Untermyer council names president
The Untermyer Performing Arts Council board of directors recently named Yon Zweibon president of the volunteer organization.
Perhaps best known for its WorldFest Summer Concert Series on Saturday evenings at historic Untermyer Park at 960 N. Broadway in Yonkers, UPAC maintains a vibrant roster of arts programs throughout the year. Founded in 1976, the organization’s cultural and charitable events include the annual Christmas Tree Lighting in downtown Yonkers, a Halloween Parade and the Yonkers Teen Idol competition.
“Because we are an all-volunteer organization, working with UPAC feels like being part of one big family,” said Zweibon. “It will be an honor to partner with our wonderful board members, the city of Yonkers and all of our elected officials to bring high-quality, affordable events to area residents. We look forward to welcoming old and new friends as our WorldFest Concert Series kicks off June 28.”
Zweibon, owner of Beyond Costumes in Yonkers, has been a supporter of the arts community for more than 15 years. Formerly a finance specialist, she was inspired by an incidental visit to a small costume shop and switched to a career that explored and enhanced her creative side. Fifteen years later, Beyond Costumes is one of the best sources for professional costuming in the tri-state area. She has served as a board member to various arts organizations throughout Westchester, produced full-scale youth musicals and served as a judge for Yonkers Idol and other local talent shows.
Additional officers of UPAC include John Rubbo, first vice president; August Cambria, treasurer; Elizabeth Morgan, corresponding secretary; and Joan Vindal, recording secretary. Board members include Dee Barbato, Mario Caruso, Carol Daly, Mary Daly, Christine Gelosa, Mary Hoar, Karen O’Loughlin, Michael F. Meyer, Betty Morgan, Mark Pohar, Andrea F. Sadowski, Danielle Eaton and David Tubiolo. The liaison with the Yonkers Recreation Department is Deputy Parks Commissioner (and former UPAC president) Steve Sansone and Silvia Metrena-Nunez, is legal counsel.
Safian is named a ‘champion of children’
Keith F. Safian, president and CEO of Phelps Memorial Hospital Center, received the Champion of Children Award given by the Child Care Council of Westchester at their annual awards program recently. The award was presented for Safian’s support of The Robin’s Nest, a child care center on the Phelps campus, which provides services for the children of hospital staff as well as working parents in the community.
Established in 1988, Robin’s Nest is licensed by the New York State Department of Social Services and maintains accreditation by the National Association of Education of Young Children (NAEYC), which promotes excellence in early education. A recent $1.4 million expansion allowed the center to offer nursery school and extended services for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
In accepting the award, Safian said, “The Robin’s Nest was the first ‘corporate’ child care center in Westchester, established to meet the child care needs of Phelps nurses who couldn’t return to work unless they had excellent child care. It is an honor to be recognized for the contribution that Robin’s Nest makes to our community. Its expansion is important to Westchester as the county continues to grow and the need for quality child care increases.”
Westmed director earns credential of excellence
Viviana Ruscitto of Valley Cottage, director of diagnostic imaging for the Purchase-based Westmed Medical Group, has recently earned the additional credential of certified radiology administrator (CRA). To qualify, radiology administrators are required to meet education and experience requirements and pass a national computer-based examination to test their knowledge and imaging team leadership skills. The CRA program, including the examination, is managed by the Radiology Administration Certification Commission, a self-governing body created to maintain the credential’s integrity and relevance.
Phelps cited for stroke initiative
Phelps Memorial Hospital Center received the American Heart/American Stroke Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll for meeting stroke quality measures that reduce the time between hospital arrival and treatment with the clot-buster tPA.
For ischemic strokes, in which an artery to the brain is blocked, tPA is the only treatment drug that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. People who suffer a stroke who receive the drug within three hours of the onset of symptoms may recover quicker and are less likely to suffer severe disability.
In addition, for the fifth year in a row, PMHC has received the Get With the Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) for the treatment of stroke patients.
Get With the Guidelines-Stroke helps hospital teams provide the most up-to-date, research-based treatments with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Phelps earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include the aggressive use of medications and risk-reduction therapies.
“Phelps is dedicated to improving the quality of stroke care and Get With the Guidelines helps us achieve that goal,” said Elaine Gardner, stroke coordinator. “With this award, our hospital demonstrates our commitment to ensure that our patients receive care based on internationally respected clinical guidelines.”
“We are pleased to recognize Phelps for their commitment and dedication to stroke care,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, M.D., national chairman of the Get With the Guidelines steering committee and executive director of interventional cardiovascular programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Studies have shown that hospitals that consistently follow Get With the Guidelines quality improvement measures can reduce patients’ length of stays and 30-day readmission rates and reduce disparity gaps in care.”
According to the AHA/ASA, stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds, someone dies of a stroke every three minutes and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
LRC Properties adds to its staff
Mark Milovic has joined LRC Properties L.L.C. as associate managing director. He is joining the company’s asset management team and will also be assisting on acquisitions and dispositions, underwriting and evaluating of potential transactions, as well as assisting in the sale of assets already in LRC’s portfolio. He will also be responsible for oversight of the company’s redevelopment and leasing strategies, as well as the management of the brokers responsible for leasing space within the firm’s many properties along the East Coast.
“We’re excited to have Mark join LRC,” said Howard Lavitt, co-founder and principal of LRC Properties. “He brings solid expertise, knowledge and a quality network, particularly in the brokerage and capital market areas. Mark’s ability to tap his resources of capital and brokerage relationships will help LRC in our continued work to identify and purchase properties that we can reposition, restructure and redevelop, adding value to the properties as well as substantial return to our investors. He is a great asset to our team.”
