Scarsdale Couple Chairing Gala for VNS Westchester

Over a century has passed since a prominent Westchester physician rallied local women to start a nursing service to care for patients discharged from a local hospital. Turns out, this was the moment in history that planted the seeds for the organization known today as VNS Westchester.

Today’s healthcare environment is vastly different than it was 100 years ago, but the need for the services VNS Westchester provides has never been greater. Converging trends—shorter hospital stays, an aging population with multiple chronic conditions, and a focus on maintaining and improving population health, among them—result in a higher demand for home health care. To help the not-for-profit agency continue to meet the needs of residents in the region, Scarsdale residents, Karen Herrero, a VNSW Board Member, and her husband, Peter Herrero, Jr., are co-chairing the Visiting Nurse Service of Westchester's signature fundraising event—its 18th Annual Spring Benefit Gala—on Thursday, May 19, 2016, at the Willow Ridge Country Club in Harrison. The Herreros have been recognized for their numerous philanthropic efforts and recently received the Association of Development Officers “Community Partner of the Year.”

The festive evening will showcase the important work of VNSW and inspire giving to support its high-quality home health and community healthcare services. The event’s awards ceremony will honor two long-time healthcare and business partners who play a critical role in supporting its efforts and those of the wider community: White Plains Hospital will receive the Community Leadership Award, accepted by Susan Fox, President & CEO; Mutual of America will receive the Distinguished Leadership Award, accepted by Brian Q. Severin, Executive Vice President.

Westchester resident, Michael Gargiulo, Anchor at NBC 4 New York, will serve as emcee—his fifth year in this role. In addition to the awards ceremony, the event will feature a sensational silent auction, gourmet dinner stations, and a sumptuous ‘sweet treats’ ice cream bar.

Proceeds from VNSW’s Gala will support a wide range of programs for residents of Westchester, the Bronx, Dutchess, Putnam and Rockland counties. These include free community health screenings, health education programs focusing on preventative care and chronic disease management, and home care services for underinsured patients. Raising funds for these programs is critical, says Timothy P. Leddy, President and CEO, VNS Westchester, as they are not reimbursed by government or other funding sources.

“Every year, we’re able to help more people, thanks to our dedicated Board, our top-notch staff and strong relationships with innovative organizations like White Plains Hospital and Mutual of America,” he says. “Because we’re doing more and achieving more, we also need help to continue to serve the growing needs of our patient population in need of care. We invite the Westchester community to join us on May 19 to support our vital home care services, and to help us express our profound gratitude to our honorees.”

Community funding is essential in helping VNS Westchester fulfill its mission of enhancing the health and well-being of people of all ages, in the comfort of their own homes. “As reimbursements decline, and the need for our services grows, the generous support of the Lower Hudson Valley community helps us achieve the highest level of excellence in patient care,” says Leddy.

Tickets for the event, which takes place on May 19, from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Willow Ridge Country Club in Harrison, may be purchased for $300 each at www.vns.org. For information on Sponsorship Opportunities, Journal Ads or contributions to the Silent Auction, please contact Joyce Infante, Director of Development, at JInfante@vns.org or (914) 682-1480, ext. 649.

About the Honorees

Since 1893, White Plains Hospital, recipient of the Community Leadership Award, has provided exceptional healthcare to the community with expert physicians, highly trained staff and state-of-the-art equipment. With Susan Fox at the helm, White Plains Hospital (WPH), has redefined what it is to be a community hospital, creating a new model that other community hospitals – and bigger hospitals as well – are likely to follow. A member of the Montefiore Health System, WPH is now firmly established as an exceptional tertiary medical hub in Westchester County. A major transformation of the hospital campus now nearing completion includes a new lobby, entranceway, world-class cancer center, state-of-the-art labor and delivery suites, and new six-story patient tower including five new operating suites and two floors of private patient rooms.

In addition, WPH has several ambulatory practices including a multispecialty facility in New Rochelle, one in Armonk, which includes an Urgent Care Center, and a Women’s Imaging Center in Rye Brook. Under Susan’s leadership, the health care organization created White Plains Hospital Physician Associates, a physician network, to recruit the best and the brightest physicians and specialists to make better care more accessible to Westchester residents, and launched a significant cancer care clinical research program. A long-time Westchester resident, Susan Fox first joined the WPH team in 2010 as Senior Vice President of Administration bringing with her more than 25 years of experience in health management administration. In 2011 she was named Executive Vice President and then President in January, 2013. Susan assumed the position of CEO of White Plains Hospital on May 1, 2015. Prior to White Plains Hospital, Susan was a Senior Vice President at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System developing and overseeing Physician and Ambulatory Network Services.

For over 70 years, Mutual of America, recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, has specialized in providing retirement, pension, and insurance products and related services to organizations and their employees, as well as individuals. The company has provided superior services to VNS Westchester employees for over for 55 years, and has helped to secure the futures of countless other employees in organizations across the region.

Mutual of America has a long tradition of corporate social responsibility, beginning with its founding as a provider of retirement plan services to the nonprofit sector. In addition, virtually all of their employees participate in charitable activities. The company’s “Community Partnership Award,” established in 1996, recognizes and encourages partnerships among public, private, and social sector organizations devoted to the public good. On the education front, Mutual of America provides funding for the acclaimed PBS-distributed newsmagazine Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly that offers high school and college educators a video workshop for teaching about world religions.

Brian Q. Severin, a 17-year employee who is accepting the award on his company’s behalf, started in sales and worked his way up into a leadership position as the founder and office head of a new regional office in Phoenix, Arizona, then went on to lead all of Southern California and Nevada. Recently he was appointed Executive Vice President of Marketing and has relocated to the home office in New York City.