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Long Island Business News recently honored Mary Mahoney, bioterrorism coordinator and associate director of network emergency management for the North Shore-LIJ Health System, as winner of the newspaper’s Healthcare Heroes’ healthcare professional award.
Based at the health system’s Center for Emergency Medical Services in Syosset, Ms. Mahoney, a former emergency room nurse at Franklin Hospital, coordinates North Shore-LIJ’s response to potential disasters, including incidents of bioterrorism, weapons of mass destruction or contagious disease outbreaks. She is also deputy commander of a federal Disaster Medical Assistance team. In this role, she has responded to the World Trade disaster, the 2001 plane crash in Belle Harbor, Queens, the anthrax scare, and numerous hurricanes.
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Gene Tangney, left, North Shore-LIJ’s chief administrative offer, and David Battinelli, MD, far right, congratulate North Shore-LIJ staff members honored as “healthcare heroes” by Long Island Business News. From left are: Mary Mahoney, Irene Pascucci, RN, Leonard Patella, DDS, Neeta Shah, MD, and Mariana Vasquez, RN.
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The 2008 Healthcare Heroes awards, sponsored by Hofstra University, were presented on Oct. 23 at a breakfast at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. The awards recognize outstanding organizations, healthcare professionals and volunteers that have an extraordinary impact on the health and well-being of Long Island patients or communities, and promote innovation in the healthcare arena. In addition to the healthcare professional award, Long Island Business News honored individuals in six other categories: achievements in healthcare, community outreach, dentist hero, nurse hero, physician hero and volunteer hero. Honorees were nominated by the healthcare community; and a panel of judges determined the 32 winners and finalists.
David Battinelli, MD, North Shore-LIJ’s senior vice president and chief academic officer, and associate dean of the Hofstra University School of Medicine, delivered the keynote address, which focused on the innovative curriculum being developed at the new medical school, scheduled to open in 2011.
Among the other staff members and volunteers affiliated with North Shore-LIJ who were honored by Long Island Business News were:
• Leonard Patella, DDS, chairman of dentistry at Glen Cove Hospital and a former computer software engineer, was recognized for developing new technology and creating a system that improves efficiency and informs hospital staff when beds become available, reducing wait time in the emergency department. The Clean-Bed-Tracker both improved patient satisfaction and reduced costs.
• Amy Pakes, RN, nurse manager of the Hyperbaric Unit, Wound Treatment Center and Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Nassau University Medical Center, has been a registered nurse and community educator for more than 24 years. She was honored for her dedication in educating the community about fire safety and carbon monoxide dangers. Ms. Pakes is the burn center’s liaison with the Nassau County Firefighter’s Burn Center and has raised funds for area burn centers.
• Irene Pascucci, RN, a nurse in Glen Cove Hospital’s Ambulatory Surgery Unit, was recognized for her commitment to excellence in patient care, dedication to her staff members and innovation. A nurse for 30 years, Ms. Pascucci also has worked to improve processes in her unit, improving efficiency and decreasing wait time, resulting in a briefer post-operative stay. She was the 2008 recipient of North Shore-LIJ’s President’s Award for the exceptional patient experience.
• Mariana Vasquez, RN, and the nursing staff of Syosset Hospital, were recognized for their outstanding commitment to patient care and patient satisfaction, receiving six JD Power Awards for service excellence. The hospital stresses a team approach to enhancing patient care across the spectrum, encouraging all employees to give their ideas about how to improve care.
• Neeta Shah, MD, North Shore-LIJ’s vice president of women’s health services, was honored for her efforts to provide better, more specialized care for women. Board certified in internal medicine, she is also a mentor to physicians, having served as vice chair of medicine and the director of the internal residency program at Forest Hills Hospital. She is president-elect of the New York State Program Directors in Internal Medicine.
• Sheila Kastner, a volunteer at Huntington Hospital and several other local nonprofit organizations, was recognized for her fundraising skills, developing the first online auction to benefit the hospital. She also set up an innovative program in which the hospital donated goods that were later sold on eBay and a thrift store.
Contact: Betty Olt
(516) 465-2645
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