North Shore-LIJ to Hold Major Fundraiser Thursday at Intrepid

Health system's "Destination Celebration" expected to raise $20M; Bravo's Andy Cohen to host, Harry Connick, Jr. to perform

NEW YORK, April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The North Shore-LIJ Health System will hold its spring gala, Destination Celebration, this Thursday, April 25, at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in Manhattan.  North Shore-LIJ holds a gala of this scale every five years, which serves as a system-wide fundraiser for its 16 hospitals and hundreds of other medical and education facilities spanning from Manhattan to eastern Long Island.

Destination Celebration is a component of the largest fundraising campaign North Shore-LIJ has ever embarked on, called Destination 2020. The evening is projected to garner over $20 million toward the campaign's goal of $750 million, which has already reached the halfway mark.  

The evening's program will be hosted by Bravo television host and author Andy Cohen, and will include a special performance by Harry Connick, Jr. "North Shore-LIJ is a vital resource in our community, from emergency relief during disasters like Hurricane Sandy to a ton of outreach programs that help to keep our communities healthy," said Mr. Cohen. "We all depend on this health system and I'm proud to work with them to help raise the funds needed to keep these efforts going."

The event will celebrate the incredible growth and progress North Shore-LIJ has achieved over the past five years, including the opening of the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine and the health system's expansion into Manhattan with the addition of Lenox Hill Hospital. 

"Our entire health system can take great pride in the success we have achieved over the past five years, especially when it comes to enhancing patient care," said Michael J. Dowling, president and chief executive officer of North Shore-LIJ. "The gala will serve as an important fundraiser for the entire health system as we provide funding for programs and services that benefit more than seven million people living in the communities we serve across the metropolitan area."  

Among the programs and services that will be highlighted during the evening's multi-media presentation include the health system's emergency response and preparedness efforts, the support services provided to returning military veterans and their families, the extensive mental health services that help adolescents and young adults deal with emotional distress, and the continued push for innovative research on some of the nation's most vexing diseases.  A photographic collection shot by award-winning National Geographic assignment photographer, Joe McNally, will also be unveiled during the evening's program.  Over the past fall and winter, Mr. McNally took inspiring shots that bring to life the importance and value that North Shore-LIJ brings to community.

In addition to the opening of the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine in 2011 and the 2010 addition of Lenox Hill Hospital, North Shore-LIJ has grown and strengthened in many other ways since the health system's last gala in 2008. Other milestones included the creation of an open-heart surgery program at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, the opening of a new behavioral health inpatient pavilion at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Queens and two women's hospitals at LIJ Medical Center in New Hyde Park, NY, and North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, NY, and the health system's exceptional emergency response efforts during both hurricanes Irene and Sandy.  Those are just some of the accomplishments North Shore-LIJ will celebrate during the gala.

The Destination Celebration gala committee is driven by a dynamic roster of New York leaders in medicine, publishing, media, the arts and philanthropy. Serving as gala chairs are Mr. Dowling and his wife Kathleen, and North Shore-LIJ Chairman Richard Goldstein and his wife Candice. Other major supporters include Alexandra & Steven Cohen, Ellen & Daniel Crown, Susan & Leonard Feinstein, Victoria & Lloyd Goldman, Iris & Saul Katz, Nancy & Jeffrey Lane, Phyllis & William Mack, Barbara & Donald Zucker, Roy Zuckerberg, Diane & Paul Guenther, Judith & William Hiltz, Sondra & David Mack, Leigh & Charles Merinoff, Barbara & Philip Altheim, Michael Gould, Arlene & Arthur Levine, Francesca & Richard Nye, Gertrude & Louis Feil Family, Mildred & Frank Feinberg, Marilyn & Barry Rubenstein.

About North Shore-LIJ Health System
The nation's third-largest, non-profit, secular healthcare system, North Shore-LIJ delivers world-class clinical care throughout the New York metropolitan area, pioneering research at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and a visionary approach to medical education, highlighted by the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. North Shore-LIJ cares for people at every stage of life at 16 hospitals, long-term care facilities and nearly 400 outpatient physician practices throughout the region. North Shore-LIJ's owned hospitals and long-term care facilities house more than 6,000 beds, employ more than 10,000 nurses and have affiliations with more than 9,400 physicians. With a workforce of more than 46,000, North Shore-LIJ is the largest employer on Long Island and the third-largest private employer in New York City.  For more information, go to www.northshorelij.com.

SOURCE North Shore-LIJ Health System