St. James Resident Catherine Videtto Receives Nurse Of Excellence Award

From left: Patricia Darcey, MS, RN-BC-NE, Chief Nursing Officer and VP of Patient Care Services at Southampton Hospital and Chair of the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council Nurse Executives Committee, St. Catherine’s Stroke Coordinator and 2013 Nurse of Excellence winner Catherine Videtto, RN, MSN, CCRN, ANP, CPHQ, and Gara Edelstein, MSN, RN, Chair of NSHC Nurse of Excellence Sub-committee and Senior VP of Administration and Chief Nursing Officer at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center. Smithtown, New York—Nurse leaders from Long Island’s hospitals and nursing education programs gathered Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at the Woodbury Country Club to bestow recognition upon their nurse peers at the Nurse of Excellence Award Ceremony hosted by the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council (NSHC).  One nurse from each of the Hospital Council’s member hospitals was nominated for this award, which recognizes outstanding leadership and clinical practice.  Deans of area nursing schools also submitted nominations recognizing nursing excellence in education.

St. James resident Catherine Videtto, RN, RN, MSN, CCRN, ANP, CPHQ, the stroke program coordinator at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, , rose above a field of 25 nominees.  Those nominees were selected from a field of about 500 nurses at hospitals and teaching institutions from across Long Island. Mrs. Videtto is considered a pioneer regarding the disease process of stroke and is credited with St. Catherine’s attainment of the New York State Department of Health Stroke Certification and The Joint Commission Disease-Specific Certification for Stroke – both with no recommendations for improvement.  She regularly presents at and organizes stroke management conferences and research symposia.  In 2009, the New York State Senate named her a Woman of Distinction for her achievements, pursuit of higher goals, and mentorship. 

“Nurses will see their leadership roles expand because of reforms inherent in the Affordable Care Act,” said Paul Connor, chair of the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council board of directors and CEO of Eastern Long Island Hospital.  “In addition, they will be called to fill the gap of primary care services, as insurance coverage expands under reform and as baby boomers age… there is a level of comfort going into the future knowing a nurse will always be there.”

The Hospital Council’s annual salute to nurses is fashioned after the New York State Legislature’s Nurse of Distinction Program that ended in 1995.  NSHC is one of the few hospital associations in the state to continue this program voluntarily.  It is now in its 18th year.  The NSHC represents Long Island’s not-for-profit and public hospitals.

St. Catherine Names Michelle Goldfarb VP of Quality And Patient Safety

Smithtown, New York— Michelle Goldfarb, RN, MBA, CPHQ, has been named Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center.

Ms. Goldfarb received her nursing degree from Kings County Hospital School of Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Health and Society from SUNY Old Westbury and her Masters of Business Administration from Dowling College. She is also a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ).  With more than 20 years of clinical background experience as an emergency department nurse, instructor and manager, and previous   quality and safety leadership positions held since 1998, Ms. Goldfarb brings proven skills and an immense depth of knowledge to the medical center. 

When asked about her interest in Quality& Safety, Ms. Goldfarb responded, “I absolutely loved being an emergency department nurse and worked the midnight shift for 20 years in busy trauma centers, caring for the sickest and most severely injured patients, and I realized that with my strong clinical background and understanding of care delivery processes, I could help improve patient care.” She added, “By transitioning into Performance Improvement and Safety, I believe I am able to positively impact thousands. And while there are many regulatory mandates and challenges in this changing health care environment, this position allows me the opportunity to work alongside, and learn from amazing and caring professionals every day.”

The East Meadow resident has two daughters, Rachel, an architectural designer in New York City and Jillian, a senior at Boston University majoring in Hospitality Administration and Public Relations. When she is not busy ensuring a safe health care environment is maintained, she enjoys reading, visiting the Long Island wineries, and camping.

For more information about St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, please call (631) 870-3444.

KP Resident Ann Lackowitz Wins Big At St. Johnland's Food Tasting Event

Ann Lackowitz of Kings Park was the winner of the vacation raffle at St. Johnland’s recent Chinese Auction & Food Tasting.  The grand prize was a $400 voucher for travel on Southwest Airlines and a $300 voucher from Marriott.  All monies raised at the event go to support special activity programs for St. Johnland residents.  Ann (r) is shown with Chinese Auction organizer Jennifer Contino.

Legislator Kennedy Recognizes HIA President Terri Alessi-Miceli

LEGISLATOR KENNEDY PRESENTS AWARD TO HIA PRESIDENT TERRI ALESSI-MICELI 

April 18, 2013: On Friday April 5, 2013, Hauppauge Industrial Association President Terri Alessi-Miceli was honored by Suffolk Community College at an event at Oheka Castle.  Minority Leader of the Suffolk County Legislature, Legislator John M. Kennedy, Jr. (12^th L.D. Nesconset) presented Ms. Alessi-Miceli with an award recognizing her tireless work on behalf of the HIA-LI and the community.

