The gala, held at Old Salem Farm in North Salem, welcomed more than 700 doctors, community leaders, business owners, NWH Foundation board members and trustees.
All funds raised will support the modernization of operating rooms at NWH, as well as the Post Anesthesia Care Unit, anticipated to be completed in early 2016.
This year’s physician honoree was Dr. Elisa E. Burns, a gynecologic surgeon and Director of Quality and Outcomes for the Institute for Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery at NWH.
Burns, a Bedford resident, was honored for her clinical leadership, generosity to NWH, her dedication to patients and the practice of medicine. The community honoree was Gino Martocci, executive vice president for M&T Bank, who was honored for his dedicated support of NWH. Martocci, an Armonk resident, joined the finance committee of NWH’s Board of Trustees earlier this year, and he helped raise more than $280,000 for this year’s annual gala.
Highlights of the evening included an announcement by Robert Spolzino, Chairman of Northern Westchester Hospital’s Board of Trustees, who informed the guests that the Northern Westchester Hospital Board of Trustees and the Board of North Shore-LIJ have approved of NWH joining the North Shore-LIJ Health System.
Northern Westchester Hospital and its leadership team will have an important role in developing expansion plans for the North Shore-LIJ Health System in the greater Hudson Valley. Another highlight was the successful “text to pledge” portion of the event, an onsite fundraising tool, which helped raise more than $100,000 for the hospital.
The theme of the gala was “Autumn in Arcadia.” This year’s venue allowed the gala committee to create a theme centered on nature, horses and the outdoors, as well as being one of the few venues in the area that could accommodate the number of guests in attendance.
The evening’s farm-to-table fare was executed by the renowned Abigail Kirsch, sourcing as much as possible from the Hudson Valley region. The menu embodied the theme of the evening and reflected the Hospital’s philosophy of ‘food is care.’