“I like to say ‘thank you’ to my doctors and nurses by sending a donation to St. Anthony rather than just being treated and walking away. It doesn’t hurt my pocketbook, and I know that it makes a difference.”
Breast cancer awareness and prevention are deeply personal to Juan Lopez. “I lost my mother to breast cancer, and I want other women and their families to know about getting screened for this disease,” he said. “I also want to keep my mother’s memory strong.”
As an officer of The Mustang Club of Orange County, Juan shared his idea for a breast cancer event, open to the public, with the other club officers, Steve Matola, Sidney Silverman Bayer and Tom Perillo. And five years ago, they began to host their Breast Cancer Awareness Car Cruise to benefit Women’s Health Services at St. Anthony Community Hospital.
Their message during the cruise is loud and clear: Be aware, get screened and support local healthcare.
“St. Anthony is my hospital. They do a really great job for people in Warwick and nearby communities, and they’re small enough to care about their patients as neighbors,” Juan said. “The hospital needs community support to continue to provide the best care possible, like having the newest mammography equipment. We’re happy to do our part as a club to help!”
If you are interested in hosting a community event — like The Mustang Club of Orange County — to benefit a specific department at St. Anthony Community Hospital, please contact us at InfoBSCH@wmhealth.org or 845.368.5151.
“Dr. Hirsch has cared for me since 1997. I am so grateful that he and Good Samaritan Hospital are here for me year after year.
“My wife, who was a nurse at Good Sam, knew him and always said that he was top-notch. She was thankful for his expertise, professionalism and kindness.
“Beyond my cardiac needs, Dr. Hirsch has stepped up to help me manage other challenging health issues. It’s really great that I can rely on him with complete confidence that he knows what’s right for me. We’ve gotten to know each other very well!
“Dr. Hirsch also took care of my mother-in-law. We credit him for keeping her alive for many years.
“I also have only excellent things to say about the staff at Good Samaritan. They take the time to listen and they truly care. What a special group of people.
“Donations from patients and their families help Good Samaritan’s doctors, like Dr. Hirsch, continue to provide our community the care we need. So if you can give a charitable gift, please do. It really does make a difference.”
“Sometimes, I don’t think twice when I see brochures in plexiglass holders,” said James Obrotka. “But I picked up Good Sam’s Grateful Giving brochure after I rang my ‘radiation finished’ bell. I wanted to show my gratitude to everyone who cared for me by making a donation to the hospital.”
James, who lives in Warwick, came to Good Samaritan Hospital for prostate cancer care. He said that he needed specialized services more advanced than those offered at St. Anthony Community Hospital, which, along with Good Samaritan, is part of Bon Secours Charity Health System and the Westchester Medical Center Health Network. Now that he has completed most of his treatment in Suffern, he can receive additional therapy in Warwick.
“I was very impressed throughout my entire experience at Good Sam,” James said. “I have only great things to say about my doctors, the nurses, the receptionist, the maintenance workers and everyone else.”
Just like him, James encourages others to pick up our Grateful Giving brochure. He said, “If you make a donation to show your appreciation for Good Sam’s staff, it will make a difference for our hospital. And it will let your healthcare team know that they’ve made a difference for you!”
“We are fortunate to have Good Samaritan Hospital and Dr. Fraiman here for our community. Dr. Fraiman is extremely intelligent and experienced, clearly an expert in his field. He takes the time to provide thorough information and answer questions, and I appreciated that I never felt rushed. He also is extraordinarily kind, and that means a lot when you’re dealing with health issues.
“Good Samaritan is an excellent hospital. The staff members provide high-quality care, and they, too, are kind and compassionate. Being treated like a neighbor instead of just a patient adds a comforting personal touch.
“Good Sam, as a non-profit hospital, uses donations from patients, family and friends to increase its investments in healthcare advancements. And these are the advances that allow us to stay close to home for the best possible care. I hope that you will make Good Sam a priority in your charitable giving.“
Neil Ericksen, a 61-year-old carpenter and Broadway set builder who lives in Hurley, is lucky to be alive. He credits his miraculous recovery to HealthAlliance Hospital and the doctors and nurses at Westchester Medical Center.
Neil suffered severe injuries when he fell off a neighbor’s roof while trying to fix a leak. He was initially brought to HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston and was then transported to Westchester Medical Center for treatment. Neil spent two months in a medically induced coma there due to brain injuries. He also had severe injuries to his shoulder and arm.
