Merrimack Valley Magazine

Wellness Wednesday – 7/14/21

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If there is one exercise that I would recommend to anyone, regardless of their level of fitness, it’s walking. Although it may seem fruitless compared to running or power lifting, walking is the most accessible and universal form of exercise that impacts our bodies in many positive ways. I was recently in Orlando with my family, where my watch recorded that I took about 15 to 18 thousand steps each day. Now, while exploring Disney World isn’t considered an “exercise,” I did beat my move and calorie goal.

This week’s wellness Wednesday is not only looking at recent articles about walking, but we also have an exclusive Q&A with NECC’s dean of health professions, discussing the paramedic field.

Re-Thinking the 10k

Have you ever heard someone say, “I need to get my steps in for today!” and thought, they must be referring to the recommended 10,000 steps a day? The common belief is that 10k steps per day should be everyone’s goal, especially if you are not typically an active person. However, the idea of 10k steps per day began as a marketing slogan, and this article from Insider reveals why you actually don’t need to worry about making exactly 10,000 steps.

According to the article, 10,000 steps a day is not necessary to reap the benefits of walking. A 2019 study found that women who walked 4,400 steps a day had lower mortality rates over four years of follow-up than those who walked the only 2,700 steps a day or less. Moreover, the article notes that lowering your mortality rate “appeared to max out at about 7,500 steps a day, and researchers found no additional benefits to walking 10,000 or more daily steps.” So while you always should prioritize moving throughout the day, try not to worry about the numbers.

 

Making Walking Fun

Now that we don’t need to worry about our 10,000 steps, we can have a little fun with walking. Ever considered that there are many words that refer to walking? You can trundle, you can shuffle, you can amble, you can meander, and more. Check out this article for a breakdown of  eight different words for walking and their origins, and maybe figure out how to describe your own style of walking, too!

So we all want to achieve that summer figure, but often think that we need to become marathon runners to do so. What if I told you that walking can burn belly fat? This article from Healthline describes how walking, an aerobic exercise, is one of the best ways to burn belly fat. Moreover, the article claims that walking also helps preserve muscle, so if you already have a regular gym routine, add in some walking on your rest days to help preserve the muscle you are building.

On long walks, I often find it difficult to find a playlist of music that fits my mood or thoughts for a long period of time. Instead, I have made the switch to podcasts which in turn has made my walks vastly more enjoyable. If you need some podcast inspiration, check out this list of ten great podcasts for walking. Whether you’re a news, humor, history, finances, movies or books, there’s an idea for everyone out there.

The Challenges and Rewards of Paramedicine

Scott Lancaster, NECC’s dean of health professions who works alternating weekends as a paramedic for the Amherst, N.H. fire department.

Over half of my family members, and a few of my closest friend, are all first responders — firefighters and nurses, specifically — who I watched work tirelessly throughout the pandemic. Check out the following Q&A with Scott Lancaster, Northern Essex Community College’s (NECC) dean of health professions, who discusses the paramedic field, including its biggest challenges, common misconceptions and the most rewarding aspects of a career in this field.

In his “day job,” Scott Lancaster provides leadership for the college’s 22 associate degree and certificate programs leading to careers in health care.

On his days off, he pursues his passion for emergency medicine, working 24-hour shifts every other weekend as a paramedic for the Amherst, N.H. fire department.

He was just elected to a three-year term on the board of directors of the National Association of Emergency Medical Service Educators (NAEMSE), an organization which represents those working in higher education, trade/technical programs, hospitals, fire departments, and more, and he is hoping to have a positive impact on the field as a result of his new leadership role.

Why do you think EMS education is important?

Paramedicine, or EMS, is the gateway to healthcare for millions of people a year. Be it an acute medical emergency, an accident, or serving those without access to other medical care. EMS providers must be up-to-date on current treatments, pharmacological therapies, operational needs, and often are providing care alone without direct oversite in the moment of treatment. To be an expert in this profession, providers need in-depth and comprehensive initial education and robust continuing education throughout their careers. Medicine changes rapidly, and providers need to be life-long learners.

Is there a demand for emergency medical providers?

Yes! Actually, we are currently seeing a shortage of providers in many areas of the country, including in our area. Many companies are providing funding for education and offering signing bonuses for new employees.

What are the biggest challenges facing emergency medicine today?

I think funding is one area that needs attention. The largest payer for care is CMS (Centers for Medicare / Medicaid Services) and their payment levels continue to contract verses inflation, and, as a result, they under-reimburse the actual cost of care. This leads to challenges in funding EMS agencies, purchasing equipment and increasing salaries for EMS providers. I personally believe that the funding issue is directly tied, at least in part, to paramedic education requirements. While degrees have become the minimal entry-to-practice norm throughout the rest of healthcare, paramedicine lags behind. It has been found that increased education leads to improvement in patient outcomes in other health professions, and paramedicine needs to get on board.

