Start the season of giving by giving the gift of life! Stop by Mather Hospital, 75 North Country Road, Port Jefferson for a Fall Blood Drive on Thursday, Oct. 10 in Conference Room A & B from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. To make an appointment, visit donate.nybc.org. For more information, call 631-473-1320.
Get ready to paint the town pink!
For the 10th year running, Port Jefferson is transforming into a vibrant beacon of hope and awareness as Paint Port Pink takes center stage throughout October. This inspiring initiative, spearheaded by Mather Hospital’s Fortunato Breast Health Center, unites the Village of Port Jefferson, local businesses and the community in a powerful stand against breast cancer.
The streets bathed in a rosy glow and storefronts adorned with pink lights and flags are a visual reminder of the importance of early detection.
This year, the campaign celebrates a decade of success in spreading a vital message: early detection saves lives. Thanks to the generosity of its donors, the Fortunato Breast Health Center has been at the forefront of this fight, investing in cutting-edge 3-D mammography technology that can detect even the tiniest cancers in their earliest stages. Today 70% of breast cancers diagnosed at Fortunato are now caught at Stage zero or one. Breast cancer at these early stages is highly treatable and has a five-year survivor rate at 99%.
But the fight doesn’t stop there. Paint Port Pink, now reaching beyond Port Jefferson to encompass surrounding communities, serves as a powerful reminder for women to prioritize their health. Annual mammograms, starting at age 40, are crucial, and the campaign provides resources and support to ensure everyone has access to these life-saving screenings. Mather Hospital is a member of the Cancer Services Program of Suffolk County which offers free screenings based on age, income and residence. Screenings can take place at the Fortunato Breast Health Center. To learn more, call 631- 548-6320.
Join Port Jefferson in celebrating the power of community, the importance of early detection, and the hope that Paint Port Pink represents. Together, we can make a difference in the fight against breast cancer.
The Paint Port Pink calendar includes:
Oct. 1 — Light the lights! Community partners including the Village of Port Jefferson will light their pink lights and display banners. Mather Hospital’s cupola goes pink as well.
Oct. 3 — Pints for Pink third annual fundraiser for the Fortunato Breast Health Center at the Po’ Boy Brewery in Port Jefferson from 6 to 8 p.m. The $25 admission includes refreshments and free registration for the 2025 Northwell Health Walk at Port Jefferson. Register at matherhospital.org/pintsforpink
Oct. 15 — The second annual EmpowerHER women’s health seminar, this year at the Coram Fire Department’s community room, from 6 to 8 p.m. The $10 registration fee includes a buffet dinner and free registration for the 2025 Northwell Health Walk at Port Jefferson in support of the Fortunato Breast Health Center. Register at matherhospital.org/empowerher
Oct. 18 — Wear Pink Day/National Mammography Day – Get your pink on for this annual event and post photos on social media with #paintportpink.
Become a community partner and decorate your business’ exterior in pink for a chance to win tickets to a 2025 concert at Jones Beach. Send photos of your window by Oct. 20 to [email protected]. Become a community partner at matherhospital.org/paintportpink.
Pink Your Pumpkin — The popular pumpkin decorating contest returns! Find your perfect pumpkin, decorate it in the pinkest fashion possible, take a photo and email your pumpkin photo to [email protected] by Oct. 22. The winner will receive a $100 gift card.
Paint Port Pink is generously sponsored by New York Cancer & Blood Specialists, King Quality, Po’ Boy Brewery, Riverhead Toyota, and Tuscany Gourmet Market.
For more information , visit paintportpink.org or call 631-476-2723.
By Ava Himmelsbach
This past Saturday, Sept. 7, the Port Jefferson Yacht Club and Village of Port Jefferson held their annual Village Cup Regatta to raise money and awareness for Mather’s Palliative Medicine Program and the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Anyone interested was allowed to be a crew member on the sailboats, with no experience required.
The event included multiple activities throughout the day, with two main parts: a parade followed by a race. The parade ran from the outer harbor on the west across to the waterfront on the east. In the race, participants from the Village of Port Jefferson and Mather Hospital competed as part of the Village Cup Charity Fundraiser.
