TWIW 12: March 17, 2026

In this episode:

• County Executive Ken Jenkins gave an update about damage to the Music Tower at Playland Park.
• Westchester County Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler, Regional Chief of Colon & Rectal Surgery and Co-Director of the Northwell Early-Onset Cancer Program for Westchester Northwell Health Dr. Parul Shukla, and Physician-Scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Dr. Benoit Rousseau  joined to discuss March as Colorectal Cancer Screening Awareness Month.
• Department of Senior Programs and Services Nutrition Coordinator Krish Drummond discussed March as Nutrition Month, and the vital nutrition services DSPS provides to older adults across the County. 
• Deputy County Executive Joan McDonald discussed the Department of Consumer Protection’s new contractor licensing and consumer services office hours.
• Westchester County is having a big moment in High School sports. 
• Save the date for Jenkins’ State of the County Address. 
• Update on Westchester County Parks.

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Transcript

Intro 0:06

Welcome to This Week in Westchester, the podcast, your weekly audio briefing from Westchester County Government. Each week, County Executive Ken Jenkins breaks down the decisions, investments, and initiatives shaping life across Westchester. Clear information, real progress. One place to stay informed. Now, here's this week in Westchester.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 0:28

Good afternoon. I'm Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, and this is This Week in Westchester, the briefing. First, happy St. Patrick's Day. I hope everyone is enjoying. For those of you that celebrate, um this morning, the deputy county executive and I started out at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Um, and the Archbishop, um Archbishop Hicks, said that you have to start from the morning, the afternoon, and the evening and celebrate into the wee hours of the morning. And since the Archbishop told us that, we must have to do it. So we're gonna hope everyone is enjoying um the St. Patrick's Day and certainly all of the local communities and um parades that have been going on. We've been trying to make as many as we can to be able to show our support for our Irish American community, and certainly um we had our Irish flag raising last week and with uh a lovely reception here. So again, for those celebrating um happy St. Patrick's Day. Um we had some tremendous, tremendous weather over the the evening. Um I know uh when we came back from Albany, we were up at the New York State Association and the counties last night, by the time we got back around midnight, some people a little bit after midnight, we were able to hear all those gusts of wind that was going on. It was a significant amount that was going throughout the day today. Um and because of those high winds, we had some damage at playland at the music tower. First, I know you're wondering, it has nothing to do with our operating season, everything's gonna be fine. Um, but some of the the uh stucco and underlying foam of the music tower detached and the area behind um of the music tower structure, that's the Edith Reed uh roadway. That roadway going back there has been closed to cars. Um, but pedestrians and everyone else can still um walk through as a precautionary merit measure closer to the um to the lake over there. The cleanup's underway, um, but again, no structural damage. Um you should know the music tower itself was built in 1928, and it's part of the park's original construction, and it was most recently restored about 20 years ago. So, again, um the access to the ED3 Wildlife Sanctuary remains available, but you have to park and you have to walk. So you're parking in the Playland parking lot and then walking um around and then getting to the ED3 Wildlife Sanctuary, and again, that is um no impact to operations for Playland. So it's still gonna open in May. We're a few months away, so everything is gonna be fine, and we'll work through that. Um we know that March is Colorector Cancer Screening Awareness Month, and and because of that recognition, um, we are going to have our health commissioner, Dr. Shalita Amler, and she's gonna be joined by Dr. Perul Shukla, our regional chief of colon and rectal surgery and co-director of the Northwell Early Onset Cancer Program for Westchester at Northwell Health, and Dr. Benoit Rousseau, who's a physician scientist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, for an important conversation on the rising incidence of colorectal cancer among younger adults. Together, they're gonna highlight the critical role of early detention and uh detection in timely screenings and saving lives and improving outcomes. So, with that, let's bring everyone up. And right now we're gonna turn back over to our Commissioner of Health, Dr. Shalita Amber. Dr.

