WINTER 2011 BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CENTER • ST. LUKE’S HOSPITAL • ROOSEVELT HOSPITAL LONG ISLAND COLLEGE HOSPITAL • THE NEW YORK EYE & EAR INFIRMARY Philanthropy Supports Comprehensive Breast Center at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt… page 1 ALSO INSIDE: Elie Hirschfeld Gives to Roosevelt Hospital Emergency Department • SLR Spring Gala • DeBare Geriatric Fellowships • Planned Gift from Jean Shamroth • Rubin Foundation Helps Medical Residents • Ruth Nerken Continues Family’s Philanthropy • New Gifts Fund Oncology Supportive Services • Kate Wickham Honored • NYEEI Launches Surgical Suite Initiative • Sarnoffs Honor Golden Anniversary with Planned Gift • Planned Giving Luncheons • Center for Health and Healing 10th Anniversary • Breast Service Luncheon • Ongoing Support of Music Therapy Formed in 1997, 01 Continuum Health ST. LUKES'S AND Roosevelt Hospitals Partners, Inc. unites six Delivering Quality Care to Breast Cancer Patients • Language distinguished voluntary Services for Patients • Headache Institute Moves into New teaching hospitals: Beth Israel Medical Home • Elie Hirschfeld Supports Emergency Department • Center Petrie Division, Beth Israel Spring Gala • Complementary Therapies in Oncology Unit • Medical Center Kings Highway Division, Kate Wickham Celebrated • Multimedia in the PICU St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals, Long Island College Hospital and The New 08 York Eye & Ear Infirmary. All of the THE NEW YORK EYE AND EAR Infirmary Continuum hospitals were established more than a century ago by civic-minded Surgical Suite Initiative Launched • Theater Benefit Funds individuals with a shared commitment Pediatric Ophthalmology to improving health and health care for 09 their communities. PLANNED GIVING Joan and Arthur Sarnoff Honor 50th Anniversary with Planned Gift • Grateful Patient Puts Beth Israel For further information regarding gifts to Beth Israel Medical Center, St. Luke’s and Roosevelt in Estate Plans • Planned Giving Luncheons Hospitals, Long Island College Hospital and The New York Eye & Ear Infirmary, please contact: 11 Development Department CONTINUUM Continuum Health Partners, Inc. Eight Years of Generosity from TD Bank • Team Continuum 555 West 57th Street, 18th Floor Runs for Cancer Supportive Services • Center for Health New York, NY 10019 212.636.8400 and Healing Celebrates 10th Anniversary • Shelley and www.chpnyc.org Donald Rubin Foundation Support Resident Wellness • New Trustees • Continuum Cancer Centers Golf Classic • Please write to Patricia Balsamini, Vice President for Development, at the above address if you Breast Service Luncheon wish to have your name removed from future fundraising requests. 16 LONG ISLAND COLLEGE hospital LICH Gala 2010 Cover: (Front row left to right) Nichole Greulich, Marcelina Garcia, 18 Joan Deignan, Erick Martinez (Back row left to right) Kruti Diriwala, BETH ISRAEL Paul Tartter, MD, Alison Estabrook, MD, Ruth Nerken Continues Family Legacy of Philanthropy • and Sharon Rosenbaum Smith, MD, of Heather on Earth Foundation Supports Music Therapy • the Comprehensive Breast Center at Walls Psychosomatic Fellowship Fund • Harris M. Nagler, St. Luke's and Roosevelt Hospitals MD, Feted as New President • Betty Klipstein Assists Breast Cancer Patients in Need • Leo Rosner Foundation’s Continued Commitment to Colorectal Research • Dr. Martin Feuer Honored with Gift to Kriser Emergency Department • Mary DeBare Geriatric Fellowships Celebrated • Cynthia Zirinsky Honors Loved Ones by Helping Others ST. LUKE’S AND roosevelt hospitals Helping to Bring the Highest Quality Care to Breast Cancer Patients he Comprehensive Breast malignant. According to Dr. Estabrook, been a donor to St. Luke’s and Roosevelt the new machine greatly benefits patients since 1980 and has given to Beth Israel as TCenter at St. Luke’s and with tiny calcifications in the breast. well. Previous contributions include a gift of $5,000 to the Breast Resource Center at “This machine enables a very precise the Comprehensive Breast Center as well Roosevelt Hospitals, led by Alison visualization of calcifications,” Dr. as a gift of more than $100,000 to Beth Estabrook explained. “The radiologists Israel’s Berger Department of Urology. Estabrook, MD, Chief of Breast can do a biopsy under mammographic guidance, which means the patients Other donors whose contributions helped Surgery at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt don’t need surgery. The radiologists put purchase the new biopsy system include a needle into the breast and then pull out Children’s Television Workshop co-founder since 1998, is renowned for its the tissue, which can then be analyzed Joan Ganz Cooney, as well as long-time by pathology to determine whether the Continuum Health Partners Trustee Gene state-of-the-art cancer care and patient needs surgery.” Mercy. Mr. Mercy’s late wife, Sue Mercy, twice chaired the Continuum Cancer One donor, Abby O’Neill, made a gift of supportive services. The generosity Centers of New York’s annual Breast $135,000 to the Center in honor of Dr. Service Luncheon and was a longstanding Estabrook. “Alison