Two Leaders Appointed to Glen Cove Hospital Council

The Glen Cove Hospital Advisory Council recently welcomed two new members, resident Christine Pell and Howard Grace, of Oyster Bay Cove.

Grace has been involved in the hospital for years as a member of its POPS Concert Committee for about seven years and as the chair of the Events Journal Committee for two years.

Grace, who is a family wealth director at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Manhattan, called the hospital his "hometown hospital." His attachment also runs in the family because his sister volunteered as a candy striper.

"I grew up in Upper Brookville, so Glen Cove Hospital was my hospital," Grace said, adding that the hospital is the best local alternative. "It's where I got stitched up and had my broken arm set. I have an attachment to the hospital."

Grace's interest in medicine can be traced back to his high school days. As a senior at St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H., he volunteered at the local hospital three days a week. Grace noted that he spent his time observing in the emergency room and in a non-medical fashion assisting the anesthesiologist in the surgical ward.

"What I love about medicine is the healing," he said. "That's what I like about what I do professionally, healing people financially."

As he grew up, his interests moved on to the world of finance. He later earned a bachelor's degree in international relations with a minor in economics and focus in finance from Yale University, and then he earned a master's degree in business administration from Yale. But his interest in medicine never waned.

"I have an affinity to things medical," he said. "I like reading medical articles. My family has been involved in the Cold Spring Harbor Labs and my cousins have been board members."

As a hospital council member, Grace said, he hopes to help spread the good word of the hospital.

"I will expose people I know to what's going on and what the hospital is very good at," he said. "It's a very strong community hospital."

Pell is also someone who loves giving back to the community. She is a lifetime member of the hospital's Auxiliary. When she was in high school, she recalled that she would volunteer at the hospital in all capacities whether it was working in the coffee shop or wheeling patients to where they needed to go.

Pell is chairman of the board of the facility's Boys and Girls Club. As chairman, she explained, she has worked as a fundraiser coordinator and helped to run events. She is also the head of Annual Appeals.

Pell, a mother four and step-mother of two, added that all of her children were born at the hospital.  

"Consumer Reports recently rated Glen Cove Hospital among the best performing facilities in New York and nationwide in preventing central line infections in the ICU," Pell said proudly. "This is something I might not have been aware of if I wasn't on the council."

As a council member, Pell said, she hopes to make the community aware of all that is going on at the facility.

Pell is a graduate of the Green Vale School and the Emma Willard School. At the age of 38, she received a degree in computer science from the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville.

"I used my experience from the volunteer world and got my first job when I was 40," said Pell, who worked as director of development for the Green Vale School for 23 years and retired last year. "The Green Vale School was a fabulous place to work."

Through her experience working with students at the school, which runs from nursery through ninth grade, Pell is hoping she can get young people involved in the hospital.

"Having a community hospital is very important," Pell said. "Glen Cove Hospital has a fabulous emergency room and a renowned physical therapy unit. When people in the community get sick, we like to see it as the nicest place to go."