Prior to joining LRC, Milovic was associate vice president of Latitude Management Real Estate Investors, where he was responsible for assisting with the organization, structuring, underwriting and closing of both debt equity investments and assist with daily asset management tasks. During his tenure there, he was directly involved with originating more than $369 million of first mortgage bridge loans spread across 37 loans. He also worked as a marketing analyst for a multinational company in Barcelona, Spain.
Milovic graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts degree in international business and an emphasis in finance.
Enea a guest writer with About.com
Managing partner and certified elder law attorney Anthony J. Enea of Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano L.L.P. in White Plains, will be a guest writer for About.com’s Assisted Living section. Enea’s first contribution, “The Need to Plan for Your Long Term Care,” can be read at assistedliving.about.com.
About.com helps nearly 90 million people each month discover and learn about topics ranging from parenting and cooking to travel and health care. Ranked high in the About.com family of websites, the Assisted Living section provides consumers with the information they need to choose the right services for their loved one. It also includes resources for providers and employment in aging services.
“Educating seniors and their families on the need for advanced planning is something I feel is extremely important,” said Enea, past chairman of the New York State Bar Association’s Elder Law Section. “My clients frequently come to me when they or their loved ones are on the verge of losing everything – which can, in many cases, amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets.”
Enea has spent three decades protecting the rights of seniors, the disabled and their families. His practice areas include elder law; Medicaid planning and applications; special needs planning; wills, trusts and estates; guardianships and estate litigation.
Enea was named Westchester County’s Leading Elder Care Attorney at the 2013 Above the Bar Awards. He is president of the Westchester County Bar Foundation, past president of the Westchester County Bar Association and co-founder of its Elder Law Section. He also is a member of the Council of Advanced Practitioners of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and is a past president of the organization’s New York Chapter.
WCC and MasterCard team up to support entrepreneurship
Responding to the changing demographics and economic opportunities in the county, Westchester Community College has launched a new pilot program to help encourage business development for new Americans. Supported by a philanthropic grant from the MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth, Entrepreneurship for New Americans is a pilot program that will offer immigrant entrepreneurs workshops on topics ranging from understanding legal aspects of starting a business, access to credit and English language through the college’s English Language Institute.
Data compiled by the Kauffman Index shows that immigrant business development rose sharply in 2010 and continues to rise, with Latino and Asian immigrant business start-ups growing the fastest. However, immigrants face numerous barriers to starting a business, from access to credit to language and cultural differences. There are limited resources available in Westchester County that meet the needs of immigrant entrepreneurs and WCC’s Gateway to Entrepreneurship program (G2E) has a unique opportunity to offer programming that fills this gap.
“At MasterCard, we are committed to connecting people and communities with opportunity and believe in the power of entrepreneurship as a path to full financial inclusion. We are excited to partner with the college on this pilot program,” said Patricia Devereux, executive director, MasterCard Global Philanthropy.
The G2E program is dedicated to supporting entrepreneurial education throughout the college and our community. Through its collaborations with partners in both the public and private sectors, G2E is a resource hub for entrepreneurial development at all stages, facilitating programs that respond to entrepreneurs’ needs and contributing to a vibrant local economy.
“Westchester Community College has always been about accessibility. We are committed to student success, academic excellence, workforce development, economic development and lifelong learning,” said John F. M. Flynn, Westchester Community College interim president. “Partnerships in our community with business leaders, neighborhood nonprofits and other organizations serving our diverse populations, have played a vital role in achieving these goals and we are proud to have the MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth supporting this important initiative,” he said.
Legal Services opens Peekskill office
Legal Services of the Hudson Valley in White Plains officially marked the opening of its Peekskill office at 1 Park Place June 19 with a grand celebration. Honored guests included Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino, Westchester County Deputy Executive Kevin Plunkett, Westchester County Legislator and former Peekskill mayor John Testa, county legislator Catherine Borgia, Peekskill Mayor Frank Catalina and Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s CEO Barbara Finkelstein.
“Legal Services of the Hudson Valley opened this office in Peekskill in order to make access to justice more easily accessible to residents of northern Westchester and Putnam counties, especially seniors and veterans, who cannot afford an attorney. Our Peekskill staff has already participated in a number of outreach events and developed community partnerships, including a collaboration with the Peekskill Senior Center, which helps them to provide for their clients’ multifaceted needs. We’re excited to work together with other service providers to protect the rights of our neighbors in Peekskill and its surrounding areas and are grateful for the support of Westchester County,” Finkelstein said.
As part of the celebration for the opening of the office, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley will collect donations of backpacks and school supplies that will be distributed to children from the city of Peekskill and northern Westchester County through the Back to School Program run by Peekskill C.A.P, Peekskill Community and Kiley Center Staff.
ENTA adds to staff
Alexis M. Jackman, M.D., an otolaryngologist/head and neck surgeon and fellowship-trained rhinologist will join the ENT and Allergy Associates’ Purchase office Sept.1.
Jackman received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in chemistry from Mount Holyoke College, and studied at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland, before earning her medical degree with distinction from George Washington University. She went on to complete her internship in general surgery and residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the New York University School of Medicine. Jackman completed her fellowship in rhinology and endoscopic sinus and skull-base surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She is a recipient of the Ruth L. Kircschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Health. Jackman is a board-certified otolaryngologist and is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, American Rhinologic Society, and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
She has been awarded multiple honors for her studies and has been named one of the nation’s “Top Physicians” by the Consumer’s Research Council of America.
Jackman joins ENT and Allergy Associates following eight years as a clinical instructor and assistant professor at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
“Adding a physician with Dr. Jackman’s training will enable us to continue to achieve the excellent overall patient care they have come to expect and deserve. I’m delighted to welcome Dr. Jackman to our Purchase family,” said Dr. Jeffrey Jablon, fellow ENT partner in Purchase.
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