NASSAU HEALTH CARE CORPORATION’S HEROES IN HEALTH 2008 GALA, AN OVERWHELMING SUCCESS, HELPING TO RAISE OVER $250,000 TO BENEFIT THE LONG ISLAND MEDICAL FOUNDATION, THE PHILANTHROPIC ARM OF THE NHCC
November 14, 2008
Contact: Shelley Lotenberg
(516) 572-6055
shelley@numc.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
NASSAU HEALTH CARE CORPORATION’S HEROES IN HEALTH 2008 GALA, AN OVERWHELMING SUCCESS, HELPING TO RAISE OVER $250,000 TO BENEFIT THE LONG ISLAND MEDICAL FOUNDATION, THE PHILANTHROPIC ARM OF THE NHCC
INCREDIBLE SUPPORT BY FOUR HONOREES AND THE LONG ISLAND COMMUNITY HELPED TO CREATE MOMENTUM THAT ENCOURAGED 650 PEOPLE TO ATTEND
East Meadow, New York…..Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the Nassau Health Care Corporation announced that the Heroes in Health 2008 Gala attended by 650 guests at the Cradle of Aviation Museum, had raised well over $250,000 for the Long Island Medical Foundation and the new Center for Hypertension, Diabetes and Vascular Disease at NUMC.
“The overwhelming support by the Gala’s four honorees helped to create the momentum and excitement that prompted 650 guests to attend. The funds from tonight’s Gala will benefit the Long Island Medical Foundation, the fundraising arm of the Nassau Health Care Corporation, with some of the proceeds going to support the Zaki Hossain Center for Hypertension, Diabetes, and Vascular Disease. Opened in January of 2008, the Center started operation in brand new facilities, featuring many of our best clinicians, and addressing afflictions that impact residents throughout Nassau County. The Center partners with our Institute for Healthcare Disparities to implement concrete clinical interventions designed to improve the health outcomes of our residents, but most particularly residents who live in our many medically underserved areas” said Mr. Gianelli.
Mr. Gianelli thanked the honorees for their support: “Senator Dean G. Skelos, Majority Leader of the New York State Senate, has provided this institution with the support necessary to further our mission and modernize our facilities. While Senator Skelos could not attend tonight’s celebration, we will be honoring him at a later date. Larry G. Smith, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the North Shore-LIJ Health System and Dean of the New Medical School at Hofstra, has offered sage clinical and academic guidance as we have transformed the health care services we provide as well as the training of our residents and students. We look forward to working with Dr. Smith as the Hofstra Medical School opens its doors to its inaugural class. Nassau County Board of Health Vice President Diana Coleman has been a champion for all of the right causes in the Roosevelt community, like equity in taxation, excellence in education, and the eradication of health care disparities. Finally, S. Zaki Hossain is a leader in the Island’s business community, a proud Bangladeshi-American, and a major benefactor of the Long island Medical Foundation. He has been an inspiration for all of us, challenging others to donate funds to help us to fulfill our commitment to the patients that we serve.
John O’Connell, Executive Director of the LI Medical Foundation, who co-chaired the event said: “The committee worked diligently to ensure an evening of great fun, a superb reception and a huge financial success.”
Mr. Gianelli concluded by thanking all 650 supporters of the NHCC for their commitment and support of Nassau’s health care system with a public mission: “Hosting our second annual Gala at Nassau’s beautiful Cradle of Aviation is immensely appropriate. The Cradle commemorates flight. What we’re doing tonight is taking off, flying into a future that is full of promise and possibility. I want to thank everyone for their continuing of the NHCC. Your financial support means a great deal to the NHCC, and tonight’s celebration is every bit as much about how far we’ve come as it is about where we want to go.”