SPEAKER_05 4:01

Thank you, sir. So thank you, County Executive Jenkins, for carving time out for us to talk about this important topic. As you mentioned, March is Colorectal Cancer Screening Awareness Month, and there are a few things that we want residents to remember. Each year, more and more young men and women, those in their 30s and 40s, are diagnosed with colorectal cancer. And in fact, 10% of all new cases are diagnosed in people under the age of 50. Some groups face a higher risk, including African Americans, people of Hispanic heritage, individuals of Eastern European Jewish descent. Experts say these populations should consider beginning, screening earlier. Other important risk factors include a family history of colorectal cancer, a personal history of polyps, or certain medical conditions. When caught early, colorectal cancer is treatable. Colorectal cancer screening can save your life or the life of someone you love. And remember that the most common symptom of early cancer is no symptoms. That's why it's important that everyone who is eligible for screening make that happen. Unfortunately, many people, especially younger people, are unaware that they should be screened. A colonoscopy not only screens for cancer, but it can remove precancerous polyps that can prevent cancer from developing. So let's just talk about that one more second. So not only can you detect cancer, but with a colonoscopy, you could actually detect the presence of a precancerous polyp, remove it, and never actually develop cancer. I am joined here today by experts in colorectal cancer screening and treatment who share a mission. We want everyone in Westchester who's eligible to have a colorectal cancer screening to get screened. Today, the screening rate in Westchester is under 65%. But we're working together to increase awareness and to encourage residents to get screened. And we plan to raise that number significantly. We want to raise the rate. To learn more about your screening options, you can attend one of many events that are scheduled throughout Westchester this month. To find one near you, visit our website at health.westchestercountyny.gov. Okay, so thank you. And now we want to um turn this over to Dr. Perul Sukla and Dr. Ben Brusso. Gentlemen.

SPEAKER_00 7:15

Thank you. Uh thank you, County Executive Ken Jenkins and Health Commissioner Dr. Amler for organizing this important event. I'm honored to join you today on behalf of Northwell Health during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. As uh Dr. Amler said, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Yet it is also one of the most preventable and treatable cancers when detected early. Over the past several decades, screening has helped reduce colorectal cancer in older adults. However, we are now seeing a concerning and well-documented rise in colorectal cancer among younger individuals, which is often referred to as early onset colorectal cancer. Today, approximately one in five new colorectal cancer diagnoses occurs in people under the age of 55. Many of these individuals are in the prime of their lives, raising families, building careers, contributing to their communities. Unfortunately, younger patients also are diagnosed at a later stage of their cancer where treatment can be more challenging. This is why awareness and family communication is important. Colorectal cancer risks can sometimes run in families. If someone in your family has had colorectal cancer or an advanced polyp, it may mean that other family members should begin screening earlier than the usual starting age. So one of the most important things residents of Westchester can do is have conversations with their families. Talk with your parents, your siblings, your adult children about your family history of cancer or polyps. Sharing this information helps the next generation understand their own risk and know when they should begin screening. The good news is that screening works. Screening can actually prevent cancer by detecting and removing precancerous polyps before they become cancer. And when colorectal cancer is treated early or found early, it is highly treatable and often curable. Today's screening is recommended to begin at the age of 45 for average risk adults. There are several options available. The best option is colonoscopy, but there are also stool-based tests that can be done at home. Our message to Westchester residents is simple. Talk with your doctor about when you should start screening. Encourage your loved ones to get screened as well. By increasing awareness and expanding access to screening, we can save lives and protect future generations. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 10:10

Good afternoon. Thank you so much for the invitation, and I'm very uh glad to speak today on behalf of my colleagues from uh Solon Kettering Cancer Center, especially uh from Westchester and uh Harrison. Uh I'm myself a physician scientist and I dedicate my research to earlier onset correctal cancer. But first, I would like to start with something very simple. First, as my colleague mentioned, screening saves lives. And what is screening? You have multiple options for screening. You can discuss with your uh healthcare providers, with your siblings. The recommended uh screening is through the colonoscopy because it helps uh not only to detect the cancer but also remove the polyps when they are very early and before it becomes cancerous. So it saves lives. And importantly, you have other options. I know it's scary and I know that you may not be willing to do it. You have other options, but what I would like to say is that the best screening you can get is the one that gets done. And it can save your life. So please try to get screened as much as you can, starting at 45 years old, upon the recommendation, and uh also discuss with your family. Then I would like to highlight something uh and uh mention this challenge we face at the moment with the rise of early onset colorectal cancer. So we face a very peculiar um uh epidemiology at the moment and an epidemic of cancers in early uh in like in young people less than 50 years old. Since the 90s, the number of cancer diagnosed in people less than 50 years old for colorectal cancer doubled. We don't know why exactly yet. You have some lifetime factors, but we see a lot of young people that don't have any risk factor or any familial history, and that is still under research. So, what I would like to say to people under 45 that doesn't start the screening early because of personal history, you may feel sometimes persistent symptoms, especially blood in the stools, or pain, or unexplained loss of weight, or you may have the feeling that your bowels have been changed, and that can be warning signs that you need to discuss with your doctors. I know that you're super busy and you may not be willing and dismiss these symptoms, but listen to your body. It's extremely important not to dismiss them because if you get queen or if you get diagnosed early, it can save your life. So be careful and advocate for yourself. Don't dismiss your symptoms and start uh to uh consult if you have any of these symptoms. Finally, I would like to highlight the the all the amazing work that has been done by the community. So, first, for the residents, get screened. If you are younger and you get symptoms, don't dismiss them and please consult and uh advocate for yourself. And we nobody is uh is too young to get colorectal cancer, unfortunately. For the healthcare providers, uh, don't think about cororectal cancer. Even in young patients, it can save their life. And I would like to thank all the Westchester County Department of Health for all the education, prevention, and screening uh that has been done uh through this uh correctal awareness month. Thank you.

