Joel Seligman

LiveOnNY and TSO Honor Northern Westchester Hospital’s President and CEO, Joel Seligman

November 6, 2019 by The Inside Press

A “Make a Difference Award” during Organ Donor Enrollment Day

Northern Westchester Hospital President and CEO Joel Seligman receives LiveOnNY’s Make A Difference award from LiveOnNY President and CEO Helen Irving.

On Organ Donor Enrollment Day, Helen Irving, President & CEO of LiveOnNY, presented Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) President and CEO, Joel Seligman, with the Make A Difference award for his continued support of organ donation. Seligman was honored for his commitment to raising awareness, providing education and registering lifesaving donors. Assemblyman David Buchwald, Janet Ocasio from Transplant Support Organization, and Mount Kisco Mayor Gina Picinich were also on hand to show their support and appreciation.

NWH received Platinum status from LiveOnNY for four years in a row for having the largest effort to increase the number of registered donors at a community hospital. New York State has the lowest rate of registered eligible organ donors in the country. As part of the event, NWH hosted an organ donation enrollment table.

ABOUT LIVEONNY:

LiveOnNY is a nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to saving lives, providing comfort, and strengthening legacies through organ, eye, and tissue donation. The OPO, which was established in 1978, serves a culturally and ethnically diverse population of 13 million residents in New York City, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley. Working closely with transplant centers and hospitals, LiveOnNY coordinates organ, eye, and tissue donation for transplant, educates the public and healthcare professionals about donation and transplantation, and promotes the importance of signing up on the New York State Donate Life Registry. LiveOnNY works closely with 11 transplant centers, nearly 100 hospitals, and several tissue and eye banks. LiveOnNY is accredited by the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) and a member of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which oversees the organ transplant waiting list in the U.S. For more information, please visit LiveOnNY.org.

(L-R): New York State Assemblyman David Buchwald, Janet Ocasio of the Transplant Support Organization; NWH President and CEO Joel Seligman; Mount Kisco Mayor Gina Picinich; and LiveOnNY President and CEO, Helen Irving, celebrate Organ Donor Enrollment Day.

About Northern Westchester Hospital:

Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), a member of Northwell Health, provides quality, patient-centered care that is close to home through a unique combination of medical expertise, leading-edge technology, and a commitment to humanity. Over 650 highly-skilled physicians, state-of-the-art technology and professional staff of caregivers are all in place to ensure that you and your family receive treatment in a caring, respectful and nurturing environment. NWH has established extensive internal quality measurements that surpass the standards defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) National Hospital Quality Measures. Our high-quality standards help to ensure that the treatment you receive at NWH is among the best in the nation. For more information, please visit www.nwhc.net and connect with us on Facebook.

About Northwell Health:

Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, about 750 outpatient facilities and more than 13,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 70,000 employees – 16,000-plus nurses and 4,000 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Northern Westchester Hospital to Honor Joel Seligman and Seema Boesky At 2019 Gala

August 21, 2019 by The Inside Press

Joel Seligman – photo credit: Todd Shapera

Mt. Kisco, New York— Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) will honor outgoing President and CEO Joel Seligman and philanthropist Seema Boesky at the hospital’s annual gala on Saturday, November 2, 2019 in a spectacular tent on the Hospital’s campus. The event is co-chaired by Brenda and Victor Khabie, MD.

The announcement was made by Keeva Young-Wright, President of the NWH Foundation and Vice President of External Affairs at NWH.

“We are delighted to honor Joel Seligman, who is retiring from his position as President and CEO of Northern Westchester Hospital after nearly two decades of extraordinary service and leadership, and Seema Boesky for her many years of generosity and support of Northern Westchester Hospital,” she said. “Joel has worked tirelessly to ensure Northern Westchester Hospital is a leading provider of innovative, evidenced-based patient-centered care. Seema has supported Joel’s vision and NWH’s mission, and through her philanthropic generosity, she has helped NWH bring advanced surgical and emergency care to our region.”

Mr. Seligman passes the torch after guiding Northern Westchester Hospital through some of its most transformative years. Since joining the hospital in 2001, he has been a powerful and effective advocate for clinical excellence, improved quality, strong financial stewardship, patient engagement and expanded community outreach.

Mr. Seligman announced his retirement plans earlier this year and will remain through the end of the year to work closely with Derek Anderson, the hospital’s new executive director, through the transition.

Under Mr. Seligman’s leadership, NWH has become a top destination for robotic surgery, orthopedics, cancer and breast care, as well as surgical weight loss, physical therapy and rehabilitation. In 2007, NWH became one of the first Planetree-designated hospitals in the US for exceptional patient-centered care. After the hospital was re-designated with distinction by Planetree and received Magnet designation — the gold standard for nursing care — from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Northern Westchester became the only hospital in the country to achieve both accolades. Planetree honored Mr. Seligman with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.

