Gala Tonight Benefits Women’s Ctr.
Elmhurst Hospital Center (EHC) will be hosting a gala in honor of its 180th anniversary tonight, Thursday, May 17, from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. at Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows- Corona Park.
Proceeds from the event will benefit EHC’s new Women’s Healthcare Services Pavilion, a state-of-the-art outpatient facility scheduled to open in spring 2013, according to a press release from the hospital.
Honorees include Dr. Jasmin Moshirpur, regional medical director of the Queens Health Network and dean at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Eileen Auld, New York State director of Citigroup Community Development; and Patricia Wang, president and CEO of Healthfirst.
Alan Aviles, president of the city’s Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), will receive special recognition for his leadership in patient safety initiatives within the nation’s largest municipal healthcare organization.
“Since its inception 180 years ago, Elmhurst Hospital Center has delivered vital healthcare services to diverse groups of people-from Civil War veterans, to New York City’s underserved and uninsured, as well as immigrants,” says Chris Constantino, Elmhurst Hospital Center’s executive director. “As we enter the next phase of our history and expand to meet the demands of our growing patient population, we will continue our commitment to excellence and our ongoing mission to provide safe, easily-accessible, high-quality healthcare to all those who need it.”
The roots of what would become Elmhurst Hospital can be traced back to 1832 and a facility on Blackwell’s Island (later known as Roosevelt Is- land). Originally called Charity Hospital, it was rebuilt following an 1858 fire.
In 1862, the City of New York negotiated a contract with the United States government to provide care to wounded Union soldiers. By 1870, the hospital’s name had been changed again to City Hospital and the building expanded to include a fullfledged maternity unit that developed safer methods to control puerperal or “childbed” fever and substantially reduce maternal deaths.
As the 20th century dawned, the hospital would retain its role as a pioneering healthcare organization. It treated victims of the 1918 flu pandemic, developed innovative lab research techniques, and established America’s first children’s healthcare center.
Relocating from Roosevelt Island to Queens in 1957, City Hospital was renamed Elmhurst Hospital and in 1964 became affiliated with Mount Sinai Hospital and School of Medicine.
Since then Elmhurst Hospital Center has undergone several expansion projects and is now one of New York City’s premier acute care facilities. Over the course of almost two centuries, Elmhurst Hospital Center has evolved into a Level I Trauma Center that serves as one of New York City’s busiest medical facilities.
The hospital has won numerous awards for providing quality medical care in key areas such as Cardiology, Emergency Medicine, Women’s Health, Pediatrics, and Rehabilitation Medicine.
The evening will begin with cocktails at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner and an awards ceremony at 7:30. Special features of this milestone event, hosted by NY1 Anchor Cheryl Wills, are a silent auction and live musical entertainment provided by smooth jazz artists Audrey Silver and the Elements Jazz Trio.
Tickets are $175 each and can be purchased either by calling 1-718- 334-3845 or by visiting www.elmhursthospitalauxiliary.org.
