It is with great pleasure that RIVAA Gallery presents new works by
artists from Coler Hospital.
The exhibition will open on April 28, 2023, with a reception on April 29,
2023, from 4:00-6:00 PM.
Join us at the opening reception and view one of our most anticipated events
this year, showcasing Art by these talented Coler residents, valued members
of our Roosevelt Island Community.
Thanks to the artists, to Art Instructor Robert Fernandez, curator of the
exhibition and to Jovemay Santos Director of Therapeutic Recreation Programs
at Coler for making this exhibition possible.
Opening reception on Saturday, April 29th , from 4-6PM.
The exhibition will run from April 28th - May 21st 2023,
After a 3 year hiatus due to Covide-19, the Coler Art Show has returned. The
show opened today at Coler. The works will be on display at the RIVAA Gallery
later this year. It is an exciting event that the resident artists exhibit the
works done under the guidance of the Therapeutic Recreation Department. The
art program is supported by the Coler Auxiliary, Angelica Fund and other
donors.
... a network of neighbors, friends and family who care deeply about the people who live and work in Coler Rehabilitation & Nursing Care Center and who support connections between the Roosevelt Island community and Coler residents/staff.
Image From Friends Of Coler You Tube Video Screenshot
Friends Of Coler volunteers Julia Ferguson and Nicole Izsak report:
Dear friends in support of Coler,
Happy February 2022! Roosevelt Island children's groups spread lots of kindness this month! Youth of all ages created over 200 beautiful handmade Valentines cards that were given to Coler Recreational Therapy for 2/14 distribution on Sunday afternoon 2/13 while also visiting a few friends.
Roosevelt Island Youth Center cards were filled with full page drawings as well as wishes for both residents and staff. RI Girl Scout Troops made creative pop-up cards with handwritten messages of hope and the "Daisy" troop made special hearts that became a banner. Island Kids cheered everyone with hand signed and decorated posters, and Roosevelt Island Navigators brought in beautiful cards as well.
Save the date for March 10th 7:00 p.m. when Angelica Patient Assistance Program will present a zoom to talk about resuming programming and volunteer opportunities at Coler moving forward in 2022.
Pre-pandemic traditions at Coler included a Sweetheart Ball sponsored by Angelica Patient Assistance Program. With the Omicron variant still present and group gatherings still restricted in January/February this year, Angelica found a work around with Coler Recreational Therapy! They distribute Popeye's meals and Valentine's treats this year on Monday February 14th. One resident mentioned that the combination of the Super Bowl and the Valentine's event made for a very good February weekend! Coler residents and staff have also welcomed a new CEO this month: Stephen Catullo, MBA.
May more good news continue for all,
Ms Ferguson adds:
The work that RI Youth Center children and staff, Island Kids children and staff, RI Girl Scout troops and leaders, and RI Navigators put in was careful and so heartwarming. It is so in line with the kindness and generosity that does exist in our community. And we even had a small troop of Girl Scouts from Staten Island who heard and sent in greetings!
I asked Friends of Coler:
How have the Coler folks been doing recently with COVID issues? Any problems?
Coler resident Peter Yearwood says:
We are doing pretty good at Coler. No major issues to report. There was an outbreak of Omnicron but we are over that and all is well.
The Open Doors Poets have teamed with documentary filmmaker Alexis Neophytidis to show what it was like at the Coler facility during the early days of the Coronavirus pandemic. Take a look at the trailer for their upcoming documentary, Fire Through Dry Grass to see for yourself.
NBC New York Channel 4 News visited Momo at Coler recently and shows us she's found a new home and friends here on Roosevelt Island.
We’re delighted to introduce Momo! 🐶 She’s our new therapy dog in-residence at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler on #RooseveltIsland. The yellow Labrador Retriever will support the residents at the long-term care facility.
Meet Momo, the newest resident of Roosevelt Island.
