Roosevelt Island Open Doors Reality Poets Of Coler Hospital Invite You To 5th Annual Nursing Home Lives Matter Virtual Vigil March 13 To Commemorate Live Lost During Covid Pandemic - Share Your Nursing Home Story Too

Our Roosevelt Island neighbors at the Coler Rehab & Nursing Facility, the Open Doors Reality Poets are:

 ... an artist collective of current and former residents of a long-term care facility on Roosevelt Island in NYC. Guided by the Reality Poets’ lived experience and vision, our work focuses on disability justice, community building and gun violence prevention...

The Open Doors NYC Reality Poets invite you to join them at the 5th annual Nursing Home Lives Matter vigil.

According to Open Door Associate Director Alex Eshelman:

Good morning OPEN DOORS family,

Here’s a reminder that this Thursday March 13th at 6pm, we’ll be having our 5th Annual Nursing Home Lives Matter Vigil. Join us in solidarity as we commemorate the lives lost during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Here is the registration link, see the full invitation below. 

We look forward to seeing all of you who can make it.

Open Doors NYC Instagram page reports:

In March 2020, the Reality Poets, fought to protect the lives of residents and staff in their NYC nursing home who were put in harm’s way by the racist and ableist decisions made by the higher powers. Today, we lead the fight for residents and staff in all facilities.

As previously reported, the Nursing Home Lives Matter movement began at Coler on Roosevelt Island during the Covid Pandemic. Remember?

Powerful a nursing Home Lives Matter Message Projected on wall of Roosevelt Island Coler Nursing Facility last night at end of vigil remembering those who died and in support of those still in lockdown during Covid 19 pandemic. pic.twitter.com/95xPgWNhKT

— Roosevelt Islander (@Rooseveltisland) March 15, 2021

Here's more on the beginning of the Nursing Home Lives Matter movement launched in December 2020.

Do you have a nursing home story to share?

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Roosevelt Island Open Doors Reality Poets Invite You To June 14 Annual BBQ At Lighthouse Park, June 10 Poetry Workshop At RI Older Adult Center And Check Out Episode 1 Of Reality Poets Television

Our Roosevelt Island neighbors at the Coler Rehab & Nursing Facility, the Open Doors Reality Poets  invite you their Annual Barbecue at Lighthouse Park. The Reality Poets are:

... an artist collective of current and former residents of a long-term care facility on Roosevelt Island in NYC. Guided by the Reality Poets’ lived experience and vision, our work focuses on disability justice, community building and gun violence prevention...

According to Open Doors:

Hi OPEN DOORS Family,

Join us Friday June 14th at 3pm EST at Light House Park, Roosevelt Island (900 Main Street) for OPEN DOORS Annual Barbecue! If you've attended before, you know this is how we kick off the summer. OPEN DOORS is going strong, so come join us for a great time! I hope to see all of you who can make it, there will be food and drinks.

Sincerely, OPEN DOORS

The Open Doors Reality Poets are also hosting a Poetry Workshop in collaboration with the Carter Burden Network Roosevelt Island Older Adult Center.

According to Open Doors Associate Director Alex Eshelman:

I'm excited to invite you to the Reality Poets Poetry Workshop, hosted at the Roosevelt Island Older Adult Center on Monday June 10th 4-6pm EST. This will be the first of many Reality Poets Poetry Workshops, and if you've been to recent Freestyle Fridays, you've seen a little of what we'll bring to the table. At this workshop, you will learn about poetry, write and share poetry and hear from others in your community. Furthermore, participants will have the chance to submit writing from this workshop to our upcoming book, Wheeling and Healing 2. If you can't make it in person but still want to participate, you can tune in with this Zoom link.

I look forward to seeing all of you who can make it!

Check out Episode 1 of Reality Poets Television.

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and watch their Covid 19 award winning documentary about life at Coler during the Pandemic, Fire Through Dry Grass.

New Cafe Opens At NY Health & Hospitals Coler Hospital On Roosevelt Island - It's "A Welcome Addition" And "The Food Was Excellent, I loved The Interaction With My Peers" Coler Nursing Home Residents Say

The NYC Health & Hospitals Corp  Coler Long Term Care facility has opened a brand new Cafe for their Roosevelt Island residents.

According to the NYC Health & Hospitals Corp:

NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler in partnership with Sodexo today announced the launch of The Coler Café, the most recent addition to the dining and culinary experience available to hundreds of nursing home residents. The collaborative approach of Sodexo’s food service associates and Coler’s team of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists offers a flavorful menu, individually tailored to the dietary needs of each resident. The Coler Café is open two days during the week, Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 11:30am – 1:30pm. Coler residents can make reservations through their designated care teams to ensure the appropriate meals meet their dietary parameters.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler CEO Stephen Catullo receives a "high-five" from a nursing home resident, celebrating the launch of the new enhanced dining option.