“I know that I fell 25 feet and that my girlfriend found me,” he said. “I don’t remember much else except waking up months later at Westchester Medical Center.”
What Neil does remember is the kindness and skill of the nurses at Westchester Medical Center. “The severity of the accident was such that I am very lucky to be alive. I can walk and talk, and that is a miracle. The nurses were very caring and experienced,” he said. “They were absolutely selfless and dedicated.”
Lisa Ricci is grateful to WMC Health’s Behavioral Health Center at MidHudson Regional Hospital for helping her to overcome mental health issues and giving her the chance to help others who struggle with addiction and mental illness.
Lisa, 38, of Pleasant Valley, was 14 years old when she began to feel the urge to harm herself. But it wasn’t until she was 24 and had a serious traumatic experience that she became unstable. She was first hospitalized in 2010 and over the next year was hospitalized three times. Eventually, Lisa entered an intensive outpatient program at HealthAlliance Hospital where she was able to get the help she needed to turn her life around.
Today, Lisa is a mentor and group leader with People USA and leads a peer group at MidHudson Regional Hospital three days a week. She recently earned her certification as a recovery peer advocate.
“I advocate for people with mental health issues and substance abuse. It’s very rewarding. What I have to offer is very special because I can say ‘I get it. I know what it’s like to be there.’”
Now, Lisa is the one who is helping others turn their lives around. Are there days when she feels down? Yes, she says.
“Recovery is not aways linear,” she said. “But now I have the skills to cope with the challenges.”
Michael Wartman said if there is one thing he has learned from his experience at Margaretville Hospital, it is that teamwork makes all the difference in a medical emergency.
“I can’t say enough about everyone who helped me,’’ said Wartman, 68 of Baltimore, MD. “From the exceptional healthcare team at Margaretville Hospital to the first responders who literally carried me across the field to the helicopter. I was very lucky.”
Wartman, who is an avid runner, was visiting his close friend in Margaretville on Columbus Day weekend when he went for a run. As he was running down a steep driveway, he suddenly felt dizzy and fainted. When he returned to his friend’s house, they took his blood pressure. It was so high that they immediately headed for the Emergency Department at Margaretville Hospital.
Wartman said that after doctors stabilized him, an ambulance took him to a field where they airlifted him to HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston. There, doctors discovered that he had an arrythmia.
“My family has a history of heart disease, so I am glad that doctors were able to diagnose the problem,” said Wartman. He is now back home and is on medication, has returned to running, and says he feels healthier than ever.
“I’m very grateful,” he said. “I would urge anyone to donate to help the hospital. They certainly deserve it.”
Jessica Franjul-Pena is grateful for the care she and her twins, Ethan Lorenzo and Katalina, received at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network.
Because Jessica conceived through in vitro fertilization, she was monitored closely from the start of her pregnancy. When she was eighteen weeks pregnant, Jessica was diagnosed with chronic hypertension. She was immediately referred to a maternal medicine specialist at Westchester Medical Center. Ultrasound monitoring also later revealed that one of the twins was not thriving as she should have been, and doctors decided to watch the babies even more closely.
“I had great doctors,’’ said Jessica. “They were really on top of my case, monitoring me and the babies every step of the way.”
Thirty-three weeks into her pregnancy, Jessica’s doctors discovered her liver enzymes were dangerously high. She had developed superimposed preeclampsia, putting both her and the babies at risk. At that point, her medical team decided it would be safest to induce labor even though the babies would be premature. The twins were born on December 21, 2023 and were sent to the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. Ethan spent 11 days in the NICU and Katalina spent 24 days there.
“The NICU experience was amazing. Everyone was always so kind. It’s such a difficult job but they always remained friendly and helpful. There’s a lot to learn in caring for a preemie. They teach you so much,” Jessica said.
Now, Jessica, Ethan Lorenzo, and Katalina are all doing well.
Please give to Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital or Westchester Medical Center today!
This Mother’s Day when you shop at DeCicco’s & Sons you can support Critical Care Services at Westchester Medical Center Health Network. Funds from your donations go to support Women’s Health Services such as Maternity, Labor and Delivery services. These services are key to providing a healthy start for new moms and babies like Jessica Franjul-Pena who delivered her twins Ethan Lorenzo and Katalina at Westchester Medical Center.
