Be Healthy! Wednesdays Presents Tips From the Experts: Avoiding Baseball Injuries

Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, Breaking Bronx features a health-related story, event or tidbit as part of an online expansion of our Be Healthy! column. It’s spring and baseball season is underway. While the sport means mostly fun for young players hitting the field, the threat of an injury still looms. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 282,000 people under the age of 18 were treated in hospitals, doctors’ offices and emergency rooms for baseball-related injuries in 2010. Young players, parents, and coaches should be diligent in taking precautions to avoid injuries that could mean bench time, or even

Bronx Notes: 50+ Fitness Fair at Mosholu Library

Find out about free and low-cost fitness opportunities for older active adults in your neighborhood and throughout the Bronx on Saturday, April 14, from 12-4 p.m. at the Mosholu Library, 285 East 205th Street (near Perry Avenue).

Be Healthy! Wednesdays: More New Yorkers Getting Checked for Colon Cancer

Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, Breaking Bronx features a health-related story, event or tidbit as part of an online expansion of our Be Healthy! column. Over the last decade, New York City’s colonoscopy rate has gone up by 62 percent, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced last week, the highest number since 2003, when the city first started tracking the data. Colonoscopy is a test that examines the interior of the large intestine, which allows doctors to look for abnormal or precancerous growths, making the procedure an important tool in catching colon cancer early. It is commonly recommended for

A local nonprofit that advocates for the rights of homeless residents is facing scrutiny after the New York Post ran a story about the group last month, alleging one of its board members gave a “crash course on squatting,” instructing people on how to break into vacant buildings–an accusation the organization says is completely false. Picture the Homeless (PTH) is a citywide nonprofit headquartered on Morris Avenue in the Bronx, just south of Fordham Road. The group, run largely by homeless or formerly homeless individuals, works to organize the city’s homeless population, advocating on policy and social justice issues that

State Offers Support to PS 51 Parents, City Another Story

In late March, the parents of current and former PS 51 students met with state officials to ask questions and discuss their concerns about potential health effects caused by exposure to contamination at the school’s former site on Jerome Avenue.

Rivera Says There’s No Plan to Protect The Bronx From Nuclear Disaster

The Bronx is just 24 miles from a major nuclear power plant and Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera wants to know why there isn’t a plan in place to protect the 1.4 million people living in the city’s northernmost borough. At a press conference in Norwood yesterday, Rivera publicly released her letter requesting state hearings on the emergency evacuation plans of local, state, and federal governments in case of a nuclear meltdown at the Indian Point Energy Center. Surrounded by kids from the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center as well as regional environmental watchdogs, Rivera said she is unhappy with the 10-mile radius

Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, Breaking Bronx features a health-related story, event or tidbit as part of an online expansion of our Be Healthy! column. Bronx Photo Exhibit Spotlights Public Housing Health Hazards When the ventilation fan in Maribel Baez’s bathroom stopped working, a black patch of mold began to grow on her ceiling. She called the New York City Housing Authority, which runs the Melrose Houses in the South Bronx, where she’s lived for four years, and tried to get the problem fixed. NYCHA told her it would be two years before they could send a repairperson out. The mold

Be Healthy! Wednesdays: Healthy Eating Tips from Bronx Dietician

Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, Breaking Bronx features a health-related story, event or tidbit as part of an online expansion of our Be Healthy! column. March is National Nutrition Month, and with just a few days left until the end of the month, we thought we’d share some diet and nutrition tips from Katie Downes, a Registered Dietician here in the Bronx who works with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. “Many of the patients I care for in VNSNY’s Long Term Home Health Care Program find eating healthy meals a challenge—especially those who live alone,” Downes said. “I spend

On Monday night, parents of current and former PS 51 students met with state officials to ask questions and discuss their concerns about potential health effects caused by contamination at the school’s former site on Jerome Avenue. The building, which was home to the Bronx New School for nearly two decades, tested positive last year for high levels of trichloroethylene (TCE), a toxin linked to cancer. Representatives from the State Departments of Health and Environmental Conservation met with Community Board 7 members and PS 51 parents, who have been organizing with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition under the