Meet Momo, our new therapy dog in-residence at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler on #RooseveltIsland. 🐶 Momo will provide residents with animal-assisted therapy, which can help promote their healthy recovery and improve their quality of life: https://t.co/5C8Mp8IYQopic.twitter.com/fae9v5oNIH
Momo, a specially trained therapy dog, joined the staff of Coler Hospital today. Momo will live onsite and her duties will include spending time with residents in community rooms, making regular bedside visits and attending special events. She will also travel outside the hospital with the OPEN DOORS team when they speak with community groups and young people about the danger of gun violence.
Everyone is thrilled to have Momo living at Coler. She will be an ambassador of love to all the residents and staff.”
NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler today announced the arrival of Momo
the health care system’s first in-residence therapy dog that will supplement and support the facility’s residents’ treatment and recovery. Residents and staff hosted a “collar ceremony” to welcome the therapy dog, a yellow Labrador Retriever. Momo comes to NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler as a donation from Healing Pause, a charitable organization that places therapy dogs in facilities that serve people in need, and Angelica Patient Assistance Program, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for residents at the facility. Momo will provide therapy support spending time with residents in the dayroom or their rooms, making regular bedside visits and attending the facility’s special events. Animal-assisted therapy has been shown to help promote a patient’s recovery and allow them to better managed their health issues related to trauma. Momo was delivered this past Tuesday by head trainer and handler Beth Robison. Staff members and residents underwent specific training to handle Momo.
“We are happy to welcome Momo to the NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler family. Studies have clearly documented the healing power of animals on patients, and I know that Momo will have the same effect on ours. Momo will help to reduce stress and anxiety, while promoting the health and wellbeing of our residents,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler CEO Robert K. Hughes.
“Healing Pause is honored to partner with Angelica Patient Assistance Program and NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler in bringing this long-time dream of an on-staff therapy dog to fruition,” said Founder and Director of Healing Pause Nathan Davila. “It is our mission to bring the intrinsic healing qualities of dogs to those in need. A moment to pause, a moment to love in our hectic schedules, because there is healing in the pause and a moment can change a lifetime.”
In her role, Momo will also support members of the facility’s Open Doors program in their efforts to encourage youth to become positive change makers and inform on the realities of gun violence in NYC. Open Doors is an arts and justice initiative based at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler, where members collaborate with established artists, use storytelling, hip-hop and spoken word to challenge audiences to combat the injustice that breeds violence in our cities. The addition of an in-residence therapy dog at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler builds on its commitment to community healing and engagement. Internally, Momo will serve as a resource for various departments as she becomes integrated into the facility’s daily routine.
The in-residence therapy dog received specialized training from Drachten Performance, a specialized training program for show, service and hunting dogs, which includes advanced certifications for emotional support, dealing with patients with visual impairment and cognitive disabilities and skilled service for mobility impairment. For the past 12 years, Angelica Patient Assistance Program has supported social, cultural and recreational activities that have made a tremendous difference in the lives of NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler’s residents. In 2016, Angelica partnered with residents in Open Doors to support the creativity and leadership of people who have been harmed by gun violence.
“Congratulations to Momo and her new NYC Health + Hospitals family,” said Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard N. Gottfried. “Animal-assisted therapy, like art and music therapy, is increasingly recognized as a valuable service for patients dealing with trauma. I look forward to meeting NYC Health + Hospitals’ newest employee!”
“A ray of sunshine and hope, therapy dogs bring comfort and joy those in need,” said Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright. “We welcome Momo and the important support she will provide at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler for patients who are recovering from violence and trauma.”
NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler provides high quality short-term rehabilitation and long-term skilled nursing services in a warm and comfortable setting on Roosevelt Island. From specialized rehabilitation equipment to expert wound care, they offer a variety of health care services – all designed to deliver excellent care and maximize patient independence to more than 500 patients and residents.
On Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018, from 6 to 8 pm, OPEN DOORS Reality Poets – alongside World Slam Finalist Joel François – will offer a glimpse into their complex perspective through a night of spoken word, a video chronicling members’ lives “before and after the chair,” and visual art.
OPEN DOORS is an initiative of the Angelica Patient Assistance Program, which seeks to improve the lives of economically disadvantaged New Yorkers living in long-term care facilities.