What will your priorities be as a member of the board?

Improving access to robust, quality education for providers across the country. If there’s one thing we have learned throughout this pandemic, it’s that remote education can be very well done, and that it improves access to those in rural areas, or without the funds to travel to conferences. I want to encourage stakeholder groups to pursue improvements in the breadth of remote education, and to allow more remote education to be allowed for re-certification.

What led you to become a paramedic?

When I got out of the U.S. Coast Guard, I was already an EMT, and honestly I went into EMS at that level while I decided what I wanted to be when I grew up! That was 1999 … After I started working in EMS, I fell in love with the job. I went to school to be a paramedic the following year and I have been practicing ever since.

You continue to work as a paramedic, while you have a high level administrative career, why?

I love the job. It’s really that simple. When I first came to NECC, I didn’t work as a paramedic for a couple of years. I obviously stayed involved in the profession by educating future paramedic providers, but I wasn’t “on the streets”. I was teaching a critical care paramedic class in New Hampshire and one of my students told me that his fire department was in real need of paramedics and that town is only 15 minutes from my home. I put in an application and started working as a paramedic there almost four years ago, usually working a 24-hour shift every other weekend (though I do take breaks occasionally.)

What has been the most rewarding experience in your career as a paramedic?

Wow, that’s a hard one to answer. I have been involved in many incidents over the past 20 something years… I think the most rewarding experiences aren’t the calls that make the news, or the ones that are ‘bad’ because the patients are the sickest; those are the ones that are the most challenging mentally and physically.

The most rewarding calls are the ones where patients feel reassured and thankful. Often, those are the calls that are what I would consider pretty low-acuity, but for the patient and/or their family they are real emergencies. Making them comfortable, maybe even putting a smile on their face, at times is harder than providing ‘perfect care’. When you can do both, and they acknowledge their gratitude, that is rewarding.

What do you wish people knew about paramedicine, that they don’t know?

That it’s not like Hollywood. It’s not all adrenaline, it’s not all lights and sirens and carnage. Those events happen, but they are not the norm. Those looking for an adrenaline-pumping job can find the profession unfulfilling and often leave the field. Realistic expectations about the job, that’s what I wish people knew.

What advice do you have for someone interested in Paramedicine?

Come on down and talk to us! Really, if someone is interested, they should talk to those who actively work in the field, get an idea of the profession and what a day-on-the-job looks like.

To Bee or Not to Bee

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NECC English Professor’s Love of Words Fueled by Competing in 1975 National Spelling Bee 

Northern Essex Community College professor Ginger Hurajt has had a lifelong love affair with words. Her passion for writing and reading was fueled by competing in the 48th National Spelling Bee in 1975 as a 14-year-old eighth grader.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 event was canceled, marking only the fourth time that the national finals weren’t held since the program began in 1925 (they were also canceled in 1943, 1944 and 1945 because of World War II).

The Scripps National Spelling Bee will return in a hybrid format this year and will be limited to about 200 regional spelling champions. The contest will not include written tests, as it has in recent years, but instead will be a traditional oral spelling bee. Preliminary rounds will be held in mid-June, and the semifinals on June 27, both virtually. Ten to 12 finalists will then gather at Walt Disney World in Florida for the finals, which will be nationally televised on ESPN2 on July 8. 

With spelling bee season in full swing across America, Hurajt reflected on her experience in the 1975 event. 

 

Then and now

The National Spelling Bee has changed a lot since Hurajt competed.

The last bee in 2019 drew 562 spelling champions to the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, for a week in May. After a gauntlet of written and oral competitions, the ESPN-televised finals ended in an eight-way tie, with each “octo-champ” winning $50,000 and numerous prizes.

By contrast, the 1975 National Spelling Bee drew 79 contestants to the historic Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. The oral spelldown lasted two days and was sandwiched into a week of sightseeing and parties for the spellers and their families. The 1975 winner, Hugh Tosteson Garcia of Puerto Rico, received $1,000, a trophy, a school plaque, and a ruby and gold pin.

In recent years, it has become common for National Spelling Bee contestants to hire professional coaches; for Hurajt and many others in 1975, the “coaches” were parents and teachers who quizzed them from the official practice book, “Words of the Champions.”

“I used to get out of my reading class and maybe another class to practice spelling with Sister Miriam,” says Hurajt, who attended St. Luke School in Boardman, Ohio, and represented Youngstown, Ohio’s newspaper, The Vindicator, in the National Spelling Bee.

