LIJ helps China earthquake victim

On the afternoon of May 12, 2008, the lives of more than 15 million people in China’s Sichuan Province changed when a severe earthquake devastated the region and killed thousands. Nearly 2,000 of the dead were students and teachers caught in schools that collapsed.
One student who survived, Mu Zijian, is getting his feet back on the ground, thanks to the good will of New York State, and the staff of North Shore-LIJ Health System. With the support of Governor David Paterson, the State University of New York (SUNY) has welcomed 150 university students from Sichuan Province to study at 22 SUNY campuses at no charge for one year.
The program, “SUNY-CHINA 150” is both humanitarian and diplomatic in nature.
The hope is that the students “will be able to better help the building of their homeland and they will surely join in the endeavor to promote China-US friendship,” according to China’s Premier, Wen Jiabao.
On Thursday, October 30, Robert Dubicki, senior vice president of ambulatory care at North Shore-LIJ, presented a $20,000 check to sponsor Mu, who is now studying at Farmingdale State College.
Dubicki met College officials, Mu and three other students from Sichuan who are also studying at SUNY Farmingdale at the office of City Councilmember John Liu in Flushing.
“As the recovery of the Sichuan Earthquake continues in China, we are happy to sponsor one of the students here today, with the hopes that they will be able to return home soon,” Dubicki said.
He explained that the $20,000 donation came from North Shore-LIJ trustees, employees and physicians - including members of the Association of Chinese American Physicians of Flushing.
The Flushing group joined this effort in contributing to China’s recovery efforts after an appeal by North Shore-LIJ CEO Michael Dowling.
“SUNY is proud to be hosting 150 promising young people from Sichuan for the 2008-09 academic year,” said Nick Rostow, a vice chancellor at SUNY and director of the program.
Rostow expressed confidence that the students experiences in New York would stay with them long after they have returned to China, where they “will make significant contributions to the physical rebuilding Sichuan so desperately needs.”
“We see this program as an exciting part of a long-term partnership between SUNY, the State of New York and the Chinese government, which will include increased intellectual and cultural exchange,” he said.