Woman plans to sue nursing home
Gloria Diaz announced at a press conference on Monday that she plans to sue the Harborage nursing home on River Road in North Bergen after a worker there was caught on tape allegedly hitting her bedridden 87-year-old mother, the day before her mother died.
The aide, Julia Galvan, was arrested by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s office after Diaz viewed the tape and reported the alleged abuse to authorities. However, Galvan was not charged with the woman’s death.
Diaz said last week that she hid a video camera only after she kept finding bruises on her mother.
Her mother, Modesta Alvarado, had suffered a stroke and couldn’t move.
The Harborage released a statement saying: “The Harborage takes this issue very seriously. We have a zero tolerance policy with respect to the improper treatment of any of our residents. We value and greatly respect the care and dignity of every one of our residents. Whenever an issue or concern is brought to our attention regarding the care of a resident, we always conduct meeting(s) with the relevant individual(s) and investigate the circumstances thoroughly.”
Upcoming health screenings
Palisades Medical Center has released their schedule of upcoming community health screenings for this year.
PMC’s staff, along with North Hudson Community Action Corporation, Christ Hospital School of Nursing, and Hudson Perinatial Consortium, provide free health screenings and education programs. Screenings include blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, respiratory, and Body Mass Index (BMI) testing.
A screening is scheduled for North Bergen on April 10 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Fatima, located at 8016 John F. Kennedy Blvd.
Flea market at St. Rocco’s Church
St. Rocco’s Church, located at 42nd Street and Kennedy Boulevard, is scheduled to host a flea market on April 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. They are currently seeking vendors.
Admission is free. For more information call (201) 854-6507.
Kennedy Boulevard named fifth most dangerous road in NJ for pedestrians
Kennedy Boulevard has been named the county’s most dangerous road for those who travel the road on foot by the non-profit organization Tri-State Transportation Campaign.
The road was found to be so dangerous, in fact, that it has been named one of the five most dangerous in the state, with six pedestrian fatalities between 2007 and 2009, according to a report released last month.
Those fatalities account for a little more than a fifth of the county’s 29 pedestrian deaths in the three-year period.
Kennedy Boulevard runs the length of the county, and alongside four county parks and two universities and high schools in Union City and Bayonne.
The Tri-State Transportation advocates for the reduced use of automobiles in the tri-state area.
CASA seeks volunteers
Are you interested in helping children in the foster care system? If so, Hudson County CASA is currently recruiting volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children. CASA works through trained community volunteers to ensure that needed services and assistance are made available to children while helping to move them toward safe and permanent homes.
CASA (court appointed special advocate) and its volunteers speak for children in court, serve as fact finders for the judges, and safeguard the interests of the children while they are in the foster care system.
Information sessions regarding the program and the role of its volunteers will be held on Tuesday, April 5 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Room 400 of the Hudson County Administration Building at 595 Newark Ave., Jersey City.
Hudson County has nearly 700 children in foster care; most have been removed from their homes for abuse or neglect. For further information, please call (201) 795-9855, e-mail mgarcia@hudsoncountycasa.org, or visit our website at www.hudsoncountycasa.org.
‘Run the Palisades’ for diabetes
On Sunday, May 15, the communities of Cliffside Park and Fort Lee and the Diabetes Foundation, Inc. will host their Third Annual “Run the Palisades” 5K Run/Walk and Health Fair, beginning at Cliffside Park High School and running through the towns of Cliffside Park and Fort Lee.
Runners of all ages are welcome to participate and walkers are encouraged to register, too. This is a USATF certified flat and fast course. At 9:30 a.m. there will also be a Healthy Kids Fun-Run in which ribbons will be given to all who cross the finish line.
Awards will be given out in all age categories. Pre-registration is strongly suggested at www.firstgiving.com/dfi or www.raceforum.com/palisades. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. on the day of the race. T-shirts will be given to all pre-registered participants and while supplies last on race day. Sponsorships are still available and range from $250 at the Community Level to $5,000 at the Platinum Level.
Beginning at 9:30 a.m. and ending at 12:30 p.m., the Health Fair will be held inside the Cliffside Park High School, and is open to everyone. Local hospitals will be present offering important screenings including blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, eye and foot, all free of charge. There will be a variety of vendors and exhibits to educate on all aspects of health, wellness, fitness, and lifestyle improvements. Special focus will be given to people with diabetes and raising awareness of the incidence of diabetes in the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area. With 57 million people now diagnosed with pre-diabetes, 750,000 just in New Jersey, the disease is rising to epidemic proportions.
For more information, contact the Diabetes Foundation, Inc. at (201) 444-0337 or email: info@diabetesfoundationinc.org