Nurse in vax scam, set weekly opioid doses limits, East End housing decision, church separation, SBU president deserves respect

Nurse in vax scam should be in jail

State Supreme Court Justice John Collins said nurse Julie DeVuono endangered the lives of “hundreds, if not thousands” of people . . . “This case is about greed.” That said, I don’t understand why Collins turned DeVuono’s six-month jail sentence into community service [“No jail for nurse in vax scam,” News, June 12].

Outside the courtroom, DeVuono told reporters that frontline workers had the right to refuse vaccines. I am sure Typhoid Mary would have agreed. DeVuono added that she “charged less than half the going rate” for falsifying official COVID-19 documents even though she had expenses like paying her partners in crime.

Does she truly believe she was being noble and should be commended? If a hit man charges less than the going rate, should he be given a medal?

Her lawyer said DeVuono is remorseful. With all she said to reporters, including some twisted reference to Thomas Jefferson, DeVuono seemed to be mocking Collins’ ruling.

 — Phyliss Grodofsky, Merrick

Give patients only weekly opioid doses

Many physicians — generally post-surgical — prescribe weeks of opioid medication to combat pain [“New option to save lives,” News, May 20]. Oftentimes, patients will use medication appropriately for a few days and then no longer require it. This potentially leaves hundreds of pills sitting in medicine cabinets. It’s an invitation for others to use the opioids inappropriately and/or unlawfully.

Why can’t physicians prescribe opioids only on a weekly basis? In this modern day of e-scribing, it takes a physician 30 seconds to refill a prescription. It is not labor intensive. If the patient still requires opioids, refill the prescription weekly after their medical reassessment.

As a health care professional, I see this as one piece in solving the larger opioid crisis puzzle. Release the fewest number of opioids into the community as possible and at the same time provide relief for patients who truly need them.

 — David Lavenda, Islandia

East End housing decision is shameful

Regarding the three letters addressing the June 17 editorial on Liberty Gardens, the editorial board is right: The Southampton Town board’s rejecting 50 units of veterans and workforce housing is a shameful decision [“Liberty Gardens: Listen to the others,” Opinion, June 21].

The town board’s cowardly vote also seems like a violation of the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits housing discrimination, given the comments made against veterans with mental health issues during the many years this proposal has been put through the wringer. It is well within impacted residents’ rights to pursue corrective legal action. I hope they will.

It’s no secret that Long Island is amid a dire housing crisis. More than half of the region’s renters are “cost-burdened,” paying at least 30% of gross income toward housing costs. For some of the most vulnerable, such as seasonal workers in the Hamptons, housing is crucial.

This vote serves as an excellent example of why state zoning override powers are needed to ensure quality and affordable housing for New Yorkers.

 — Rachel Fee, Brooklyn

The writer is executive director of New York Housing Conference.

Church separation a founding principle

There is a good reason why our Founding Fathers wanted separation of church and state [“Commandments law challenged,” Nation & World, June  25]. One only needs to look at the Arab nations where religious wars have destroyed these countries.

The conservative Christian right wants more religion in public schools. If successful, the future prospects are endless. What happens if other religions sue to have their commandments posted?

Religion should be taught in the home and fostered in a family’s house of worship. Schools need to educate, and we are falling behind there. If having religion in school is so important to some people, there are plenty of private religious schools to send a child.

Ironically, I wonder how many of these people have broken some commandments themselves. That would be the ultimate hypocrisy

 — Paul Spina, Calverton

With an education system that ranks near the bottom in this country, perhaps Louisiana should be posting the ABC’s, not the Ten Commandments.

— Bob Horsham, Ridge

SBU president deserves respect

I am mortified by the political diatribe by Stony Brook University professor Josh Dubnau against Maurie McInnis, outgoing university president [“Need smart search for Stony Brook prez,” Opinion, June 18]. The most absurd fringe comment in this column of hate was his condemnation of the crackdown by the university on “peaceful” protests against the killing of Palestinian children.

He never mentioned the 1,200 Israelis killed on Oct. 7, the hostages, or who started this latest war. And he didn’t mention the fear that some Jewish students likely felt on campus stemming from these protests.

— Michael Kaufman, St. James