Wyckoff Heights Medical Center honored several outstanding medical workers and raised funds for a new Cardiac Rehabilitation Center during the hospital’s 66th annual gala held at Russo’s on the Bay in Queens on Friday, Oct. 18.
Honorees at the gala included Dr. Parvez A. Mir, MD, FACP, FCCP, Dr. Mounzer Tchelebi, MD and the frontline team and leaders at the emergency department.
Mir, who initially began working at Wyckoff in 1989 as a resident in Internal Medicine, was honored for his many years of dedicated service at the hospital. After completing a Fellowship at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care, Mir attained Board Certification in that field. He later returned to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in 1993 as an Attending in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care. In 1998, he became the Associate Director of Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care. Since 2011, Mir has served as the Director of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.
“I trained at Wyckoff and stayed at Wyckoff. I’ve been at Wyckoff for more than 20 years. I’ve had the privilege of taking care of patients from the community,” Mir said. “I feel the satisfaction of giving back to the community. It’s been a privilege to have been at Wyckoff for so long.”
Tchelebi has been a pillar for Wyckoff, having served there for 33 years across various roles, including his current position as an executive board member of the Board of Trustees. He is extremely committed to Wyckoff’s mission of serving the community that depends upon them for vital healthcare services.
Throughout his decades of service at Wyckoff, Tchelebi’s roles have included Chief Medical Officer, Chairman of Radiation Oncology and the sole physician executive Board of Trustee member. In every position he has served, Tchelebi has brought with him a knowledgeable, positive and quiet charisma.
Between the life-changing oncological services he has provided for the community and the medical perspective and clinical sensitivity he has brought to the Board of Trustees, Tchelebi has been a huge asset for Wyckoff, embodying the best of the Medical Center. He provides a sense of calmness in the face of a crisis, having experienced, endured and survived the challenges of a safety-net hospital and gaining satisfaction and fulfillment in serving those in need.
The Emergency Department team helped provide care for the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. While most of the world shut down then, they rose to the occasion during a time of so much fear and uncertainty. Emergency Department leaders Lisandro Irizarry, MD, Monica Persaud, RN, Eric Cardamone, and Paul Chervoni made sure each patient entering the department got the highest quality of healthcare.
“I am honored to receive this [award], but it belongs to many and not just me alone,” Persaud said. “My team and my boss are my backbone. My team stood behind me no matter what happened. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
“The event tonight is to serve as a fundraiser for very a essential heart and cardiovascular service: cardiac rehab,” Wyckoff President and CEO Ramon Rodriguez said. “In our study and research, we found that patients who had a cardiac event or had a stroke who were in need of rehabilitation were finding it hard to find that rehabilitation because they can only go into Manhattan. So our board our leadership of the cardiovascular department felt strongly that we needed to find a way to provide that in the hospital so that people wouldn’t have to travel that far. We’re very fortunate the community and all the friends of Wyckoff have come together. We were looking to raise $500,000, and the last count is $900,040. We’re happy about this. It’s going to do a lot of good things for us.”
The funds raised will go towards specialized equipment, space renovation, educational programs and staff training. This will all help to significantly enhance the outcomes and quality of life for many Wyckoff patients.
“Our board and our executive team have a vision that our hospital should add services,” said Wyckoff Chairman of the Board Gary Goffner. “In Brooklyn, it’s very hard to find cardiac rehab. If you have heart disease, you’re able to rehab in a program with physicians and professionals. That is what we created. We’re continuing along the path of increasing services in our community. We’re honoring the workers who, during COVID, put themselves on the line.”
This new Cardiac Rehabilitation Center at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center would provide patients dealing with cardiovascular diseases access to supervised exercise, education and lifestyle modifications. This will help to reduce the risk of cardiac events recurring, as well as decreasing the costs of long-term healthcare.