“Sister Miriam would give me orange juice and butter mints. She was pretty invested in the spelling bee and had several other students go to Washington.”

Ginger Hurajt’s love for language began long before she became an English professor at Northern Essex Community College. In 1975, she competed in the 48th National Spelling Bee. An Ohio newspaper, The Vindicator, noted that she lost in the sixth round, unable to spell the word “parse.” At the time, parsing sentences in school had fallen out of fashion, and she was unfamiliar with the word. She earned $50 in prize money, and the knowledge that she had earned a place among the nation’s elite spellers. Clippings from The Vindicator of Youngstown, Ohio, courtesy of Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.

At the NSB

Hurajt was speller No. 27 in the national bee. She was seated in the third row on the stage in the Mayflower Hotel’s grand ballroom, which was filled with parents, reporters and photographers.

Hurajt survived six rounds and then got the word “parse.” 

She debated and then spelled: “p-a-r-c-e.”

“I had never heard it before. I was thinking about “parcel” and “parsley,” and I went with the ‘C,’ ” she recalls. 

Ding!

The bell meant she was wrong and had to leave the stage. She placed 41st, earning $50 in prize money. 

“I had learned so many multisyllable words, and this was the one I missed,” she says. “I felt devastated, especially for disappointing Sister Miriam, who was in the audience. But when I saw her, she just smiled. The intense studying and grace in losing were both good lessons.”

Lasting lessons

Although she didn’t win, Hurajt remembers the National Spelling Bee as a special time of her life, filled with exciting new experiences.

“It was my first trip in an airplane. It was also my first trip to Washington, D.C.,” she says.

Hurajt says she loved staying at the Mayflower Hotel.

It was also a fancy hotel, she says. “And I remember how nice all of the kids were.”

The spellers toured the city’s memorials and Capitol Hill. They visited George Washington’s home in Mount Vernon, Virginia, and cruised on the Potomac River. After a VIP tour of the White House, Hurajt and the other spellers crowded into the Rose Garden, where first lady Betty Ford greeted them from a balcony. 

Hurajt also remembers meeting actor Will Geer, who played Grandpa Walton on the popular 1970s TV show “The Waltons.” There to film a TV special about the National Spelling Bee, Geer attended many of the week’s functions.

Hurajt credits the National Spelling Bee with giving her a penchant for language.

“I became an English teacher, so it definitely had a lifelong impact on my love of words and literature,” she says. 

Today, Hurajt teaches the graphic novel, poetry writing, literature and composition at Northern Essex Community College. She also coordinates the honors program.

Hurajt lives in Haverhill with her husband, George Medelinskas. When she’s not teaching or reading, she loves to kayak and travel, and the couple has made recent trips to England, Iceland and Japan.  

Revolving Test Kitchen

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Optimism and Innovation in the Lawrence Food Scene

“We see opportunity where others may see a challenge,” says Derek Mitchell, executive director of the Lawrence Partnership, about the Revolving Test Kitchen (RTK) — a culinary hub in the midst of restructuring its business approach.

Since its founding in 2016, the RTK has helped food entrepreneurs gain access to the resources they need to build their own business model without having to worry about startup costs. When the program was launched, the RTK hosted only one tenant at a time. Applicants competed for a single, one-year spot in the facility, located at 420 Common St. in Lawrence.

“The annual turnover meant that businesses, just as they were getting traction and building a market, had to kind of be uprooted and leave for somewhere else,” Mitchell says. 

 

The leadership of the RTK program saw an economic opportunity to transform their original business model into the concept of a shared commercial kitchen, which would enable multiple businesses to grow by relying on one another, without all of the expenses that come with the commercial kitchen concept.

“It’s kind of like a gym membership,” Mitchell says. “If you wanted to have a gym at your house, even if you only wanted to work out three times a week, you’d have to drop 50 grand to get all that equipment. But a gym membership works in everybody’s benefit, where you pay $15 a month and then you share that equipment with hundreds of other people.”

The tacos at CocoRays (right) exemplify the best of the early years of the Revolving Test Kitchen.

For the past 18 months, RTK has been raising money to reinvest in the facility, which has been under reconstruction for six months, with much of the financial support coming from the Lupoli Family Foundation.

The concept of a shared commercial kitchen wouldn’t have been possible without local support, including donations from the commonwealth of Massachusetts, contributions from MassDevelopment for a capital build-out, construction by Lupoli Companies, a partnership with Foundation Kitchen for day-to-day management expertise, and the lending of space by Northern Essex Community College, as well as the help of many more community organizations.

