The New Jewish Home Honors Westchester Social Workers

Five extraordinary Westchester-based social workers received special honors from The New Jewish Home at an event celebrating National Professional Social Work Month. The New Jewish Home, a comprehensive, mission-driven health care system serving older New Yorkers since 1848, organized the event to recognize the important contributions of social workers at partner hospitals who help ease the difficult transition from hospital or home to short-term rehabilitation or long-term skilled nursing.

The Inaugural Social Work Month Awards event, attended by more than 100 local health care professionals, took place at Sarah Neuman, The New Jewish Home’s skilled nursing campus in Mamaroneck.

Recognized for their dedication, compassion and professionalism were four social workers in leadership positions at hospitals that partner with The New Jewish Home:

• Jennifer Blum, LMSW, CCM, Director of Social Work at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital;
• Meghan Bracken, LMSW, CMC, Administrative Director of Care Management at White Plains Hospital;
• Katherine Praino, LCSW, Director of Care Coordination at NewYork-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital; and
• Barry Tavel, LCSW, Director of Utilization Medical Management at Montefiore New Rochelle.

Dr. Jeffrey I. Farber, President & CEO of The New Jewish Home, said, “Tonight we are proud to honor and acknowledge the social workers in our partner hospitals, who like most social workers, are all too often overlooked and under-recognized. Their work helping patients and families navigate the maze of the hospital system and in making important decisions about the care needed after a hospital stay is invaluable and instrumental in ensuring the best possible outcomes for the patients we all care for.”

“The New Jewish Home is proud to salute the social work leaders and their dedicated teams from Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, White Plains Hospital, New York Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital, and Montefiore New Rochelle,” Dr. Farber added.

Dr. Farber also noted that at The New Jewish Home, social workers serve as integral team members that provide support, guidance, counseling and resources to residents and their families. With their support and expertise, The New Jewish Home provides residents and their families with innovative and compassionate programs and services.

A special honor was presented to Cristina Giarratano, Director of Social Work at Sarah Neuman, for her success in strengthening the role of the Social Work department and her role in developing many of the skilled nursing facility’s most successful programs.

The Inaugural Social Work Month Awards was co-sponsored by Medline Industries.

Photo Caption: (From left to right): Cristina Giarratano, Director of Social Work at Sarah Neuman; Sandra Mundy, Administrator at The New Jewish Home Sarah Neuman; Jennifer Blum, LMSW, CCM, Director of Social Work at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital; Dr. Jeffrey I. Farber, President and CEO of The New Jewish Home; Meghan Bracken, LMSW, CMC, Administrative Director of Care Management at White Plains Hospital; Katherine Praino, LCSW, Director of Care Coordination at NewYork-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital; Barry Tavel, LCSW, Director of Utilization Medical Management at Montefiore New Rochelle.