OPEN DOORS is a pioneering effort to harness the creativity and leadership potential of a group of men harmed by gun violence to become positive forces in their communities and beyond. Members receive artistic guidance, professional training, and a platform for their voices.
Members live at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler on Roosevelt Island. They share a common thread but are not limited to that bond.
On May 22nd, take the time to see how a mile is traveled in their wheels. But don't feel sorry for these slick talking storytellers; lend them your heart and ears but check your sorrow at the door.
LeVar Lawrence, who as a kid went from drawing on paper to drawing on walls in project staircases. In August 2005, a bullet severed his spinal cord. “Now instead of drawing with my hands I take pictures and manipulate them with digital art software.”
LeVar Lawrence writes:
Only if he had raised his arm about an inch or two / I wouldn’t have to be telling my story to you / ... I can’t even teach my son how to play ball / Or pick up and run if he needs me at the drop of a call / Is this a punishment for all the wrong that I did? / Now I’ve been sentenced to this wheelchair doing a life-sentence bid
Image From LeVar Lawrence
Here are some readings from the 2017 Open Doors Project Angelica Poety Slam at Gallery RIVAA.
Gallery RIVAA is pleased to invite you to the opening reception of 'SIGHTS & SOUNDS OF ART' - A unique visual art and sound exhibition by NYC HH | Coler Residents, on Saturday, May 5th from 4 to 6pm @Gallery RIVAA.
The exhibition is curated by Jovemay Santos and is sponsored by Angelica Patient Assistance Program & Therapeutic Recreation Services.
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 5, 4-6 pm
Exhibition Dates: May 5, 2018 - May 27, 2018
Location: 527 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, New York, NY website:
You are cordially invited to a special event "Spoken Word by Slam Poet Steven Willis + OPEN DOORS Writers" on Friday April 21st, from 6-8pm at Gallery RIVAA.
World Slam Poetry Finalist Steven Willis mixes elements of hip hop with history in his explosive spoken-word art.
At Gallery RIVAA, Willis will be performing with OPEN DOORS participants who live at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler on Roosevelt Island. OPEN DOORS works with men affected by gun violence to improve their lives and inspire action for safer, more just communities.
OPEN DOORS is supported by the Angelica Patient Assistance Program. For more information please visit angelicaprogam.org and click on OPEN DOORS.
OPEN DOORS connects Coler Hospital residents affected by gun violence with the resources to improve their lives and use their stories to inspire action for safer, more just communities.
Since OPEN DOORS’ launch in June 2016, the project has established creativity workshops, where our clients frame, develop, and share their experiences, with guidance from visiting artists. Through these workshops and one-on-one coaching, clients identify personal goals to enrich their lives, and ultimately, to reintegrate into the communities from which they’ve been cut off.
OPEN DOORS provides grants to individuals for course fees and study supplies. We’ve funded Arabic language, guitar, and music & technology lessons; school clothes and travel to GED classes; and a computer grant to our first client to attend college....
We're a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works to enhance the lives of economically disadvantaged, long-term medical patients and support long-term medical care facilities. We are presently focused on improving the lives of residents at Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility (CGSHNF) on Roosevelt Island in New York City. We develop and implement recreational, cultural, educational and social programs to engage and stimulate the patients and residents with the ultimate goal of improving their overall quality of life. Such programs include Spa & Beauty Days, the Karaoke program, Coler Art Studio,
Image of Goldwater Patients Sketching At Metropolitan Museum From Angelica
Healthy Starts nutritional program and horticultural therapy. Most of the patients we seek to serve are seriously disabled and reside in either of the two long-term care facilities for extended periods of time, in most cases the rest of their lives.
We need volunteers for our special events, including Spa & Beauty Days,
Image of Goldwater Patients Sweetheart Ball From Angelica
and more, but particularly for program development. We're trying to organize a donation drive for things the patients need, like clothing, DVDs, art supplies, headphones, etc., with which we need help. We're also trying to organize a program that would allow for regular food delivery to the patients. Additionally, we need help finding sources of funding so that we could renovate the patients' common spaces and start other recreational/therapeutic programs, including a therapy dog program.