With twice as much square footage, the RTK will be able to host up to 30 tenants at once and offer more job creation opportunities for multiple food entrepreneurs. In order for each unique tenant to use the kitchen at the time they desire, the facility will be open 20 hours a day. 

The first floor is being transformed with new equipment, including another wash station, a baking station, a cold prep station and a dry storage area. The second floor will have kiosks, similar to the layout of a food court, according to Sal Lupoli, the founder and CEO of Lupoli Companies. A variety of food businesses will be scattered throughout the facility. 

The shared commercial space enables each new tenant to network within the facility. Whether that means one entrepreneur steps up to provide services to another’s customer when they’re not on the premises, or a catering company works to add another tenant’s winning pastelitos to its menu, there will be endless collaborative opportunities among the tenants to share their skills and lend their support.

“You’re not just, at that rate, having a capital investment that services the business. It’s actually a local food economy that you’re bolstering, and you’re building a supply chain,” Mitchell says. The RTK is also hoping to involve the Lupoli Family Culinary Arts Institute in the updated facility, which adjoins the Lawrence campus of Northern Essex Community College.

With shutdowns in states all over the country, the COVID-19 pandemic has done significant damage to the restaurant industry, and Lupoli is grateful that the Lupoli Family Foundation can provide the financial assistance, time and effort to help startup entrepreneurs reach their aspirations during a global crisis.

“It’s a challenging moment in the pandemic for sure,” Mitchell says, “but we’re trying to see all the opportunity that comes out of it.”

The RTK is expecting to reopen in March, with potential startup entrepreneurs already seeking a spot in the facility. One applicant currently works exclusively through Facebook Marketplace. Although this constrains her in terms of space and finances, she has used the platform to develop a loyal customer base. Other potential new tenants include a gelato maker and a woman who runs a healthy meal prep service out of her home.

Lupoli believes that the growth of each aspiring entrepreneur will contribute to economic development and work opportunities in Lawrence, which will beautify the city. 

“As the tide rises, all boats rise,” he says. “We’re fixing up the place — all these entrepreneurs, they’re all going to get stronger, and as they get stronger, there’ll be more people to go out in the community and open retail stores; maybe abandoned storefronts, because this was always the vision.”   

NoteWorthy – 1/3/21

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AROUND THE VALLEY 

NECC Offers Free Mobile Farmers Market in Haverhill and Lawrence

After suspending the mobile farmers market temporarily in March, Northern Essex Community College (NECC) launched a socially distanced market in September in order to serve a growing need during the global pandemic. Adjustments to obey social distancing protocols included having individuals sign up in advance, receive a timed appointment and drive on to campus and get their food without having to leave their vehicle.

Janel D’Agata-Lynch, NECC’s civic engagement, service-learning and community resources coordinator, estimates that an average of 50 to 60 cars visited each campus for each market and that from September through November about 250 distinct households and over 1,000 individuals were served.

NECC’s farmers market starts back up this Jan. and run monthly on the 4th Tuesday of each month.

 

Greater Lowell Community Foundation Awards Additional Funding in Latest Round of COVID-19 Response Grants

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) announced that it granted an additional $55,000 in emergency grant funds from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. A dozen local nonprofits, from organizations that provide essential supplies to individuals in need to those who serve the hungry, have been announced as the recipients of these grants. 

In total, the community foundation awarded $55,125 to 12 organizations serving Greater Lowell. The GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund awards were the 11th round of grants disbursed by the community foundation this year. 

This round of grants has aided organizations such as Lowell Alliance, an organization that helps Lowell families and neighborhoods thrive by connecting them with critical resources, including diapers; and the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation, which helps local veterans and military families through its Food4Vets program.

New UML East Campus Exhibits Honor Lowell’s French Canadian Immigrants

UMass Lowell recently installed a new series of panels that in the area of Pawtucket Street in Lowell to commemorate the Little Canada neighborhood that was once located there, including the lives of Lowell’s French Canadian immigrants.

The exhibit consists of four panels, which are considered a “collaborative project between the university’s facilities management and community relations offices, the Center for Lowell History, Lowell National Historical Park and the Lowell Historic Board” according to an article by Ed Brennan.

The panels offer an opportunity for visitors to learn about Lowell’s historic French Canadian culture and the role that this community plays within the city. For more details, check out Brennan’s full article here.

