Letter: Noisy air traffic hurts quality of life

Rep. Thomas Suozzi announced that planes heading for Kennedy Airport must now stay at higher altitudes until they are close to arrival [“New regulations aimed at reducing JFK aircraft noise,” News, June 18].

That might help his North Shore constituents, but what about the people on the South Shore who must bear even worse noise and apparently lower plane heights as the planes depart JFK over Valley Stream and Lynbrook neighborhoods?

Steve Grogan,

  Lynbrook

My daughter invited the family to a 3 p.m. barbecue at her home in Garden City for Father’s Day. The noise from the airplanes flying low to JFK Airport disrupted our outdoor party. The planes continued every two minutes for more than four hours. Can’t something be done about this problem, which seems to be ongoing?

Joe Giacoponello,

  Garden City

Airliners scream over the Village of Floral Park relentlessly, especially on the weekends. At times, I have measured them at about 45 seconds apart for hours on end.

It is amazing that planes seemed to have been rerouted for the Belmont Stakes on June 8 — not a plane over my backyard all afternoon. (You’ll recall that planes have been rerouted over the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament in Flushing Meadows in the past.) Where did all the planes go? I assume another flight path that isn’t unsafe. Maybe flight paths could be rotated among various patterns to help share the pain.

James Conway,

  Floral Park

Suppliers proactively test LI’s water

The New York Public Interest Research Group looked at available testing data and concluded that Long Island’s drinking water has the most emerging contaminants of any region in the state [“What’s in LI water? A lot,” News, June 3].

However, NYPIRG based its conclusion on very limited data. It looked at results from only 196 “community-based public water systems” with 10,000 users or more, while there are approximately 2,300 of these active community-based systems that together serve 80 percent of the state’s population.

In other words, less than 10 percent of the community water systems in New York State were looked at. Systems not providing data, for example, include upstate Hoosick Falls, which is experiencing a crisis over toxins in its drinking-water supply.

It is critical for Long Islanders to understand that our groundwater is among the most tested in the state. Our water suppliers proactively seek out emerging contaminants. We test more frequently than required and develop innovative technologies to address contaminants. Those measures enable us to provide drinking water that meets or surpasses extremely rigorous New York State regulations.

Tyrand Fuller,

  Bay Shore

Editor’s note: The writer is chairman of the Long Island Water Conference, a coalition of suppliers and industry representatives, and director of strategic initiatives at the Suffolk County Water Authority.  

To avoid harsh weather, add roofs to stadiums

Some $1.5 billion was spent to build the new Yankee Stadium, but without a retractable weatherproof roof [“Retractable roofs or domes on stadiums,” Letters, June 17].

Now we have the meteorological nightmare of climate change causing unpredictable weather and disrupting games. Money should be spent on climate-proofing stadiums rather than paying absurd salaries to players! If this warning is not heeded, teams will face the nightmares of canceled games and declining attendance as the weather deteriorates.

Curt Field,

  Melville

Focus on provider- patient partnerships

Newsday reported on the star ratings given to local hospitals by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [“Rating LI hospitals,” News, June 11]. But star designations are surely misleading. Good things happen in low-rated hospitals and bad or untoward things occur in those with high ratings.

The focus of health care should be on interacting clearly and assuring that providers have communicated to their patients in ways they can hear and understand. Providers need to see each patient as an individual, and not merely a case. Our health care system should focus on partnerships between providers and patients and teach patients about their diagnoses, prognoses, care and tools to prevent or minimize recurrences. Providers should adhere to their own standards of safety practices — for example, hand-washing, medication review, etc.

A culture of transparency needs to exist rather than hiding behind what I call a “sterile wall of safe care” and not fully reporting adverse outcomes to governing bodies.

Beverly R. James,

  Westbury

Editor’s note: The writer is a registered nurse and board member of the Pulse Center for Patient Safety Education and Advocacy, a nonprofit organization.