“I had great doctors,“ said Jessica. “They were really on top of my case, monitoring me and the babies every step of the way.“
When you shop at DeCicco & Sons from April 28 – May 12, 2024 you can donate $1, $5 or $10 or more to WMCHealth’s Critical Care Services to help nurture new beginnings.
David E. Asprinio, MD
Dr. David Asprinio is Director of Orthopaedic Surgery at Westchester Medical Center and Chairman of Orthopaedic Surgery at New York Medical College. He completed his undergraduate studies at the College of the Holy Cross and medical school at the University of Vermont. He completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University. He then completed fellowships in orthopaedic trauma at the Hospital for Special Surgery and orthopaedic spine surgery at the University of Maryland. He is board-certified in orthopaedic surgery and a member of numerous sub-specialty organizations.
Dr. Asprinio joined the medical staff of Westchester Medical Center in 1995 and has been recognized as one of the “Top Doctors” in Westchester County and the New York metropolitan area in each of the last eight years. In 2012, he was named one of the top 29 orthopaedic trauma surgeons in the United States. He is Program Director for the Westchester Medical Center-based New York Medical College Orthopaedic Residency Program. He is involved in clinical and basic science research activities and has lectured nationally and internationally. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals including The Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, The American Journal of Sports Medicine and The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery.
Dr. Asprinio lives in Greenwich with his wife and three children.
Jeremy Abramson is Vice President of The Premier Collection, a family-owned and -operated group of Volvo, Subaru, Lincoln, Mazda and Volkswagen dealerships in the region. Mr. Abramson started his career at 16 washing cars and worked his way up through the ranks to running the day-to-day operations of the entire dealership. After graduating from Towson University in Maryland, he moved to New York where he met his wife, Amy.
Mr. Abramson is deeply committed to community involvement, sitting on several professional and charitable boards including the UJA Business & Professional Division, Westchester Medical Center Foundation (Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital), Jewish National Fund and Young Israel of White Plains, where he and his family have been members since 2011. Mr. Abramson also serves on the board of Blankets for Cancer, an organization founded in memory of his nephew, Jordan, that supports patients and families battling pediatric cancer.
Mr. Abramson and his wife, Amy, reside in White Plains with their three children, Sydney, Alexander and Emma.
Foundation Board activities: Governance/Nominating Committee; Recruitment Committee; Events Committee
Kara Bennorth has nearly 40 years of experience in public affairs, marketing, communications and development in both healthcare and the public sector. A member of WMCHealth since 1995, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer where she was responsible for overseeing in-network activities, driving organizational development and culture and inter-network and interdepartmental collaboration and coordination. With direct responsibility for the overall brand and image of the organization, Ms. Bennorth was in charge of communications, marketing and philanthropy/grants development for WMCHealth’s nine hospitals, six 501(c)(3) foundations, numerous ambulatory and community-based programs and several hospital-based practice locations.
During her tenure, the organization consistently ranked tops among hospitals in the region for image and quality and earned a national patient satisfaction award from Press Ganey, one of only two hospitals in the northeast to achieve this status. She also was part of the team that led the hospital’s first capital campaign to raise more than $25 million to build the region’s only children’s hospital. Ms. Bennorth holds a bachelor’s degree in English/Journalism from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and an MBA from Franklin Pierce University. Kara has two grown children, Melissa and Ian, and resides in Putnam County with her husband, Michael Hubertus.
Foundation Board activities: Chair, Campaign Committee; Chair, Special Events Committee; Recruitment Committee; Critical Care Tower Campaign Cabinet
Dr. Robin Altman is a board-certified pediatrician. She got her B.S. in Psychobiology from Yale University and her M.D. from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She completed her pediatric residency at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center and joined the faculty at New York Medical College and Westchester Medical Center in 1991. In 1995, Dr. Altman became the Chief of General Pediatrics and Pediatric Hospital Medicine, a position that she maintains today. In 2012, she became the Medical Director of Quality and Safety for Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, and in 2021 she was appointed Vice Chair, Quality and Safety for the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Altman continues to practice pediatrics in Hawthorne, NY, but her passion is quality improvement, patient safety and enhancing the healthcare experience for patients and their families.
