A bereavement social worker at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York, members of Huntington Hospital’s Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and technicians in North Shore-LIJ Laboratories testing for the H1N1 virus were recently honored as winners of the North Shore-LIJ Health System’s President’s Awards.

In support of this initiative to recognize and reward top performers in its workforce of more than 42,000, the North Shore-LIJ Health System invested more than $250,000 in this year’s President’s Award program, including bonuses, prizes and awards banquets at the Garden City Hotel. Program costs were underwritten, in part, by long-time health system trustees Donald and Barbara Zucker.

North Shore-LIJ President and Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Dowling began the President’s Award tradition in 2007. The purpose is to honor individuals and teams who demonstrate extraordinary leadership, compassionate care and dedicated service. “Recognizing outstanding employees for their extraordinary accomplishments is what this program is all about,” he said. “It represents an investment in our people who go above and beyond the call of duty to deliver the best patient care.”

President’s Awards were presented to employees in three categories: exceptional patient experience, teamwork and innovation. Winners were selected after rigorous screening that began at each individual hospital and facility, and ended with an external selection committee comprised of several local service excellence leaders who volunteered their time: Frank Castagna, principal, Castagna Realty Co.; Guy Gauvin, executive vice president, Taleo; Rebecca Hollander, marketing director, Americana Manhasset; and Cathy Nelkin-Miller, president, and Patrick Smalley, executive vice president, both of the Garden City Hotel.

Susan Thomas, of Herricks in Nassau County, a social worker from the Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York, was the recipient of the President’s Award for Exceptional Patient Experience for implementing bereavement initiatives that have touched the lives and hearts of countless patients, family members and coworkers. Ms. Thomas started the hospital’s Center for HOPE (Healing, Opportunity, Perseverance and Enlightenment) in 2002 to help New York children and families after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Ms. Thomas was among a group of 17 finalists from North Shore-LIJ’s hospitals and other facilities. In recognition of her dedication, Ms. Thomas received a crystal award, a $10,000 bonus and a seven-day luxury vacation cruise for two to the destination of her choice. The other finalists listed below each received a crystal award, a $5,000 bonus, two tickets to a Broadway show and dinner for two:

• Agnes Barden, of Garden City, collaborative care council coordinator, LIJ Medical Center;
• Xuan Susan Barzilay, of Babylon, cancer registrar, Glen Cove Hospital;
• Cathy Bell, of North Massapequa, certified medical social worker, Home Care Network, Westbury;
• Leonarda Capponi, RN, of Plainview at Plainview Hospital;
• Susan Degnan, of Huntington Station, social worker, Huntington Hospital;
• Jeanine Filardi, of East Williston, infection control coordinator, The Stern Family Center for Extended Care and Rehabilitation, Manhasset;
• Christopher Gulbin, RN, of Staten Island, Staten Island University Hospital, North Site;
• Theresa Herring, RN, of Staten Island, Staten Island University Hospital, South Site;
• Doreen Hogan, of New Hyde Park, patient care associate, North Shore University Hospital;
• Asha Jacob, of Elmont, senior physical therapist, Franklin Hospital, Valley Stream;
• Mercy Jaiswal, RN, of Old Westbury, Syosset Hospital;
• Lynne Kiesel, of East Meadow, medical social worker, Hospice Care Network, Woodbury;
• Marty Leoce, RN, of Wantagh, Center for Advanced Medicine, Lake Success;
• Dineen Lowery, RN, of Seaford, Southside Hospital, Bay Shore;
• Leroy Samuels, of Queens Village, mental health worker, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Glen Oaks;
• Wendella Watson, of Queens Village, patient care associate, Forest Hills Hospital

North Shore-LIJ’s President’s Award for Innovation is awarded to a group or individual for a new way of thinking, entrepreneurship and doing things differently in a way that results in measurable success. This year’s recipient was the HIT Order Sheets Team at Huntington Hospital, whose members received the award for developing a process to guide physicians in the evaluation and treatment of patients who develop heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). The team received a crystal award and a $10,000 bonus to be split equally among all team members; each member also received a dinner for two and two tickets to a Broadway show.

The President’s Award for Teamwork was presented to the infectious disease diagnostics team at North Shore-LIJ Laboratories, which was the only private laboratory in New York capable of diagnosing H1N1 at the time of the outbreak in the spring of 2009. The lab experienced a 7.5-fold increase in respiratory virus testing over normal seasonal volumes, putting an enormous burden on staff during response efforts. Led by Fan Zhang, the team implemented the construction of expanded laboratory space, converted lab testing, built lab information system interfaces, increased the client service workforce and developed same-day epidemiologic reports, all in a seven day period. In recognition of its work and dedication, the team received a crystal award and a $10,000 bonus divided equally among them. Each team member also received dinner for two and two tickets to a Broadway show.

About North Shore-LIJ Health System
The nation's second-largest, non-profit, secular healthcare system, the North Shore-LIJ Health System cares for people of all ages throughout Long Island, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island – a service area encompassing more than seven million people. The winner of the National Quality Forum’s 2010 National Quality Healthcare Award, the North Shore-LIJ Health System consists of 15 hospitals, 17 long-term care facilities, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, three trauma centers, five home health agencies, a hospice network and dozens of outpatient centers. In addition, North Shore-LIJ is partnering with Hofstra University to develop a new medical school, which will admit its first class in 2011. North Shore-LIJ’s owned facilities house about 5,600 beds, employ more than 10,000 nurses and have affiliations with more than 9,000 physicians. Its workforce of about 42,000 is the largest on Long Island and the ninth largest in New York City. For more information, go to www.northshorelij.com.

Media contact:
Terry Lynam/Brian Mulligan
516-465-2600
tlynam@nshs.edu / bmulliga@nshs.edu