The parade allowed teams to circle the port on their boats, all of which were decorated with flags and banners, and wave to the large crowd of guests as a prelude to the race. Families gathered on the docks to view the parade, which was managed by Port Jefferson Yacht Club staff and accompanied by bagpiper Marty Sexton. The parade lasted about 45 minutes and helped the sailors adjust to sporadic wind patterns throughout the day.
Despite overcast weather and sudden rain, sailors and guests had a great time, creating memories of a lasting tradition likely to continue in years to come. Rain began shortly after the parade and continued lightly for a couple of hours. Fortunately, the showers did not interfere with the race, and sailors proceeded as planned.
Port Jefferson Yacht Club Village Cup Regatta Committee member Dianna Stackow managed the setup process for the post-race gathering. “We are here to set up for the party that happens after the race,” she said. “They have speeches, raffles, food, wine, beer; Ralph Macchio will be here, and some government representation.” The party began around 3:30 p.m., welcoming guests and participants as they finished the race and celebrated another year of the tradition. “This is our 15th year, and we are going to break $1 million [in donations]. We’re very proud because we’re such a small club, so it’s such a large thing for us to do. It’s just such a good feeling, all around, everyone, our little club, you know, close together, and it’s nice to see what we accomplish.”
After an exhilarating race, participants, families, and guests gathered at a party in the Port Jefferson Village Center to celebrate their efforts and the successful fundraising brought by this year’s regatta. Celebrity ambassador Ralph Macchio has supported the regatta — along with the two programs funded by it — for the last 10 years. He was present at the event this weekend, along with many returnees who have helped uphold this tradition for the past decade and a half.
The friendly competition ended with the Village of Port Jefferson team winning.
Lou Bove, President & Chief Executive Officer at Bove Industries, Inc., and Jeff Brett, founder and Chief Executive Officer of King Quality Construction, Inc., have been named to the board of the JTM Foundation.
The JTM Foundation works to foster relationships with those individuals and organizations who have a like-minded vision and the desire to support exceptional health care at Mather Hospital for the benefit of our community. Every donation to the JTM Foundation solely benefits Mather Hospital, its programs, services and growth initiatives. Currently the Foundation is focused on philanthropic support for a new Emergency Department, expanded surgery center and other hospital renovations.
Mr. Bove’s company is a New York-based, heavy and civil contracting firm founded in 1985. He is the son of Loretta and the late Vincent Bove, who served as Mayor of Belle Terre for more than 25 years, as a member of the Mather Hospital Board beginning in 1975, and finally as Chairman of the Board when he was elected in 1995.
Mr. Bove, along with his sister, Ginny, carries on his family’s Port Jefferson legacy through his service to our hospital community. Devoted to Mather’s annual Golf Classic, Mr. Bove has been central to raising more than $3 million in support of nursing programs during his 14-year tenure as Golf Classic Chair. He was honored for his work with the Founder’s Award at the 2018 Golf Classic.
Mr. Brett established his company, one of the United States’ largest and most prestigious siding, windows, and roofing contractors, in 1992 with only $150 and grew it into a multi-million-dollar enterprise. He remains grounded in his roots and Port Jefferson, the place where he was born and raised, continues to be his cherished home.
With his wife Natalie and three children, he finds joy in giving back to the community that has shaped him. He generously donates his time, talent, and resources to improve the lives of others. Mr. Brett has served on the Mather Golf Committee for seven years and has supported the hospital’s special events. His many charitable contributions through his King Quality Cares include supplying Thanksgiving meals to the Lighthouse Mission and donating roofs for Habitat for Humanity and Hope House Ministries. He also supports L.I. Against Domestic Violence and John’s Crazy Socks.
Photos courtesy of Mather Hospital.
Fifty members from Mather Hospital’s leadership team in Port Jefferson recently took part in the hospital’s second annual day of service to the community, volunteering with Coastal Steward Long Island (CSLI) at Cedar Beach in Mt. Sinai and at Bethel Hobbs Community Farm in Centereach.