“The Coler Café is an exciting person-centered co-design project led by Sodexo with the active participation of our residents and multiple departments, including Food and Nutrition, Nursing, Therapeutic Recreation, Environmental Services, Engineering and Maintenance, and Administration,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler Chief Executive Officer Stephen Catullo. “The overarching goal of the Café is to provide a new and different dining experience to our residents in which they have a greater variety of food choices to be enjoyed in a café-style setting.”

The Coler Café provides a friendly ambiance where residents can enjoy a meal with their neighbors and visiting family members.

Here’s a glimpse at a few menu options at The Coler Café:

• Choice of Tomato or Chicken Noodle Soup
• Roast Beef Panini with French Dipping Broth
• Chicken Quesadilla
• Pressed Grilled Cheese
• Craft Your Own Salad (Protein, Assorted Cheese, Vegetables)
• Fresh Baked Dessert of the Day

The top resident picks from The Coler Café menu were the Roast Beef Panini and Chicken Quesadilla.

“A great experience! Certainly, a welcome addition to Coler,” said President of the Coler Resident Council Francine Benjamin.

“I felt very welcome, the atmosphere was wonderful,” said Coler Resident Bennie Williams. “The food was excellent and I loved the interaction with my peers.”

“We want to thank the Coler team for their dedication and hard work in getting us to this grand opening of the Coler Café,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Assistant Vice President Mercedes Redwood and Senior Director Stephen Castro. “We’re so excited to have this designated area for our residents to offer them additional meal choices directly at the point of service while showcasing different types of food concepts and cuisines.”

“The Coler café is not just for good eating, it’s the experience shared and the memories made when gathered around the table, and a sense of independence for our residents,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Joan Lannaman.

“We are so proud to deliver this innovative dining experience to the residents of Coler. This program has demonstrated our commitment to improving the overall resident dining experience,” said Sodexo Client Executive at NYC Health + Hospitals Post-Acute Care Tracy Dell Italia.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler partners with the Sodexo team to create a new dining experience onsite for hundreds of residents to enjoy.

“The food quality is excellent. What a joy to watch our residents socialize with each other and staff while having a delicious meal,” said Judith Berdy, Chair of Coler Auxiliary Board. “I appreciate the dedication and commitment of the staff to make our residents’ dining experience enjoyable.”

During last year's Roosevelt Island Day, Ms Berdy described how you can get involved and volunteer  

 at Coler.

Join Nursing Homes Lives Matter Virtual Meet Up January 12 Sponsored By Open Doors Reality Poets Of Roosevelt Island's Coler Nursing Facility - Discuss NHLM Bill Of Rights, Share Stories Of Fighting For Rights In Long Term Care And Preview Clips Of Covid Documentary Fire Through Dry Grass

The Roosevelt Island Open Doors Reality Poets living at the Roosevelt Island Coler Rehab & Nursing Facility are hosting a Nursing Home Lives Matter webinar 4 PM Thursday January 12.

You're invited to attend and learn more the the Nursing Home Lives Matter movement.

According to Open Doors, the Reality Poets are:

... an artist collective of current and former residents of a long-term care facility on Roosevelt Island in NYC. Guided by the Reality Poets’ lived experience and vision, our work focuses on disability justice, community building and gun violence prevention.... 

... During the pandemic racist, ableist systems dehumanized and confined the Reality Poets. Realizing that they had the microphone at the center of the storm, the group began advocating for those living and working in long-term care, particularly Black and brown nursing home residents who saw twice the amount of Covid deaths as their white counterparts. The Reality Poets have launched the Nursing Home Lives Matter movement and are working on a documentary film about their harrowing year on “lockdown” fighting for their lives and their freedoms....

Click here to register for the Nursing Home Lives Matter January 12 webinar. 

The Nursing Home Lives Matter movement began on Roosevelt Island during the Covid Pandemic. Remember?

Powerful a nursing Home Lives Matter Message Projected on wall of Roosevelt Island Coler Nursing Facility last night at end of vigil remembering those who died and in support of those still in lockdown during Covid 19 pandemic. pic.twitter.com/95xPgWNhKT

— Roosevelt Islander (@Rooseveltisland) March 15, 2021

You're Invited To Pandemic Island Creating An Archive Community Circle Gathering Saturday December 18 - Share And Preserve Your Personal Covid Lockdown Memories And Stories

Roosevelt Island resident and artist Thom Heyer reports:

Hi Friends-- 

 

As many of you know, Peter Yearwood from Open Doors & I have been working this Fall on a project called Pandemic Island: Creating an Archive.  

We've been gathering Roosevelt Island residents, employees & students' pandemic stories from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.  