When NWH became a member of Northwell Health in 2014, Mr. Seligman managed the hospital’s successful integration process for its clinical and support programs. He has also played an active role in health policy, serving as a state delegate of the American Hospital Association’s regional policy board, chair of the Northern Metropolitan Hospital Association and treasurer of the Healthcare Association of New York State’s (HANYS) Board of Governors. He is currently a member of the HANYS Executive Committee.

Mr. Seligman is a resident of Pound Ridge.

Seema Boesky – photo credit: Jim D’Angelo

Seema Boesky, community member, philanthropist and long-time supporter of NWH and several local organizations, is co-honoree along with Mr. Seligman. By the age of 13, Seema and her sister were co-owners of the Beverly Hills Hotel, the crown jewel of her father’s vast real estate holdings. By her early 20s, she was on the hotel’s board, and eventually took control of all her family’s properties. In 1987, she sold the Beverly Hills Hotel for a record-breaking price, and in the 1990s, she liquidated the family’s Northview Corporation and remaining businesses in order to pursue her philanthropic interests.

Since then, she has dedicated herself to philanthropy, immersing herself in understanding the needs of others and the role she can play in addressing unmet needs. She was a founding member of the Eagle School, the school for international Studies at Princeton, the Family Center in Somerville, MA, and a founder of the American Russian Youth Orchestra. In addition, she honored her mother’s memory by establishing the Gertrude Silberstein Pain Clinic at Ford Hospital in Detroit. She also serves as president of the Silberstein Boesky Family Foundation focusing on enhancing the lives of underprivileged children. Her Charitable Trust supports a variety of interests, including saving lives, curing depression, and preserving art.

In addition to providing financial support for charitable institutions, Ms. Boesky gives her time. Locally, she served as a board member and honoree at the Caramoor Music Center; the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester, where she completed two capital campaigns totaling $16 million; the Westchester Land Trust; Northern Westchester Hospital; and the Waterkeeper Alliance. She also served on the Board of the Women’s Forum, an international organization that mentors women worldwide.

In 1988, she received a Peabody Award as the producer of Claude Lanzmann’s iconic Holocaust documentary Shoah. She was interviewed by Barbara Walters in 1991, and in 2005 published Seema Says, Selected Columns from the Westchester Wag, the monthly column she authored for eight years.

Ms. Boesky was born and raised in Detroit, and received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Michigan State University. In 1978, she relocated her family from New York City to Westchester where she still resides and continues her philanthropic endeavors, develops high-end residential real estate and spends time with family and friends.

The NWH Gala begins with cocktails at 6:30 p.m., a program and dinner at 8 p.m., and dancing at 9:30 p.m. The theme is Art as Inspiration and Art as Transformation. It is expected to draw record attendance of over 800 guests. To learn more or purchase tickets, visit www.nwhconnect.org/2019Gala.

About Northern Westchester Hospital

About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, about 750 outpatient facilities and more than 13,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 70,000 employees – 16,000-plus nurses and 4,000 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

News courtesy of Northern Westchester Hospital, Northwell Health.

Two Chappaqua Residents Emphasize Critical Need for Organs

October 3, 2016 by Inside Press

Learn More and Enroll on Organ Donor Enrollment Day in New Castle: Thursday, October 6

My daughter Acacia received a life saving transplant at 13 months old. Total strangers saved my daughter’s life. Today she is a thriving freshman at HGHS. Please sign up to be an organ donor today and help give the gift of life.” Hailey Puleo of Chappaqua

“You can never really understand how important being an organ donor is until someone in your family is in desperate need of a life saving transplant.” Barbara Lerman of Chapppaqua, whose daughter Sydney had a heart transplant 11 years ago at the age of 2.

LiveOnNY is holding its second annual Organ Donor Enrollment Day on Thursday, October 6th. This event is focused on one goal: to enroll as many willing New Yorkers as possible as organ donors in a single day.

While 92% of New Yorkers support organ donation, only 27% of New Yorkers are registered. New York ranks 50th out of 50 states in the percentage of residents registered as organ donors, and New York ranks third in the country for the number of people waiting for organ transplants, according to LongLiveNY.org. Additionally, according to LiveOnNY, more than 120,000 people in the United States are waiting for organ transplants. Of these, nearly 10,000 live in the greater New York metropolitan area. This contributes to a troubling fact: every 18 hours a New Yorker dies waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.

We are doing our part – here in New Castle. You have a choice: it can be another ordinary day, or it can be an EXTRAordinary day. It can be EXTRAordinary because you have the opportunity to be a part of an incredible movement to support organ donation and sign up to help save lives. A table will be set up in front of 26 S Greeley Ave, Chappaqua from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Let’s make October 6th an EXTRAordinary day!

Sydney: an organ recipient when she was two years old. — Sydney: a heart recipient when she was two years old.

Joel Seligman, President and CEO of Northern Westchester Hospital stated “Organ donation is a second chance at life, and we’re hopeful that on this enrollment day we’ll see a significant increase in registered donors in our area, I am grateful to the Town Supervisors and their teams who have embraced this initiative, for our NWH volunteers, the willingness of organ donor recipients and donor family members to share their stories and for the efforts of LiveOnNY.”