unknown 13:37

Thank you, Tom.

SPEAKER_04 13:39

Thank you.

unknown 13:41

Thank you, Doug.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 13:44

Um first Dr. Shalida Anlog, Westchester County Commissioner of Health, um, uh Dr. Shukler, um, who is our regional chief of colon rectal surgery and co-director of the Northwell Early Onset Cancer Program for Westchester Northwell Health, and um Dr. Ben or Bono Rousseau, who sounds very cool, um, um, for his work as a physician scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Um Cancer Center. And all of them actually said the same thing, which was make screening saves lives, and there is no such thing as too early, and you have to really work on your family history um to do that. So there's lots of information that we have on our website, um especially for colon um, you know, colorectal cancer screening awareness month, but we're gonna continue to do this because every time we make sure we had folks that came up here last year that talked about their life being saved because of that screening. And that was a younger person. So again, depending on your family history, um, if you have um colorectal cancer in your family, it it is recommended 10 years before the age of the person that that's closest to you. It's first degree person. I was looking it up just now, right? Um, and to make sure that it's the if it's 10 years within that first degree person, your mother, your father, brother, or sister, that's a first degree person. So you said, all right, um, that person uh was was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at 35, that means you should be doing that at 25 years old. So again, you there's uh an opportunity to save lives and do this, and screening saves lives, and as all the doctors said, that it is very, very treatable when detected early. So again, we're gonna thank them all, and you can go back and relax for a few minutes, and we're gonna bring you back in just a few minutes later on for us to come back. But again, for colorectal cancer awareness, screening awareness month, um, and again, if you have um talk to your family members. And I know this is hard to do many different times. I know in my own family I tell a story when we had grandmother, which I didn't find out that she had breast cancer when she was um when she was in the 1960s, right, until very later on in life. Um, you know, when she passed away, she did not pass away from from cancer, but my mom did from uterine cancer. So I am very careful. And I try to explain that to my kids, but you know how kids are, my daughter listens, but my boys don't, right? So we're gonna keep working on them all together because um, as was pointed out, there is a prevalence right now of younger people um being diagnosed with colorectal cancer. So we are asking for everyone to continue to have those conversations and make sure you get those screenings, you talk to your healthcare professional, they'll make sure to diagnose and tell you what to do and be able to make recommendations to you. But if they make those recommendations to you, especially you younger folks, pay attention. So thank you all for the attention that you bring to this. Um we also know March is nutrition month, right? So we're going to have Chris Drummond come up with us and talk about the recognition for National Nutrition Month during month up during March. Westchester County's Department of Senior Programs and Services Nutrition Coordinator, Chris Drummond, will highlight the importance of healthy eating for older adults and the vital nutrition services the department provides to seniors across the county.