Baker-Polito Administration Awards $67.4 Million in Additional Grants to 1,366 Businesses Most Impacted by the Pandemic

The Baker-Polito Administration announced $67.4 million in awards to 1,366 additional small businesses in a second round of grants through the COVID-19 Small Business Grant Program administered by the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC). Additionally, the new Sector-Specific Small Business Relief Grant Program, also administered by MGCC, is now accepting applications from businesses from sectors most impacted by the COIVD-19. Both grant programs are part of a new $668 million relief package.

The businesses being notified of their successful grant application include many that are owned by minorities (50%) and women (48%). Restaurants and bars, beauty and personal services, health care and retail are among the top sectors receiving relief in this second round of awards. The first round of grants announced last week totaled nearly $49 million in support of 1,158 Massachusetts small businesses.

Experts Say Cashless Economy is Leaving Some Charities in the Lurch

Buskers and charitable organizations that collect donations via street appeals are going largely empty-handed this season due in part to the increased use of mobile payment services, according to a business expert.

Banking apps such as PayPal and Venmo offer a convenient way to transfer money at the click of a button — particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic when individuals may be reluctant to touch coins and paper bills. But, potential donors in an increasingly “cashless” society are wary of using the technology to give to some charitable causes, said UMass Lowell’s Spencer Ross, an expert in digital marketing and consumer behavior who has studied the issue.

“It seems like it would be instinctive to donate via tap-and-go apps but it’s something people haven’t quite figured out yet,” Ross said.

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union Announces New Prize Linked Savings Program

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union has announced the launch of a unique new savings program, the WinStrong Savings Account, available for Massachusetts residents beginning Jan. 2, 2021. The WinStrong Savings Account offers a new and exciting way to save money. For each $25 you increase your savings balance each month, the member will receive one prize drawing entry into monthly, quarterly and annual drawings, with a maximum of four entries per month. All of the money deposited remains with the account holder and, as a bonus, they receive entries qualifying them for a chance to win cash prizes. Prizes include five $50 monthly prizes, two $500 quarterly prizes, and one $5,000 annual prize.

For more details about opening the WinStrong Savings Account visit here. 

Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership Receives Generous Donation

The Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership (MVHP) has received a $25,000 Grant from the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation. MVHP is receiving the grant for its work in addressing housing insecurities compounded by the COVID-19 outbreak. The grant will support the comprehensive training program for first-time home buyers of low and moderate income.

Jim Wilde, executive director of MVHP, states “During the pandemic, we have experienced a significant increase in demand for our home buyer training program and financial counseling services. Eastern Bank’s support of our efforts is generous and greatly appreciated.”

MassDevelopment Awards Nearly $4.5 Million to Improve Taxi and Livery Business Competitiveness

MassDevelopment has awarded 85 grants totaling $4,465,619 from the Taxi & Livery Business Support Grant Program to support 104 small businesses operating in the taxi and livery industries and two taxi and livery industry associations.

The first round of the Taxi & Livery Business Support Grant Program offers taxi and livery operators financial assistance to secure products or services that will aid in improving their competitiveness and enhancing safety capabilities in the rapidly evolving market of for-hire transportation. 

The grants will fund expenses including dispatch systems or other equipment, technology-enabled ride-hailing systems, safety enhancements, workforce training programs and business consultant services. Furthermore, it will help industry associations fund aggregated improvements that will have a collective impact on the taxi and livery industries in Massachusetts. 

Lowell Couple Welcomes Lowell General’s First Baby of 2021

Izabela Grace Casara Cruz was born at 2:35 a.m. New Year’s Day to parents Jean Casara and Zuleisly Cruz of Lowell. Izabela arrived a day early, her parents say, but she was ready, needing just a couple of pushes to come into the world. She is 20.5 inches long and weighs 8 pounds, 1 ounce.

City of Lowell Conducts Parking Study

The city of Lowell is using a Housing Choice Grant award from the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED) to conduct a comprehensive parking strategy.

The Lowell Parking Study will review and analyze existing parking conditions including parking inventory, utilization, policies, management, regulations and pricing, and analyze the parking supply and demand compared to existing land uses. The parking study will help ensure that the parking system is consistent with the city’s economic development and transportation planning goals, including the ongoing GoLowell Multimodal Complete Streets plan.

Please take a few minutes to help them identify what has been working and what can be improved by taking the survey, available in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Khmer.

For more information on the study, you can follow them on Facebook @GoLowell , check out their website, or email them at parkingstudy@LowellMA.gov.

TAKE THE SURVEY

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Karen Gomes Elected as Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts’ Vice President of Board of Directors 

Home Health Foundation President and CEO Karen Gomes has been elected as vice president of the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts board of directors.

Founded in 1969, the Boston-based Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts is a nonprofit trade association of home care agencies that promotes home care as an integral part of the health care delivery system.

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