We're also looking for in-kind donations of new or gently used clothing, DVDs, headphones, CDs, games, and art supplies.
... more than 300 patients will be relocated to new facility at North General Hospital in East Harlem at the end of October 2013 and other patients will be transferred to Coler campus on Roosevelt Island at the same time. There will also be 175 mobility impaired affordable apartments for Coler Hospital patients in a new facility being built on 99th street across from Metropolitan Hospital scheduled to open in the spring/summer of 2015....
NYC Health and Hospital Corp (HHC) representatives discussed the closing of Goldwater Hospital at an April 16 Community Board 8 meeting. Here's video of that meeting.
AM New York reports on what life is like for some patients at Roosevelt Island's Coler Goldwater Hospital and the attempt by others to obtain independent living outside of the hospital:
Robbie Cunningham would like to live independently but sees no way to get out of the Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital & Nursing Facility, his home for the past four years. “I’m not sick,” he said. “I’m a quadraplegic."
In the nursing home, he explained, “I have tremendous constraints on what I can do. I would like to choose what kind of food I eat, when I eat and when I go to bed.”
Cunningham, 52, feels safe at Coler, a sprawling Roosevelt Island facility, but he doesn’t feel free. “As long as I’m alive, I want to keep moving,” said the Manhattan makeup artist, who was paralyzed from the neck down in a diving accident seven years ago....
The Goldwater campus of the Hospital will be closing in several years and is being sought after by Stanford University as a site for an applied sciences and Engineering School.
More on Coler Goldwater Hospital patients from earlier posts.
The City Council voted 48 to 1 on Tuesday to approve a $63.1 billion budget that would raise no taxes but drastically reduce spending on a variety of programs, from senior centers to schools.
The vote was expected, and it followed a deal last week between the Council and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg for the fiscal year that begins on Thursday...
Council Member Jessica Lappin was able to secure $82,200 in expense funding for organizations serving Roosevelt Island in the FY11 New York City budget passed by the Council on June 29. Funds were granted to eight different organizations and, among other things, will go toward community service projects for teenage girls, support for seniors and disabled residents, and arts in the local school.
“Each of these organizations provides a valuable service for Roosevelt Island residents,” Council Member Lappin said. “I’m glad to be able to help support them and the great work they do for the Island.”
Council Member Lappin was able to allocate money to the following groups:
• Roosevelt Island Senior Association - $25,000 for educational and recreational activities • PS/IS 217 PTA - $20,000 for in-school Spanish language and arts program for grades K-5 and in-school enrichment programming for grades K-8 • Roosevelt Island Youth Program - $10,000 to support continuing work with teenage girls in community service and leadership program and continue to open Youth Center on weekends during winter months • Angelica Patient Assistance Program - $7,200 for Goldwater Hospital activity room, which is used by patients with mobility issues • Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts - $7,000 to support Lincoln Center’s arts education programs at PS/IS 217 • Roosevelt Island Disabled Society - $6,000 to support wheelchair basketball • Island Kids - $3,500 to expand program offerings and expansion of summer camp • Roosevelt Island Historical Society - $3,500 to support educational programs for schools, tours, community groups, and hospital residents
Our mission is to enhance the lives of economically disadvantaged patients in need of long-term medical care and to support long-term medical care facilities. We are presently focused on improving the lives of residents at Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility (CGSHNF) on Roosevelt Island in New York City...
Angelica has been nominated for a Liquidnet Local Impact Challenge grant. The top ten vote-getters will receive at least $10,000 -- and possibly more (the amount allocated to each of the 10 winners will be decided by Liquidnet employees).