SPEAKER_03 17:07

Thank you, County Executive Council. It is my pleasure to be here and just listening to uh Commissioner's team on um colorectal cancer together before prevention, a healthy diet, right? A healthy diet leads to a healthy lifestyle. So my name is Chris Drummond. I am the nutrition coordinator for the nutrition, health, and wellness unit uh within the Department of Senior Programs and Services under the leadership of Commissioner Mae Carpenter. Our department serves nutrition services to seniors living in Westchester County. Some of we have 22 congregate nutrition programs, 14 home delivered meal programs, and five regional kitchens within the county. Our core services are congregate meals, home delivered meals, nutrition counseling, nutrition education, health promotion with exercise programs, and we also disperse the senior farmers market nutrition coupons. The program goals are to reduce hunger and food security, provide opportunities for social engagement, promote health and well-being through wellness activities such as exercise, yoga, and health screenings. We also want to delay or prevent adverse health conditions through nutrition counseling and education. On an annual basis, our department serves approximately 5,000 seniors within the county, and we provide approximately 500,000 meals to these seniors. As County Executive Ken Jenkins mentioned, March is National Nutrition Month. This is an annual campaign that was founded in 1973 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. During the month of March, everyone is encouraged to learn about food choices and also to make informed decisions based on their food. We also want to develop healthy eating habits and also healthy physical activity habits. The theme for this year's campaign is to discover the power of nutrition. Throughout the campaign, there are weekly messages that emphasize how nutrition can support both individual and community well-being. These messages encourage people to discover how food and beverage choices can help power your day. You could learn tips for accessing healthy foods in your community. You could also learn to build healthy habits that support well-being now and in the future. If you are looking for more information about National Nutrition Month, you can contact one of your local senior nutrition programs about planned activities. Additionally, I also want to recognize that March 11, 2026 was National Registered Dietician Day. This day highlights the roles of our dietitians and nutrition professionals. They play a major function in guiding food and nutrition decisions in clinical care, education, food access, and nutrition public policy. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the dedicated registered dietitians within the Department of Senior Programs and the other registered dietitians within the county across the county for their important contributions to improving the health and wellness of our communities. If you are looking for more information, you could call us on 914-813-6300. Thank you once again, and it's a pleasure being here. Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone. Thank you.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 20:53

Thank you so much, Chris. That was Chris Drummond, who is our Senior Programs in Services Nutrition Coordinator, and she started off with a really important message because that nutrition makes a difference in everything that happens to you in Tertany when you combine that with um doing colorectal cancer screening um awareness that you have all of the pieces that are put together. And again, they have tremendous information on the website. So we we thank Chris for being here with us um this afternoon. At this time, we're gonna bring up our deputy county executive, Joan McDonald, to take us to the next topic. Joan.

SPEAKER_06 21:28

Thank you, County Executive. And and first, before I start, I do want to comment, Chris, on your beautiful St. Patrick's Day earrings. They're gorgeous. So um I'm here to talk about uh some changes that we're making for our contractor licensing at Consumer Protections. The Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection is now offering office hours by appointment to better serve residents and contractors who need help with services provided by the department. This new offering will allow residents. Residents and contractors to schedule an appointment online to meet with staff and receive guidance on a range of services, including contractor license applications and document review. Appointments can be scheduled through the department's website or by using the link provided on the contractor license application. Individuals who need assistance scheduling an appointment may also call the office directly. Spanish-speaking staff is available to assist residents who prefer to communicate in Spanish. We want to ensure our residents and contractors can easily access the help they need from our consumer protection team. By offering these scheduled office hours, we can provide personalized assistance while helping applicants move through the process more efficiently. But many still prefer to submit materials in person, and you are surely allowed to do that. A secured dropbox is available at the security station on the first floor of the county office building where application packets and supporting documents can be delivered for review. And as always, you can forward documents to the Office of Consumer Protection by regular or overnight mail.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 23:15

County Executive Thank you so much, Joan, and again to continue the work that we have going on in March. So since we know it's March, there's something else March is aware of, and it's madness, right? So we have a lot of our high school um sports teams that are going for their their championships, and we are um so proud of the people that we have going forward for our high school teams in Westchester County. Um so we are having a tremendous big moment for Westchester and our high school um high school sports. So first, congratulations to the boys hockey, um boys basketball teams from American, Rye, and North Salem, and the girls' basketball teams from Yoncas Montessori Academy and Tuckahoe for advancing to the state final four in Binghamton this weekend. So we are all cheering all of you on from Amerinek, Rye, and North Salem and the girls' basketball teams from Yonkers, Montessori, and Tucco. Um they're going to those state finals. Those are in Binghamton. It's a little while away, but you know what? Um, it is good to have your home team and home fans supporting you. So we really want to say congratulations to them for making it to the Final Four in the States in their various divisions. Congratulations to the Rye hockey team for winning the Division II state championship. So, Rye and hockey, because we have a small rink there called the Ice Casino, but the Rye hockey team, it congratulations to them for this weekend when at the Division II state championship. Westchester is extremely proud of you. And we know we have our friends at Stepanak who have done CHSAA um history for their fourth, fourth in a row championship for the Stepanak boys basketball team. So again, Stepanak, um congratulations coming from a Fordham Prep guy. It's a big thing, right? But more importantly, for Westchester and for Stepanak, we want to say congratulations to you. And they're going on again from the CHSAA, and they have some additional things that they are gonna compete in as well. But congratulations to them. Um four years in a row is a tremendous, tremendous success because the teams keep changing. Um people graduate, and the next team steps up, and we we are looking forward to seeing all of you again from our friends at Stepinac. We have the state of the county is gonna come up on May 6th. Um you're like, wait, it's March. May 6th, the state of the county is going to be I'm gonna be delivering the 2026 State of the County on May 6th. Those doors are gonna open at 6 p.m. and the address is going to begin promptly at 6 30. I'm looking forward to sharing with you all of the progress that we've made, challenges that we face, and the vision ahead for Westchester County so we can have continued growth and success in the year ahead. As always, you'll be able to tune into the speech right here on Facebook or on the county's webpage, WestchesterCountyNY.gov. You don't have to search around on YouTube or anything like that. You can go right to the WestchesterCountyNY.gov page, and that's where we stream from all the time. But again, we're looking forward to that. For those folks that are coming in person, um, you'll be able to get an opportunity to sign up for that shortly, but not yet. So we're looking forward to that. So save that day, May 6th, um, 6 30 p.m. here in the county office building in the beautiful Board of Legislators chambers right here on the eighth floor. With that, let's turn over back to Joe McDonald to let us know everything that's going on in the park system. Joe.