Many of you have already been generous enough to share your unique experiences with us.  

We ask the same 3 questions to each person:

1.)  Do you have a memory of the first day and/or months of the lockdown & how did that feel? 

2.)  Was there any routine or anything specific you did to help you cope during this time?

3.)  What do you want to make sure is recorded and not forgotten from what you experienced in the pandemic?

We're having our final Community Circle Gathering with light refreshments this Saturday 12//18/21 at the Chapel of the Good Shepherd from 3--4:30pm.  It will be an informal time of sharing within the circle of what we've & other's have been able to do in the community.  We also welcome any of your personal experiences as well!  Feel free to pop-in or stay for the duration.........We look forward to seeing you Saturday--

Most sincerely:

Thom Heyer & Peter Yearwood

*PLEASE NOTE--

Mask & proof of vaccination or negative test required to enter event

Here's more info on the Pandemic Island: Creating An Archive project.

You're Invited To Help Launch Pandemic Island Archive Project Friday August 27 - Roosevelt Island Residents To Share & Preserve Their Personal Covid 19 Stories & Experiences

Roosevelt Island resident and artist Thom Heyer reports:

Greetings!

I'm writing to let you know about a project I will be working on this Fall with Pete Yearwood from Open Doors.  The project is called Pandemic Island: Creating an Archive.  COVID-19 affected each of us on Roosevelt Island in unique & highly personal ways.  With support from Humanities NY and other Roosevelt Island allies, we are devoted to capturing our local stories & experiences in a centralized archive.  We feel that the recording of our personal experiences--including those at Coler Rehabilitation & Nursing Care Center--are important enough to be saved for posterity's sake for future generations' analysis.  What better place to store this archive than at our very own branch of the NYPL on Roosevelt Island?  The Performing Arts Library has its own specific archives at Lincoln Center.  The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has its own archives in Harlem's branch of the Library.  Roosevelt Island deserves nothing less as part of its diverse and fascinatingly sordid history. 

Come join us for snacks at our project launch.   Feel free to bring an object, story or poem to share that speaks to your COVID-19 experience during 2020 on RI........We will answer questions and welcome your thoughts on what an archive on RI could look like for us all!

Pete & I look forward to seeing you--

All the best:

Thom Heyer

Where:  Tent outside Coler....900 Main St.

When:  next Friday, 8/27 at 2:30pm 

Coler resident and Open Doors Poet Peter Yearwood shared his poetry during the height of the Covid Pandemic.

... "To Corona … We have something for you. It's called solidarity … You knock us down, we get up and brush off the dust.” ...

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Roosevelt Island Newcomer From Nigeria Joins Friends Of Coler And Introduces RI Residents To Our Coler Neighbor Francene Benjamin - She's Living In Lockdown But Looks Forward To Walking Around Roosevelt Island Again Soon, Give Her A Wave As You Walk Past Coler

Long time resident Julia Ferguson (pictured on right) and newcomer Foluke Ogunyemi (pictured on left) are among the Roosevelt Island residents who are Friends of Coler.

Ms Ferguson says the two met:

 ... by volunteering online together and then later ran into each other on Main Street in masks! It is so encouraging to meet new friends in many ways even during these very challenging times. 

 Ms Ogunyemi describes herself as :

 ... just a regular Roosevelt Island mum that is glad to have found the best place in New York city to put down roots, I very recently migrated from Lagos, Nigeria to work for UNICEF--and have worked in development for children and women for 12 years.

 Ms Ogunyemi introduces us to our Roosevelt Island Coler resident neighbor Francene Benjamin. According to Ms. Ogunyemi:

Roosevelt Islanders do love and appreciate the Island. Indeed, most of the long-term residents cherish the neighborhood as does Francene Benjamin. She has been a resident for a decade and half at the north end of Roosevelt Island—within the historic Coler Rehabilitation and Nursing Care Center.

Francene loves living on the island, the peaceful quiet, the crashing of the water against the rocks and the Lighthouse makes for good reminders of her time in Antigua and Barbuda where her family and elderly parents still live. Living on Roosevelt Island in 2020-21 has been different, it is now over 280 days of lockdown and not being able to walk outside the grounds of Coler. Accustomed to going out for long walks, crocheting, gardening, singing and going to church, Francene has had to adjust to new ways of appreciating life on Roosevelt Island.

“I will say in 15 years here, Roosevelt island through the years has been really good ... there used to be a fruit stand close to us that we loved to visit, although the island had some changes, it remains comfortable, safe and a nice place to live in New York--really nice at night. Most of the time this year, to pass the time, I watch people walking, it has become therapeutic for me, watching people walk along the riverbank which I am currently unable to do has increased my appreciation of walking as a great and refreshing exercise. I watch people walk past, it is a joy to see the mothers who go past with children in strollers, early morning or evening joggers, those who are committed to walking daily or simply just leisurely strolling—it is a gift to have a place like Roosevelt Island in a year that has been so tough on us all.” 