“Our day of service is Mather’s way of giving back to our community while engaging in activities that make us better leaders, team members, and neighbors,” said Executive Director Kevn McGeachy, who was part of the team at Coastal Steward.
Volunteers with CSLI worked at the Mt. Sinai Harbor shellfish facility and cleaned up Cedar Beach. The Coastal Steward team cleaned 80,000 oysters and collected 120 pounds of garbage.
The Bethel Hobbs team from Mather harvested enough kale, collards, and onions to feed 100 families.
Last year’s day of service was at a Habitat for Humanity home build in Mastic Beach and at Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck, a camp for individuals with disabilities, in Center Moriches.
It’s time once again to sail for a cure as the 15th annual Village Cup Regatta, a friendly competition between Mather Hospital and the Village of Port Jefferson, returns on Saturday, Sept. 7.
Presented by the Port Jefferson Yacht Club in partnership with the Village of Port Jefferson, the Regatta raises funds for Mather Hospital’s Palliative Medicine Program and the Lustgarten Foundation, the largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research in the world. Last year’s Regatta raised more than $100,000, which was divided between Mather Hospital and the Lustgarten Foundation. The event has raised almost $960,000 over 14 years and is poised to reach $1 million in donations this year.
The Regatta consists of Yacht Club-skippered sailboats divided into two teams representing Mather Hospital and the Village of Port Jefferson. Employees from the Hospital and Village, along with village residents, help crew the boats, which race in one of three classes based on boat size. The festivities begin in Harborfront Park in Port Jefferson Village at 10 a.m., where you can purchase shirts, commemorative hats, nautical bags and mugs. The Memorial Parade of Boats begins at 11 a.m. at the Port Jefferson Village dock. All sailboats participating in the Regatta will pass by the park dressed in banners and nautical flags on their way out to the racecourse on Long Island Sound.
Actor, director and local resident Ralph Macchio will once again serve as Village Cup Regatta Celebrity Ambassador for the event. Macchio has helped to publicize the important work of the two programs funded by the Regatta for the past 11 years. Macchio’s wife, Phyllis, is a nurse practitioner in Mather Hospital’s Palliative Medicine Program.
Following the Regatta, a celebratory Skipper’s Reception and presentation of the Village Cup will take place in a restored 1917 shipyard building that today serves as the Port Jefferson Village Center.
To sign up as a crew member for the Mather Hospital team, contact Cindy Court at 631-476-2723 or [email protected]
To sign up as a crew member for the Port Jefferson Village team, contact Sylvia at 631-473-4724, ext. 219 or email [email protected].
Businesses, organizations and individuals can support the Regatta and the programs it funds by sponsoring, donating, or purchasing tickets to attend the Skipper’s Reception or view the Regatta on a spectator boat. For more information and to purchase tickets please visit http://portjeffersonyachtclub.com/community/village-cup/ or www.facebook.com/villagecupregatta.
Mather Hospital, 75 North Country Road, Port Jefferson has opened a special monitoring unit for individuals with epilepsy. Patients will come in for multi-day admission and will undergo continuous video electroencephalography (EEG), which will allow the healthcare team to make a more accurate diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
Consisting of four single beds in the hospital’s 3 North patient unit, the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) is staffed by epileptologists, neurologists, nurses, hospitalists, and EEG technicians. The unit is headed by Usman Mirza, MD, who completed his residency in neurology and a fellowship in EEG/Epilepsy, both at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine.
“The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit is very important in the optimal evaluation and management of patients living with epilepsy and suffering from seizure-like events,” Dr. Mirza said. “Studies show that longer video EEG recordings increase the chances of capturing brain wave abnormalities. Furthermore, the data obtained about their seizures/events can be a vital learning tool for patients and families to be better prepared and to play a stronger role in their treatment plans.”
Video EEG uses a video camera and recorder to track brain wave activity during and between seizures so doctors can review and analyze what happens when the patient has a seizure and determine the best course of treatment. Other times, patients who may be having seizure-like events benefit from being evaluated in the EMU to clarify diagnosis and guide management.
Referrals to the unit will be made by a neurologist or other healthcare providers in consultation with neurology.