$10,000 would enable us to do so much more to improve the lives of the patients at Coler-Goldwater Hospital. We have until December 1 to get as many people as possible to vote for us here:
Angelica's entry in the Liquidnet Local Impact Challenge grant states:
...Our focus is on helping patients achieve greater independence and choice through recreational, cultural and social programs. Our signature event, a Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Ball, was started with patient support in 2006 and has grown every year. Other events include performances by outside groups, spa days for treatments and makeovers, a hip hop music program for young patients, a karaoke program, photography club, visual arts program, chess club and horticultural therapy
The most important part of our philosophy is patient involvement. We work with patients to plan and execute programs and brainstorm about activities for the future. We believe this is an invaluable outlet for patients to express their creativity, enhance leadership skills and advocate for each other...
Ron Becker, Director of Therapeutic Recreation at Coler-Goldwater adds:
Hello friends,
If you have not already voted in this campaign, I hope you will take a few moments to vote for Angelica. This group of dedicated volunteers have worked for the past three years in raising funds to purchase equipment and sponsor programs for the pts. and residents at Coler-Goldwater. Enriching their quality of life tremendously. They need every vote to be in the top ten - which will qualify them for grant money to be used for our pts/res. You will need to join a web-site but after voting you can dis-enroll and be taken off the list. Thanks so much for your support and have a Blessed Thanksgiving.
Click here to cast a vote for Roosevelt Island's Angelica Patient Assistant Program and help some of your neighbors at Coler-Goldwater Hospital. Be advised that in order to vote a sign up process is involved.
... was a wonderful experience for ppl who don't get to experience the things that we often take for granted. I had alot of fun this day and met wonderful and amazingly talented ppl with huge hearts. See it things like this that me me love what i do:)
... the New York State Nurses Association held a protest in front of both the Coler and Goldwater hospitals, at which Council Member Jessica Lappin and I joined the nurses in their opposition to management’s decision to force them to move to a five-day schedule, instead of continuing to offer a choice between a five-day and four-day schedule. This decision does not serve the long-term interests of the hospital and it is unfair to its staff. Two years ago, introducing the option of a four-day week attracted many new nurses to Coler-Goldwater despite the state’s nursing shortage. To reverse this labor policy will undoubtedly drive many of these nurses away from the hospital. This is especially true during a hiring freeze and will result in an unacceptable situation for both staff and patients.
Roosevelt Island 360 has Council Member Lappin's statement on the Coler-Goldwater rally protesting the elimination of alternative work schedules for Coler-Goldwater nurses.
Our mission is to enhance the lives of economically disadvantaged patients in need of long-term medical care and to support long-term medical care facilities. We are presently focused on improving the lives of residents at Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility (CGSHNF) on Roosevelt Island in New York City.
More on volunteering at Coler-Goldwater with the Angelica Patient Assistance Program.
Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity on Roosevelt Island during the Holiday Season or any other time of the year? If so, the Angelica Patients Assistance Program may be for you. I met several of Angelica's representatives last week and learned of the services they provide to the patients at Coler-Goldwater Hospital for which The New York State Therapeutic Recreation Association (NYSTRA) selected Angelica as their Organization of the Year for 2008.
More information is available at Angelica's web site:
Our mission is to enhance the lives of economically disadvantaged patients in need of long-term medical care and to support long-term medical care facilities. We are presently focused on improving the lives of residents at Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility (CGSHNF) on Roosevelt Island in New York City.
...Angelica is focused on improving the overall quality of life of patients/residents and empowering the patients/residents to have more input into their activities. Events have included an annual “Sweetheart Ball” and performing arts provided by local arts groups and high schools. Our Duet Bicycle Program allows the patients to enjoy a bicycle ride, steered and pedaled by a recreational therapist. The Hip Hop Program teaches patients how to compose lyrics and express themselves through music, providing a positive outlet and culminating in the production of a Hip Hop album.
Other programs include a Healthy Starts Cooking Program, Horticultural Therapy and funding for the Coler Art Studio. These activities and programs have led to improvement in cognition, social skills, mood, sense of self, physical functioning and opportunities for creative expression.
Last summer, a group of volunteers from American Express assisted in creating a garden for Coler-Goldwater patients. If you would like to volunteer your services, time or money to Angelica, they and the patients at Coler-Goldwater would be appreciative.
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