SPEAKER_06 26:55

Thank you, Ken. A few upcoming events. First of all, on Saturday, March 21st from 9 a.m. until 10 30 a.m., the history and the natural history of Croton Point Park at Croton Point Park in Croton on Hudson, anyone ages five and older can join the village historian Mark Cheshire and Croton Point Park staff to learn about the history and environment of the park. Meet at the entrance to the RV park. Registration is not required, but make sure to wear sturdy and warm shoes, and the event is free. Also on Saturday, March 21st, from 11 to 12 30 p.m., birch beer make and taste at our Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center in Yorktown Heights. Anyone ages seven and older can join us to learn how this old-fashioned soda gets made, starting with the tapping process. Also, be prepared to try some of our farm fresh birch beer at this interactive program. It is$15 to uh attend. And finalizing the um March Madness, fill out your brackets and enjoy the excitement of college hoops. We have three upcoming Westchester Knicks games. One Thursday, March 17th, March 19th at 7 o'clock. A second one, Saturday, March 21st at 3 o'clock. And a third, Sunday, March 22nd, also at 3 o'clock. And these games are all pay all played at the county uh center. So let the games begin. County executive.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins 28:34

Yes, and I know so many folks are as we are going through again the championship seasons and working through March Madness. I know everyone's working on their brackets and those kind of things, because again, continue to be staying focused at work as we go through all of the process. Um I know the Westchester Knicks are playing, um, I think they're playing right now, as a matter of fact, um, on St. Patrick's Day. They had a day game because it is a a holiday for so many people, right? But again, so um so whether you're wearing green or not today, we we want to say happy St. Patrick's Day to you. Um, as always, we want to say thank you again for everyone um that was here today. We want to start with reminding everyone how strong and connected our county is and everyone trying to navigate through the challenging weather situations that we've had. Um, again, for Playland, we want to say thank you to um the Nationally Accredited and Award-winning park system and everyone at Playland that make sure that folks stay safe and secure, uh, making repairs, keeping access to residence, etc. Um, but that same spirit of resilience carries throughout everything that we do. Um, we took some time to focus on two things that really matter most. First, our health and our future, from important conversations about colorectal cancer screenings and early detections, and to highlighting uh essential nutrition services, supporting our seniors. We are continuing to make sure that we're doing this investment uh in the well-being of every generation in Westchester County. And and certainly um Deputy County Executive talked about making government work better for you, expanding access to the consumer protection services and making it easier for residents, contractors to get the help they need when they need it, and certainly having the information on our website. Because again, as we're going through March and we're getting to spring, there'll be all of these projects going on, and we know that we'll have um our executive director of consumer protection um here in the upcoming weeks to talk about um contractors, making sure that they're licensed, making sure that they're moving forward, especially when they're doing those driveway um paving projects and all those kind of things like that. So, again, um we know it is St. Patrick's Day today, so whether you're wearing green or not, we all are. Um but making sure that we are all celebrating this very happy St. Patrick's Day. As always, thank you so much for being part of what makes Westchester so strong. And that's this week in Westchester. I'm Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins. Thank you so much for watching. Have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day, and we'll see you all soon.