“My crotchet work used to be a truly relaxing past time--I did a lot of filly patterns and using simple instructions, I made a queens size bed spread, scarves, hats, chair backs, arm rest and table center pieces. I love crocheting and there are a few--about 3 of us here interested in crocheting and we have plans to make things but are not yet be able to fulfil that, currently my wrists are not in the best shape but I am not giving up on that dream.”

Please watch the first few minutes of my recent Crochet Artist video made as part of a series on ‘Skill Share Videos’ curated by Niti Parikh from MakerLAB at Cornell Tech.
This video documentation started with a simple goal: to provide a space for conversation starters with makers of all abilities and backgrounds which can hopefully lead to inclusive and participatory design projects to improve people’s everyday life. 

This lockdown has been quite challenging and isolating, but I value the moments when I was able to schedule to go out to enjoy some fresh air. Thankful for phones and zoom, technology making it possible to still connect with family and friends but most importantly, it is comforting to be able to watch the East River and Roosevelt islanders walking past to remind myself I still live in this beautiful community. 

Happy 2021 and a safe, healthy time for all the islanders, I am hopeful for the new year to bring new grace and a chance to walk around the island again. For now, do wave whenever you walk past, we at Coler are waving back from inside and wishing all Roosevelt Islanders a Happy New Year!"

If you would like to join Friends Of Coler volunteers, please send them an email.

Meet Your Roosevelt Island Neighbor Melrose Barnes, Coler Resident With A Green Thumb And Sly Smile Reaches Out To Local Gardening Community - Update From Friends Of Coler Volunteers Too

As previously reported:

Friends of Coler is an informal group of neighbors and supporters who have teamed up with the Angelica Patient Assistance Program to support Roosevelt Island’s Coler Rehabilitation and Nursing Care Center residents and staff during this Covid crisis....

Julia Feguson is a Friends Of Coler Volunteer and introduces us to our Roosevelt Island neighbor, Mr Melrose Barnes, who is a resident at Coler. According to Ms Ferguson:

Quiet and observant, Mr. Melrose Barnes

Image From Olya Turcihin

can be credited as one of our Coler neighbors who reaches out to others. Mr. Barnes began dropping by the Roosevelt Island Community Garden  (RIGC) for compost for his plantings inside Coler at least 8 years ago. Mr Barnes is patient with a lively manner and enjoys his solitude, but he also has a sharp eye for detail and is usually ready with a sly smile to share a story. He will tell you about a plant he has seen

or some delicious food he knows well.   

In late 2017, Barnes got to talking with some garden friends and connected several Roosevelt Island Gardening groups (RIGC, iDig2Learn, and Green Roosevelt Island Neighbors)

                                                                 Image From Olya Turcihin

with two of Coler's Recreational Therapists. These connections first led to two smaller upgrade projects by RIGC in corner areas of the courtyard.  

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Who Are The People At Coler, Our Roosevelt Island Neighbors Who Need Help - We Will Not Let Coronavirus Win Says Coler Resident

Reported last Thursday that Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright and Roosevelt Island Friends Of Coler delivered much needed Face shields, N95 respirators, surgical masks, and gloves to protect our neighbors at the Coler Nursing Facility from the Coronavirus.

Andrew Oliver, the Executive Director of Do For One organization, introduces us to some of are neighbors who make Coler their home. According to Mr. Oliver:

Valuable Lives in the Shadow of COVID-19

I may have never stepped foot on Roosevelt Island had I not met Ralph. He was talking to people on Fulton Street, in Brooklyn, and asking for money. I assumed he was homeless. I asked, “Where do you live?” His eyes lit up: “Roosevelt Island. You take the F train to get there!” He was eager to jot down the directions for me on a torn piece of paper. I felt stuck. Was I to visit him?

So I was. A few days later I exited the island’s F train station and took the red bus toward the lighthouse. Next to it was Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility, where Ralph lived. His gratitude of having a visitor overflowed into a spontaneous prayer, “Lord, thank you for my friend who came to visit me!”

I now call Roosevelt Island home and lead a small program called Do For One. We build supportive and lasting relationships for people with developmental disabilities. One of the first relationships was when I invited Luis to become Ralph’s helper and friend. Luis visited Ralph regularly. Together they built a community of Coler residents who played dominoes around a table in one of the day rooms. Luis says, “I consider myself a no nonsense kind of guy and I feel like he was the same way. It made me feel comfortable. It was a simple relationship, and even out of that simplicity a lot was being exchanged.”

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