Welcome to the April 2021 TCFD Newsletter!
Family, Friends, and Supporters,
A month of education, birth, and new life! From our classrooms and our vaccination clinic to our fields and barns – here’s a look back at April’s highlights:
COVID-19 Update
In April, The Center’s COVID-19 education campaign included a webinar with an internationally renowned vaccine expert.
Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center; Dr. George Todd, a TCFD parent and medical advisor and vascular surgeon; and Alison Singer, a TCFD parent and Co-Founder/President of the Autism Science Foundation (ASF), joined our Associate Executive Director, Dr. Theresa Hamlin and Chief Nursing Officer Susan Sayers for an informative hour addressing many of the concerns surrounding COVID-19 vaccines.
“This virus is not what it is billed to be – an influenza-type virus. It’s far more than that,” Dr. Offit said, “What this virus does is cause inflammation of your blood vessels – vasculitis – and therefore, every organ can be affected… A choice not to get a vaccine is not a risk-free choice.”
As to concerns about side effects years after receiving the vaccine, he said, “There is not an example in medicine of a vaccine side effect that is only found out years later.” He says the data to date shows the vaccines are safe for pregnant women and those who have already contracted the virus. Those individuals, he said – could only receive one dose of the vaccine after they have no more symptoms.
Alison Singer and Dr. Todd also weighed in on the discussion and added their gratitude to the staff for all they have done to protect their respective children, who are longtime residents.
World Autism Awareness Month
Last month, we celebrated so many people vital to The Center.
Each April is World Autism Awareness Month, with World Autism Awareness Day landing on April 2nd.
Many of our residents and students have the complex challenges associated with an autism spectrum disorder. Here at TCFD, we all work to support them as individuals with unique and specific responses to the environment, food, educational lessons and settings, sport, and recreation.
TCFD on Spectrum News
The forthcoming TCFD Children’s Specialty Hospital was in the news in April! Spectrum News covered the historic 35-million dollar construction loan The Center secured from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The feature highlighted the medical and social impacts The Children’s Specialty Hospital would have on thousands of children with complex conditions and their families statewide. Also, the economic impact of adding 400 new jobs to the county.
The Children’s Specialty Hospital is designed as a short-term assessment facility where individuals with complex challenges will be evaluated and treated by a team of multi-disciplinary physicians and clinicians and ultimately discharged back home. This model of care is expected to save the state millions of dollars.
To read the entire article, view https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/hudson-valley/news/2021/04/06/the-center-for-discovery-secures–35-million-to-build-a-new-hospital.
Grab Your Share – Quick!
It’s that time of year again – to dream of fresh summer fruits and vegetables and sign up for the Thanksgiving Farm CSA! Where else can you get organic, biodynamic, fresh-from-the-vine veggies?
From beets to collards to escarole and rutabaga and everything in between, our farm team expects 49-different fruits and vegetables this year – from June through November.
Contactless pickup this year will be:
Tuesdays: 3:15 pm – 6:00 pm at 507 Old Route 17
Saturdays: 10:00 am – 12:00 p at 507 Old Route 17
Stress Reduction During this Pandemic-Time
A special thank you to the Child Mind Institute (CMI) for partnering with us to produce a special webinar on stress and anxiety.
Rachel Busman, PsyD, ABPP, the Senior Director of the Anxiety Disorders Center at CMI, gave an important talk about stress responses, coping mechanisms, and patterns of behavior. She also reminded us how vital it is to take care of ourselves. And, she highlighted critical ways we can work on better mental and emotional health – especially during this unprecedented time. To view the webinar, please visit https://bit.ly/TCFDCMIWebinar
Learning from Our Integrated Arts Experts
Our Integrated Arts Virtual Live Seminar Series has come to an end – but it remains available for your viewing pleasure on TCFD’s YouTube Channel:
https://bit.ly/IntegratedArtsSeminarSeries.
The series teaches hundreds of educators, clinicians, parents, and support personnel across the country the many aspects of our magical, forward-thinking Integrated Arts programming.
It is our goal to help others rethink the arts and recreational therapy within the complex community.
Please continue to share the link with friends!
Join Us on Social Media in 2021
Please like and follow us on all social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube for great stories, updates on our Children’s Specialty Hospital, and more!
Facebook: @TheCenterForDiscoveryOfficial
Instagram: @TheCenterForDiscovery
Twitter: @TCFDiscovery
LinkedIn: @TheCenterforDiscovery
YouTube: @TheCenterforDiscovery
Hashtags:
#WhatHappensHereMattersEverywhere
#HealthWellnessAndWonders
#FutureFullOfDiscovery