“New Castle Town Supervisor Rob Greenstein stated “Our community is so incredibly generous with their time and money, We are asking them to be generous with organ donation. If we can get one person to donate, it makes this worthwhile. Come give the gift of life. I would like to thank Barbara Lerman and Hailey Puleo for their help – not just with our drive on October 6th – but everyday!”.

Northern Westchester Hospital Kicks Off its Centennial Celebration

January 24, 2016 by Inside Press

Two Honorary Proclamations, Reminiscing, a Ribbon Cutting and More!

Article and Photos by Grace Bennett

Mount Kisco–A packed and festive Centennial Kick off Celebration at Northern Westchester Hospital brought together physicians, board members, employees, volunteers, elected officials, supporters, artists and many others who gathered for a proud CEO’s remarks, refreshments galore, the unveiling of an interactive history timeline and a ribbon cutting ceremony; they were also treated to stories of health care delivery in the early 1900s. In his remarks, President and CEO (for 15 years) Joel Seligman reminisced about days gone by and just how far we’ve come.

“Surgery was often done on your living room table,” said Joel Seligman, NWH president and CEO for the last 15 years. “Surgery was done on your dining room table—yes, house calls were common then—because the nearest hospital was in New York City. And you got there via a bumpy, horse-drawn wagon driving down the pot-hole ridden Albany Post Road, now known as Route 9…

“Once you got to New York City, an ambulance met you and took you to the hospital. And this only happened for the fortunate few who had the financial means for this type of care.”

Seligman recounted that it took “a handful of forward-thinking community members” to begin fundraising; after 10 years, “this group of visionaries raised $12,500, and opened the 15-bed Mount Kisco Hospital on August 20, 1916, which served the 14 villages in the surrounding area.”

100 years later, Seligman said the mission is still “to provide the highest quality, patient-centered care close to home for all members of our community–regardless of their ability to pay.”

“Of course, so much has happened between our humble beginnings in 1916 and today: advancements in technology, our enhanced clinical capabilities, the growth and modernization of our campus, and most importantly, the positive impact we continue to have on the people who live in our community.

Before others spoke, Seligman acknowledged certain individuals attending that he explained had a unique connection to the hospital.
— Joan Stewart, one of the first preemie babies born at NWH in 1935, and who stayed here for four long months before going home to her family
— Joan’s sister, Pat Reilly, former Mayor of Mount Kisco, born at NHW in 1932
— Henry Schriever, NWH’s first pastoral care chaplain
— Sue Moga, whose grandfather, Roberts Richie, was a founding physician of the original Mount Kisco Hospital on Stewart Place
— Babs Johnson, whose father, Philips Lounsbery was a Hospital trustee for many years
— Retired physician Hal Federman who began NWH’s Palliative Care program
— Dr. Herb Kaufman, who performed the first flexible endoscopy at NWH
— Dr. Scott Hayworth President & CEO of Mount Kisco Medical Group and Dr. Peter Mercurio President & CEO Westchester Health

Nancy Karch, chair of the Northern Westchester Hospital Board of Trustees offered more kudos to the hospital’s role in the community–“whether it’s the dad coming to NWH via ambulance with chest pains…the grandfather who needs a new hip…or the mom who is going through radiation therapy for breast cancer…” She also took the opportunity to note that NWH is now a member of the Northwell Health network of 21 hospitals, “including facilities that specialize in pediatric and psychiatric care.
“It has a pioneering research facility, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, and a visionary approach to medical education at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies,” said Karch. “We are very excited about this new Chapter in our history.”

“It has a pioneering research facility, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, and a visionary approach to medical education at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. We are very excited about this new Chapter in our history.”
Karch recognized the following attendees as well:

— Susan Spear, Regional Director for the Hudson Valley, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s office

— George Oros, County Executive Rob Astorino’s Chief of Staff.

— County Legislator Francis Corcoran

— Chief of Staff Gary Friedman of Chairman Mike Kaplowitz’s office

— Marianne Oros, Community Relations Specialist, NY State Senator Terrance Murphy

— Mount Kisco Mayor, Michael Cindrich

— Her fellow Board of Trustees, Alumni Trustees, Foundation Board members and President’s Council Members.

She offered “a very special welcome” to Northwell’s Dr. Lawrence Smith, Physician in Chief and Dean of the Hofstra Northwell school of Medicine and Gene Tangney, Senior VP and Chief Administrative Officer..

Astorino’s office and the County Legislators’ office both offered proclamations announcing January 21, 2016 as Northern Westchester Hospital Day in Westchester County.

Seligman returned to the mic after a host of remarks from elected officials and others and invited guests to view the historical timeline, He thanked “two long-term community partners, GG Kopilak and the Katonah Museum Artists Association (KMAA) and Lois Barker and the Westchester Photographic Society. And added: “KMAA provides the artwork you see in the hallway and WPS provides the photographs that adorn our Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center. Thank you both for providing the gift of art to our patients and families.”