Month: May 2024

The Academy For Lifelong Learning Provides Educational Opportunities For Adult Students

May 13, 2024

Storyteller Kevin Keraga regales a class of adult learners with a gripping tale at the Academy for Lifelong Learning in Saratoga Spring.
Jeff Shinaman Photo

By Christine Graf

Founded in 1992, the Academy for Lifelong Learning (ALL) is an independent, self-funded non-profit that offers a wide variety of learning opportunities to people of all ages. One of more than 400 Lifelong Learning Institutes in North America, ALL is affiliated with Road Scholar Institute Network.

A membership-based organization, ALL charges an annual membership fee of $75. Members pay an additional $50 to take one of the many six-week courses that are offered during the fall, winter, and spring semesters. Membership is open to people of all ages, but because the classes take place during business hours on weekdays, the majority are retired.

“We provide educational and social activities for mature learners, and most of our members are retired seniors,” said ALL Executive Director Jeff Shinaman.

Although many of ALL’s 350 active members live in Saratoga County, the academy has members from throughout the Capital Region. Courses take place at numerous locations including SUNY Adirondack, the Saratoga Senior Center, senior residential communities, and local churches and libraries.

Saratoga-Based Business For Good Awards A Marketing Grant To Teach Brother Teach

May 13, 2024

The first annual Teach Brother Teach induction ceremony and workshop was held at Albany’s Hilton Garden Inn on Saturday, April 20. S. Neal Currie Jr, founder of Teach Brother Teach, presided over the event, which welcomed seven new fellows into the program.

Teach Brother Teach was created by Currie, a long-time Albany educator and executive director of the Fundisha Center, to address the scarcity and lack of support for Black male teachers in the Greater Capital Region of New York.

“Having at least one Black teacher in elementary school cuts the high school dropout rates of low-income Black boys by 39 percent,” said Currie. “Our goal with Teach Brother Teach is two-fold: encourage and support Black men considering education as a profession, and create a more equitable education system where Black boys feel a greater sense of connection and inclusion at school.”

In addition to the induction of new fellows to Teach Brother Teach, the event featured guest speakers that included: Daryl Williams, CEO of Teach Like A Champion; Dana Brown, senior director of enrichment and opportunity programs at SUNY Empire State University; Dr. Darryl White, principal of KIPP Tech Valley Middle School; and Dr. Kewsi Burgess, Albany City School District. The new fellows were led in a workshop presented by Andrea Ellis from E2Serve Education Consulting.

Teach Brother Teach has a mission to build a cadre of outstanding Black male educators that will serve as a professional support group to those who are committed to improving their communities by making a direct and positive impact on the lives of students in the city of Albany and beyond.

Dedicated Home Health Care Aides Serve Growing Elderly Population In Tri-Counties

May 13, 2024

By Susan Elise Campbell

According to Syracuse University’s Lerner Center report, nearly one in six New Yorkers is 65 years or older, and no other population group in the state is growing faster. This means there is a growing dependency on the rest of the community for their care as they continue to age.

One industry strongly advocating for aging seniors is in-home health and personal care. The leadership of Home Instead out of Gansevoort and Greater Adirondack Home Aides in Queensbury share a compassion for and commitment to the elderly and disabled in the three counties they serve: Washington, Warren and Saratoga.

As business entities, these agencies couldn’t be more different. Home Instead is part of a privately held corporation with franchises in multiple countries and brand recognition. President and minority owner of the Gansevoort office, Maureen Hopkins, opened the agency in 2000.

Greater Adirondack Home Aides is a non-profit organization dating back to 1965. Charles Nelson is the executive director responsible to a board of directors who has “a little less freedom” than corporate executives do and with shallower pockets, he said.

Since a surge in health care costs follows an aging population, “New York would prefer that people age at home because it doesn’t have to open more skilled nursing facilities,” said Nelson.

These professionals have similar challenges. One is they are constantly looking to hire caregivers. Another is that sometimes they face obstacles by regulatory bodies in the state.

There are two basic kinds of home care, although functions overlap. Personal care, involving non-medical home care, includes safety supervision for people with dementia or mobility issues, meal preparation, assistance paying bills, companionship, and other everyday tasks that help them maintain their independence.

Business Report: State Budget Changes Will Affect Employers

May 13, 2024

Allen Shoikhetbrod, Esq., managing partner, Tully Rickney PLLC, Albany.
Courtesy of Tully Rickney

By Allen Shoikhetbrod, Esq.

On April 20, the 2024-2025 New York state budget was approved, ushering in many significant changes employers should take note of. While some of the initial proposals did not make the final draft, there are three significant changes coming to New York that employers need to review.

Paid Prenatal Leave:

Taking effect on January 1, 2025, New York state private sector employers will be required to provide employees with 20 hours of paid prenatal leave each year, amending New York Labor Law § 196-b. Cut in half from the originally proposed 40 hours, this leave can be taken for health care services received by an employee during their pregnancy or related to such pregnancy, including physical examinations, medical procedures, monitoring and testing, and discussions with a health care provided related to the pregnancy.

One aspect to note is that this leave is separate from the existing hours of paid sick leave mandated by state law and can be used in hourly increments. Additionally, employees must be paid their regular rates of pay when using this leave.

Paid Breaks for Breast Milk Expression:

In a similar vein to prenatal leave, Governor Hochul also proposed adding paid break time to express breast milk throughout the day. Currently, New York laws allow employees to take reasonable unpaid breaks for this purpose at least once every three hours, or as the employee may reasonably desire. But as of June 19, 2024, employers are required to provide paid 30-minute breaks for this reason, amending New York Labor Law § 206-c.

WellNow Urgent Care Opens A Facility In Queensbury Offering Quality Medical Services

May 13, 2024

With locations nationwide, WellNow Urgent Care has opened a facility in Queensbury to serve the local population.
Courtesy of WellNow Urgent Care

By Susan Elise Campbell

WellNow Urgent Care is one of the fastest-growing providers of urgent medical care, telehealth and occupational medicine services in the United States. With a new location that opened April 10 at 920 Lake George Road in Queensbury, medical care and diagnostic services are now available seven days a week to patients in the North Country, said Beth Pagan, WellNow’s director of market operations for eastern New York.

“WellNow provides a wide array of diagnostics, including X-rays, EKGs, complete metabolic panels, and much more,” said Pagan.

There are nearly 80 WellNow locations in the state and 200 in the country offering urgent, not emergency, care.

“Our centers offer more services than the average primary care physician so that patients can be treated right away without having to go to a traditional emergency room, where they might face long wait times and an expensive bill,” she said.