“This new program is another example of how Mather Hospital embraces innovative ways to raise the health of the community and exceed expectations of what healthcare should be,” said Kevin McGeachy, Executive Director.
Mather Hospital’s Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) unit was launched 30 years ago on June 14, the first such unit on Long Island and the only one in Suffolk County available for emergencies 24/7.
The unit treats a wide range of conditions that respond to intense oxygenation, saving sight, limbs and lives. Staffed by critical care nurses, the unit has hyperbaric physicians representing family practice, internal medicine, emergency medicine, pulmonology and cardiology.
“Thank you and congratulations to all of our current team and all of those who have helped to get us where we are today,’ said Joseph C. White, MD, Director of Hyperbaric Medicine at Mather. “We have changed medicine on Long Island by bringing a service that did not exist and may never have come to our Island…Hopefully, we will continue to serve the community for at least another 30 years!”
Long called upon to treat divers with decompression sickness or “the bends” HBOT is now used to treat a variety of medical conditions including carbon monoxide poisoning; non-healing wounds, especially in diabetics; and soft tissue injury or infection due to radiation. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy also helps to preserve skin grafts and flaps, and most recently has been shown to be effective in treating patients with sudden blindness due to retinal artery occlusion.
Find more information at www.matherhospital.org/care-treatment/hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy-unit
Two Mather Hospital nurses in Port Jefferson were recognized during the recent Nurses Week with DAISY Awards®, a special honor given to extraordinary nurses for the compassionate contributions they make every day going above and beyond expectations in science and sensitivity.
Catherine Castro, BSN, RN-BC received the DAISY Nurse Leader Award. “Catherine sets the stage through role modeling and is an exemplar in establishing a unit where she creates trust, compassion, and mutual respect with her team and members of the interprofessional team. She is easily accessible and is seen caring for patients and rounding on the unit to support the staff and to care for the patients,” according to her nomination by her peers.
“Catherine works with many disciplines to ensure patient outcomes are not only met, but exceeded, and has an innovative approach to how care is provided. She collaborated with her team and Justin Stroker, Patient & Customer Experience Director to create a gaming platform to improve medication education on 2 South. She then met with Information Services and Pharmacy to identify the most common medications on 2 South to create quizzes for the patients to test their knowledge of their medications.”
Christopher Albano, BSN, RN received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurse. “My recent experience under Chrisopher Albano’s care was not only medically exceptional, but also deeply humanizing during one of the most vulnerable times of my life. Upon my arrival at the Emergency Room with severe abdominal pain, I was anxious and fearful; uncertain of what was happening to me. It was Christopher who first greeted me with a warmth and professionalism that immediately offered comfort. He displayed an extraordinary level of expertise and attentiveness as he quickly assessed my condition,” wrote a patient who nominated him.
“His actions were pivotal when it was discovered that I was in life-threatening heart block, necessitating the urgent placement of a pacemaker. What set Christopher apart was not just his clinical skills, which were undoubtedly exceptional, but his unparalleled compassion and empathy. He made me feel seen, heard, and valued. He provided not just medical care but emotional support, explaining every procedure with patience and ensuring I understood my condition and the necessary interventions. Remarkably, after I was admitted and recovering from the pacemaker procedure, Christopher went above and beyond his duties by visiting me.”
The DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award® was established by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died of complications from an autoimmune disease at the age of 33. During Pat’s hospitalization, his family was awestruck by the care and compassion his nurses provided for him and everyone in his family.
Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson earned its 20th top ‘A’ grade for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group in the current ratings period, the most of any hospital in Suffolk County. The national distinction recognizes the hospital’s commitment to patient safety and achievements in promoting best outcomes. Mather was one of seven Northwell Health hospitals to earn the top grade, according to a report released today by The Leapfrog Group for Spring 2024.
“This honor is a testament to Northwell’s commitment to raising health and putting patients first,” said Peter Silver, MD, senior vice president, associate chief medical officer and chief quality officer at Northwell Health. “It takes complete dedication at every level to truly prioritize the well-being of those we serve. This recognition reaffirms our mission to deliver the highest standard of care, day in and day out.”
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