Organization rescinded virus test bills

At the height of the pandemic, when it became clear that COVID-19 was disproportionately impacting people of color, Hudson River Healthcare was a lifeline to its community.

I believe it has been a cornerstone of Suffolk County’s health care safety net for years, but this spring, it stepped up to ensure those most vulnerable to the virus had access to testing. Conducting more than 10,000 tests at pop-up clinics around the county, the nonprofit health provider mobilized to help stop the spread of coronavirus here. All pop-up tests were free, thanks to county funding.

A recent article, “LIers getting hit with bills for ‘free’ COVID-19 tests” [News, Aug. 22], reported how some patients received bills in error from HRHCare for follow-up visits related to those tests. I believe HRHCare should be commended for how it rectified the situation. Once it became aware, it acknowledged the mistake, reiterated that all testing at pop-up clinics were free and rescinded the follow-up visit bills for the uninsured. To me, Suffolk County is lucky to have such an honest partner playing a critical role in our health system. When we need it most, I’d say the nonprofit organization rises to the occasion.

Sister Margaret Rose Smyth,

Riverhead

Editor’s note: The writer is director of the North Fork Spanish Apostolate.

Correction: Due to an editing error, a previous edition of this letter to the editor incorrectly referred to the nonprofit health organization as a company. The headline and letter have been updated.

High rates mean high expectations

The solution to the PSEG Long Island storm debacles seem so simple to me that they can be solved immediately without changing management, companies or other personnel.

I’ll explain. When I go out to an expensive restaurant, I expect excellent food and service. If it’s not excellent, I’m disappointed. That’s because the restaurant is setting the bar extremely high by charging high prices. If I go to an inexpensive restaurant and the service stinks, at least I can justify it, saying, “Well, what do you expect at these prices?” The same example works just as well with the electric company. Because it charges some of the country’s highest rates, it sets the bar extremely high. We expect excellent service. But if the rates were cheap, everyone’s expectations would be much lower. I’ll bet customers could even justify rolling blackouts if the price for electricity were cheap enough.

Steve Puwalski,

Manorville

Make sure you can float your boat

The article “Five tips for buying a waterfront home” [LI Home, Aug. 28] was good, but I believe it left out a sixth tip: Verify there is sufficient water depth for boats. A recent Bayport sale makes my point. This house on South Snedecor Avenue has 170 feet of bulkhead, but the Town of Islip has permitted the canal to become filled with silt, making navigation possible for only an hour on either side of high tide. During sustained low tides, the bottom projects above the waterline. I note this because the town altered the outflow of Snedecor Creek from directly to Great South Bay to, now, under South Snedecor Avenue and one property owner’s land (with an easement), and it discharges directly into the canal’s midpoint. A video during a heavy rain shows the plume of silt dispersed with substantial force, sending it up and down the canal. I’ve spoken to some of the waterfront property owners, who indicate that the town easement makes the removal of such silt and debris the responsibility of the town. It’s been brought to the town’s attention, but it apparently chose not to act. So residents pay waterfront taxes but can’t use their boats.

Jerry Miskovsky,

Babylon Village

Stolen BLM banner won’t stop fellowship

In June, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook hung a Black Lives Matter banner at its property on Nicolls Road in East Setauket to express outrage at the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and solidarity with people of color who we believe continue to be oppressed by systemic racism in America.

After seeing the banner, several people contacted the fellowship to express their gratitude that our religious organization was taking a stand to say that Black Lives Matter. The banner was intact until during the weekend, when the cables securing it were cut, the support pole bent and the flag stolen.

Recently, our minister’s home and car were egged. The fellowship’s board of trustees officially expresses our continuing support for Black Lives Matter. The banner has already been replaced. We are honored to be a part of this movement and believe there is growing support for Black Lives Matter in our community.

We believe that the vandals who oppose that message of equality are on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of justice.

Sara Lutterbie,

Stony Brook

Editor’s note: The writer is president of the board of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook.