Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • March 17, 2010 Business US News and World Report has identified Van Dyk Manor of Ridgewood as one of “America’s Best Nursing Homes” in that magazine’s February 2010 issue. Van Dyk Manor joins a list of only 173 facilities out of over 16,000 nursing homes nationwide to earn this distinction, and is only one of two in New Jersey to receive this recognition. “We are obviously very proud,” said Van Dyk Health Care President and CEO Bob Van Dyk. “For the staff, some of whom have been here for over 20 years, this is recognition for the care they provide and the joy they bring to our residents and their families every single day.” US News and World Report based its rankings on Nursing Home Compare, a ranking program run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS gives every nursing home that participates in the Medicare and Medicaid programs a rating of one to five stars overall. These Van Dyk one of two of ‘America’s Best Nursing Homes’ ratings are based on zero to five star ratings in three categories: recent survey inspections, nurse staffing, and clinical quality measures, such as pain management, wound care, and patient mobility. Facilities that scored a cumulative total of 14 or 15 stars in the above categories made the US News list. Van Dyk Manor of Ridgewood is a component of Van Dyk Health Care, Inc., which provides the total spectrum of care to senior citizens in Bergen, Passaic, and Essex counties. Started in 1953, Van Dyk Health Care now operates two skilled nursing facilities and two assisted living facilities. All facilities have been recognized by the American Health Care Association as Quality Award recipients, signifying their positions as providers of superior care to seniors. Van Dyk Health Care also offers independent living apartments, home health care, and rehab services. Court decides siren case (continued from page 3) considering the township’s safety concerns and the dead zones where pagers do not operate consistently. The appellate court judges pointed out that an appellate court will not disturb the factual findings and legal conclusions of the trial judge unless they so are inconsistent with the reasonably credible evidence as to offend the interest of justice. They went on to state that, in order to obtain a permanent injunction enjoining the sirens, the plaintiffs were obligated to establish the existence of a nuisance by “clear and convincing evidence.” The judges cited several court decisions in similar siren cases which upheld the use of sirens and stated, “Plaintiffs in the present matter also failed to establish…unreasonableness of the sirens under all circumstances by clear and convincing evidence…The sirens serve as an effective backup system to the pagers, and other available backup technologies such as reverse 911 and text messaging were not proven to be viable alternatives. Therefore, the municipality did not act in a palpably unreasonable manner in maintaining the siren system.” The judges also rejected the plaintiff’s contention that Contillo erred when he dismissed their claim under the state’s Environmental Rights Act, which provides for a court remedy of threats of pollution of the state’s environment because, as an expert testifying for the plaintiffs acknowledged, although the sound from the fire sirens exceeded a variety of federal and state noise standards, those standards do not apply to sirens. The judges concluded that the plaintiffs failed to prove that silencing the sirens was necessary to protect the environment from pollution. Dawn DiLeone said it was an understatement to say she was disappointed with the appellate court’s decision. She claimed that the eight sirens in the township do not cover the whole town, and many of the sirens in town are not working, including the one on Mayor Richard Martel’s street. She said that, if sirens are so important, she wants more of them installed and all the existing non-operational sirens to be fixed and working. When they are, she believes many other residents will realize what she has been complaining about. Claiming that she and her husband and their co-plaintiffs have spent a considerable amount of money in legal and expert testimony fees over the last three years, she complained that they are in the same position as they were before, and she is planning to sell her house. “I welcome anyone who loves the sirens to come and buy my house, maybe a firefighter, but officially I’m out of there. I’m done fighting. I’m moving,” she said. DiLeone blames Martel for caring more about the volunteer firefighters than the residents and she disputes the mayor’s claim that there has been a curfew on the use of the sirens. “They are lying if they say there is a curfew,” she said, adding that she supports the use of the sirens when there is a working fire. “But I don’t need a siren on Super Bowl Sunday, or at 6:30 a.m. when there is a school closing, or when sneakers are burning in the A&P lot.” Martel advised that the siren on his street is working and in operation and that the 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew on the use of the sirens is still in effect, although they will sound at any time for a confirmed fire. Helpful Hints Helpful Hints from ome “Do not flush prescription and non-prescription drugs down the toilet. Instead, dispose of them by removing them from their containers and mixing with regular trash”. 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