Estabrook has done of the Center’s many donors has committee member. Proceeds from the such an extraordinary job in finding luncheon benefit Dr. Estabrook’s program new and better ways to help not only contributed greatly to the program’s at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt and the her patients who can pay, but those Appel-Venet Breast Service at Beth Israel. remarkable success. who don’t have the same opportunities,” Mrs. O’Neill said. “She is so generous, “Susie was an avid supporter of the Breast In the last year, three donors made gifts not only with her time but with her Service Luncheon and was incredibly to enable the Center to purchase an talent, and she’s very concerned about the fond of Dr. Estabrook,” said Gene Mercy. image-guided, stereotactic biopsy system. public at large, which I think is wonderful.” “Supporting Dr. Estabrook’s clinical This state-of-the-art equipment can initiatives is one way for me to keep her This latest gift adds to a history of giving determine whether a growth detected passion and spirit alive.” by Mrs. O’Neill and her husband, George. through a mammogram is benign or The Abby and George O’Neill Trust has Support From Marilyn Simons Marilyn Simons’s generosity has made a nutritionist visits, massage, yoga, aerobics, to be effective in reducing fatigue, anxiety, profound impact on the Comprehensive swimming, and dance and art therapy. stress and pain perception, as well as enhancing Breast Center. relaxation and creating a sense of well­being. “After breast cancer treatment, some people However, they aren’t always covered by a Mrs. Simons’s gifts include $125,000 a year have difficulty moving their arms, so they might patient’s insurance. for the Center’s breast fellowship program since not be able to do a regular swimming or yoga 2002. Geared toward physicians who have class,” Dr. Estabrook said. “With our programs, “Cancer treatment should involve treating completed five years of surgery and now want not only do the patients get the support of being both the disease and the patient,” said to focus solely on breast surgery, the fellowship with other breast cancer survivors, but they Marilyn Simons. “In supporting the Breast covers all facets of breast disease. also have a teacher who is aware of what they Service Luncheon, I know I am helping count less can or cannot do.” patients have access to many important “The fellow spends a year doing breast surgery, wellness programs and services that they pathology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, Complementary therapies and supportive might not be able to benefit from on their own.” and plastic surgery,” Dr. Estabrook said. “By services have been proven by research studies the end of the fellowship, the physician under­ stands all the ins and outs of breast cancer and treatment.” Mrs. Simons also recently funded a state­of­ the­art mammography suite at St. Luke’s Hospital, where the majority of patients are from underserved communities. She has underwritten Continuum Cancer Center’s annual Breast Service Luncheon since 2002. The Luncheon helps fund the Center’s extensive wellness programs. These complementary programs and services include lectures, Moving on Aerobics Water Renewal Program WINTER 2011 1 ST. LUKE’S AND roosevelt hospitals Longtime Supporter Helps Fund Language Services for Patients or more than half a “St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals Director, Language Services Department. are essential to the health and well-being “These grants have been extremely F century, the Ambrose of our community, and we’re pleased with important for the growth of our depart- the Foundation’s longtime association with ment, and we are very grateful to the Monell Foundation has been an them,” said Maurizio Morello, Secretary Monell Foundation for their support.” and Assistant Treasurer of the Ambrose The relationship between the Monell Monell Foundation. The Foundation extraordinarily generous sup- family and Roosevelt Hospital began in gives to many causes supporting the the 1950s, when Maude Monell Vetlesen arts, healthcare, children’s issues, medical porter of St. Luke’s and Roosevelt served on the board of the hospital. When research, education, and much more. she passed away in 1958, her son, Edmund Hospitals. Over the past four The Language Services Department pro- C. Monell, succeeded her as a Trustee, vides patients with interpretive services and soon pledged a $1 million grant to years, the Foundation has given in any language—either through its three construct a new OBGYN floor at Roosevelt full-time interpreters or through the in her memory. $275,000 in grants to the Language services of an outside agency. In addition “The Monell Foundation has a long and to helping fund the outside interpreters, distinguished history of giving to help Services Department—bringing the Monell Foundation grants also have others,” said Stanley Brezenoff, President helped the Department print patient mate- and CEO, Continuum Health Partners. its total giving to the hospitals to rials, test and train volunteer interpreters, “We’re honored and grateful that the and furnish a training room.