MDNews - Mid Hudson

NEWS Students and teachers at Riccardi Elementary School in Saugerties formed the shape of a pink ribbon as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. (L-R) Pat Melick, Stephanie Melick, Kathy Ferraro, Joe Ferraro, Tom Roessner and Linda Roessner won best group costume at the HealthAlliance Foundation's Vampire Ball Halloween Party for their "Gone With the Wind" depiction of the 19th-century American South. Students and teachers at Riccardi Elementary School in Saugerties, New York, formed the shape of a pink ribbon, the international sym- bol of breast cancer awareness, as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Students from kindergarten to sixth grade, many wearing pink, sold pink lemonade and pink cookies for $1 apiece Oct. 10, a day the school designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Day. The fundraising sale, supplemented by donations from parents and school staff, raised $394.50 for the HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley's Fern Feldman Anolick Center for Breast Health, the school says. The money was to be donated through the Benedictine Health Foundation. Putnam Hospital Center employees exchanged their scrubs and uniforms for suits and dresses in a spirited event commending their dedication and years of service. Putnam Hospital Center's Employee Recognition Dinner Oct. 1 honored 146 employees who have spent be - tween five and 40 years working for the healthcare facility in a variety of departments, from facilities to nursing to radiology to administra- tion. Employees are recognized for every five years of employment. Twelve retirees were also lauded for their distinguished service. Among the honorees was Carol Brooks, who started in 1974 as a nurse in the float pool and now manages ambulatory surgery and recovery. Opportunities have kept Brooks on board for 40 years, she said. Brooks was one of six employees who have worked for the hospital for four decades. For the second straight year, Mountainside Residential Care Center in Margaretville, New York, was named a "Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality" by the educational arm of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization. Mountainside is one of only 426 healthcare facilities nationwide to earn such a distinction from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The nursing home is an integral part of Kingston's HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley healthcare system. The foundation's findings are part of its national Healthcare Equality Index 2014, an annual survey that encourages equal care for LGBT people in the United States and recognizes healthcare institutions doing the best work. Mountainside earned top marks in meeting nondiscrimination and training criteria that demonstrate its commitment to equitable, inclu- sive care for LGBT patients and their families, who may face significant challenges in securing the quality healthcare and respect they deserve. The HealthAlliance Foundation's Vampire Ball Halloween Party brought in more than $43,000, including $8,000 of in-kind gifts. The money will support HealthAlliance healthcare programs, services and facilities in Kingston "wherever the need is greatest," says Foundation Relations Director Cheryl McKeever. The foundation has already pledged more than $423,000 to the hospital this year, McKeever says. HealthAlliance operates two Kingston hospital campuses, on Broadway and on Mary's Avenue. M D N E W S . CO M ■ MD NEWS Mid Hudson | 1 3

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