window, if it happened to face the same direction as Stefano’s, or you’d have to go downstairs by their window, and then scream their name.
Now, hanging out in front of the building could become unpleasant when the bad kids came around. It was a dangerous place to be when shootouts would happen, and on occasion when the police felt like doing a raid, if you happened to be there you’d probably end up with your hands against the wall. However, even with all that this was definitely one of the most awesome perks of growing up in the hood. It was definitely one of the few things that I would consider a perk of the hood, hanging out with your buddies in front of the building just kicking it.
I remember this one time one of my buddies lost control of his bike and he couldn’t make the turn from killer hill into snake Mountain. So he ended up going across Snake Mountain with cars coming from the left and the right! Dude just went straight across a four lane highway! The fact that this guy did not get hit and killed by a car that day was absolutely miraculous.
The fire hydrant provided us with much needed cooling down during those hot summer days. I also recall drivers would stop in front of it to get a quick wash! Not everyone was happy with this practice though, clearly we were wasting water, and the water pressure in the buildings would become very low because of this. Many a time we had the cops and firemen called on us, and other times one of the tenants would just curse us out from the window and make us close the hydrant.
