KARAVIS FAMILY DONATES TELEVISION ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM IN MEMORY OF SON, PHILIP, TO BENEFIT PATIENTS BEING TREATED INSIDE HYPERBARIC CHAMBER AT NUMC
March 5, 2009
Contact: Shelley Lotenberg
(516) 572-6055
shelley@numc.edu
KARAVIS FAMILY DONATES TELEVISION ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM IN MEMORY OF SON, PHILIP, TO BENEFIT PATIENTS BEING TREATED INSIDE HYPERBARIC CHAMBER AT NUMC
East Meadow, NY…..Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the Nassau Health Care Corporation, gratefully acknowledged a donation of two television entertainment system provided by the Karavis family, in memory of their son, Phillip, who had died of a chronic bone marrow disorder in 2006.
“We are grateful for the generosity displayed by the Karavis family in supporting our efforts on behalf of hyperbaric chamber patients by holding a fundraiser in their son’s memory and generously donating a portion of the proceeds to purchase televisions for the hyperbaric chamber at NUMC. Patients in our multi-place hyperbaric chamber will now have an opportunity to relax and watch television while receiving hyperbaric treatments,” said Gianelli.
Philip Karavis was a 16 year old with a chronic bone marrow disorder, which lead to a serious wound. He was treated in the Regional Wound Care and Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Center at Nassau University Medical Center where he received both hyperbaric oxygen treatment and wound care. In 2006, Philip passed away from a complication of his illness.
The hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a medical treatment that is used to treat a limited but diverse series of medical issues such as decompression illness, carbon monoxide poisoning and problem wounds. It is often used as part of combined program involving antibiotics and wound treatments. The patient is placed within the chamber, which is then pressurized and the patient breathes 100% oxygen. For information on NUMC’s Hyperbaric Chamber, please call 516-572—5201.
The above photo of Phillip’s family and the staff who took care of him was taken on March 2, 2009 at a dedication of the system. (Left to right: Helen Karavis (mother); Marie Ulcena, RN,: Kathy Kraguras (aunt); Paul Karavis (brother); Donna Hangan, CHRNC, nurse unit coordinator for the hyperbaric center; Glenn Butler, CEO, LST; Leroy Francis, surgery department administrator.
