MDNews - Long Island

Local News Mercy Medical Center and Good Shepherd Hospice, both members of Catholic Health Services, are work - ing together to ensure Nassau residents have access to quality inpatient hospice services. The Certificate of Need applica - tion for a 12-bed hospice unit at Mercy was approved by the New York State Department of Health, and the unit will open in 2018. The Friends of Mercy Medical Center kicked off the capital campaign for Good Shepherd Hospice at Mercy Medical Center with a pledge of $250,000. The Family Lounge in the unit will be named the Friends of Mercy Family Lounge. The new facility will accommodate terminally ill patients who require an acute level of care. For the 48th consecutive year, employees of Northwell Health gath - ered together to honor the teachings and visions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year's keynote speaker was Wes Moore, best-selling author, decorated Army combat veteran, youth advocate and CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, one of the largest New York City foundations dedicated to alleviating poverty. His lat - est book, "The Other Wes Moore" tells the story of how educational opportunities, community support and other factors helped him transcend the fate of a man with the same name who lived just blocks away and took a tragically differ - ent path to prison. Providing musical support during the ceremony was the Hempstead Select Chorale, a group of talented singers who have already won two international choral competitions. Hundreds of aspiring nurses gathered at Northwell Health's 10th annual Golden Ticket Nursing Showcase at the Crest Hollow Country Club, an event designed to help recruiters identify promising college students who could one day become the heart and soul of New York state's largest health system. Nearly 500 nursing majors from more than 20 different schools attended the event on Jan. 10. Nursing leaders, representing 21 Northwell hospitals and 15 service lines, offered a glimpse into the rewards and challenges facing registered nurses today. They also networked with aspiring nurse candidates during the expo session. The Nursing Showcase allows Northwell to develop a pipeline of nursing talent at a time when there's a reported nationwide shortage of nurses, particularly in specialties such as perioperative, emergency department, critical care and pediatrics. It offers an opportunity to meet and interview students for internships, fellowships and other summer placement opportunities. More than half of the candidates who go through the Northwell Health summer program eventually get hired. Catholic Health Services of Long Island, in conjunction with the Diocese of Rockville Centre, celebrated the official opening of the Gianna Center of Long Island with a blessing from the Most Reverend John O. Barres, Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. This innovative program, under the medical direction of Paul Carpentier, MD, is the only facility of its kind on Long Island and provides families with highly specialized, restorative reproductive medicine in accordance with Catholic teaching. As part of the ceremony, Bishop Barres presented the Gianna Center with relics from St. Gianna Beretta Molla, a pediatrician and namesake of the nationally affiliated center. The New York Public Library, the New York State Commission for the Blind, and Lighthouse Guild's Parent Support Group are offering free lunch and information meetups for parents of children who are visually impaired or have multiple disabilities. Parents will learn about the importance of early literacy, hear about free services and resources, and learn about free books and Early Literacy kits. For more information and to register, please email NAPVI@lighthouseguild.org. Admission is free, and there will be fun activities for children. South Nassau Communities Hospital continued its tradition of excellence in 2017 by earning top awards and certifications in a wide range of patient care specialties. The awards earned by South Nassau include: • Healthgrades America's 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award, and 5-Star ratings for Total Knee Replacement, Total Hip Replacement and Hip Fracture Treatment • Healthgrades Patient Safety Award, Healthgrades Top 5 Percent of Hospitals for Patient Safety, Healthgrades Top 10 Percent of Hospitals for Patient Safety (L-R): Danielle Perillo, Foundation Director; Carter Anne McGowan, Good Shepherd Hospice Foundation board member; Philip Polo, Mercy's Director of Engineering; Msgr. Frank Caldwell; Mary Ellen Polit, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Good Shepherd Hospice; Brian Croutier, President of the Friends of Mercy; Sr. Dolores Castellano, CIJ, Good Shepherd Hospice Foundation Board Chair; Karen Signoracci Suero, Capital Campaign Consultant; Jennifer Hoffman, Continuing Care Board Member Keynote speaker, Wes Moore, at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. event Northwell Health's 10th annual Golden Ticket Nursing Showcase 2 8 2 8

• Cover