As President of the HIA-LI, Ms. Alessi-Miceli oversees the Association which has been in existence for over 35 years and represents the second largest industrial park in the country.  Ms. Alessi-Miceli is responsible for representing the 1000’s of businesses located in the Hauppauge Industrial Park and the over 4,500 individual members focusing on their business development and growth.

Further, Ms. Alessi-Miceli organized the HIA-LI committees that have been extremely helpful in providing business programs, services and events to help its members thrive, not just locally but on in the global market.  The Association was instrumental in orchestrating the Hauppauge Industrial Park’s Connectivity Project to update the technology infrastructure of the industrial park, allowing its companies to compete on a global scale. Under Alessi-Miceli’s guidance, the HIA-LI is playing a vital role in Suffolk County’s view of the transportation issues facing the industrial park. The HIA-LI is also a major force in the HIA-LI’s Business Trade Show and Conference, which set records for business participation and is a major economic engine on Long Island.

Prior to coming to the HIA-LI, Alessi-Miceli had previously been the Managing Director of Dale Carnegie Training for more than 18 years and was responsible for the profitability and productivity of the instructional and sales team in this premiere corporate education organization.  She has been featured in such publications as Newsday, Networking Magazine, Smithtown News and Long Island Business News and appeared on television’s Channel 12 Jobline as an expert in Organizational Change and Motivation. In 2006, she was honored with the Harry Chapin Humanitarian award for HIA-LI’s work with Long Island Cares as the second largest contributor to the their annual food drive as well as her personal work with their Dress for Success program, and training women in interviewing and self-confidence.

“I want to thank Terri for all of her hard work and effort on behalf of the HIA-LI and the businesses that make-up for the HIA-LI.  The HIA-LI could not have asked for a better leader to lead them and represent them in the community.  IT has been my honor to work with Terri and I look forward to continuing to work with Terri to the betterment of the community,” said Legislator John M. Kennedy, Jr.

Meet John McQuaid - Nissequogue River State Park Foundation Chairperson

John McQuaidSit down with John McQuaid for a minute and you understand that this is a man who knows what he wants.  Spend another minute with him and you understand that McQuaid is a man who works hard to make goals become reality. 

John is a Kings Park resident who lives with his wife and two sons on Kohr Rd., near the Nissequogue River State Park.  He planned it that way.  An avid outdoor person and park user, John moved to Kings Park where he and his family could enjoy the wonderful parkland at both Sunken Meadow and Nissequogue River State Park.

John is organized and he is a planner, he puts on the elbow grease and pitches in whenever needed. When it comes to activities for the kids or the safety of Kings Park kids, John is there. He quietly yet forcefully cuts through political doublespeak and inertia to get things done.

In January of this year, John McQuaid became chairperson of the Nissequogue River State Park Foundation (NRSPF).  He follows in the footsteps of former chairman, Kings Park resident Mike Rosato.  Mike founded the NRSPF, nurtured it and is credited with its success.  Under Mike’s watchful eye the organization raised over $100,000 to be used to protect, promote and enhance the Nissequogue River State Park (NRSP).  More importantly, under Mike’s direction the NRSPF became a visible and vocal advocate in its support for the remediation of the park and the creation of a master plan.

Big shoes to walk in? Absolutely! Is McQuaid up to the task? Absolutely! The new NRSPF chairman is no stranger to getting government to work for the people. He first got involved locally with the clean-up and repaving of Tiffany Field in Kings Park.  McQuaid Is currently leading the charge to put automatic external defibrillators (AED’s) at Memorial Park and other Kings Park parks where kids play in organized activities.  Speaking on behalf of the Kings Park Youth Association he had this to say to the Town Board and Town Attorney Zollo:

“ A couple of comments, I am acknowledging that perhaps how we stated our request.  We’re very willing to offer it to anybody who uses those fields, we’re not, we didn’t mean to suggest that it was just for our use; it’s for any children.  We would be willing to purchase, maintain it and keep it updated and do whatever is necessary to keep it functional and give access to it for anybody who is trained, who is at the facility use of the park.” (Town Board transcript 4/19/2012)  He cares about the kids.  Eventually, John received approval from the Town but is still waiting for an official agreement. He is not happy about moving into another season without the AED’s and is planning to address the Town Board if necessary.

What can you expect of John McQuaid, “Chairperson” of the NRSPF?  A lot. According to John he will continue to push for the master plan for the park. He is going to continue with the creative fundraising the foundation is known for, the two 5k run and walk events. The NRSPF is partnering with the Commack – Kings Park Rotary Club to create a “Healing Garden” and the foundation will be a presence on May 4^th, “I Love My Park Day.” According to State Parks the Nissequogue River State Park had 64,702 visitors in 2011 and 106,125 visitors in 2012. John McQuaid is hoping to see the number of visitors continue to grow. He will keep doing those things that have worked in the past, but he is not limiting himself and is open to suggestions.

One thing is certain, John McQuaid will make his mark on the Nissequogue River State Park!