(February 7, 2007 -- Rockville Centre, NY) - The 70th annual Mercy Ball, held on Saturday, December 2, 2006 at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury raised $150,000 for Mercy Medical Center. Some 500 people attended the glittering black-tie event sponsored by the Friends of Mercy, a 72-year-old organization of men who volunteer their time and efforts to support projects that advance the medical and surgical care provided to Mercy’s patients. The proceeds from this year’s event will support a new radiology suite in the hospital’s Express Care Center.

The Ball was dedicated to the memory of Regina Brancato of Rockville Centre who supported the Medical Center for more than 30 years, starting as a Candy Striper and Volunteer. She served as a member and twice president of the Rockville Centre Junior League of Mercy, president of the Council of Leagues, and as a member of the Medical Center’s Community Relations & Development Department.

Serving as Chair Couple for the Ball were Garden City residents Daniel Murphy, MD, Director of Emergency Medicine at Mercy, and Marie Murphy, a registered critical care nurse who is on the staff of the Queens Centers for Progress, an education facility for physical and developmental disabilities.

In ceremonies that included remarks by Most Reverend Paul Walsh, DD, Auxiliary Bishop, Diocese of Rockville Centre, George P. Dunn of Rockville Centre received the Bishop John R. McGann Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented at the Ball to a distinguished individual dedicated to volunteering time and effort in support of the Medical Center. Mr. Dunn has been involved with Mercy since 1954 when he was a member of the high school Honor Guard at the Mercy Ball, then held at the Garden City Hotel. His half-century of support of Mercy has included serving as a member and chairman of Mercy’s Board of Trustees, and as president of The Friends.

The Sister Mary Nadine Casey, CIJ, Award was presented to Kathleen McCaffrey, RN, of Point Lookout, the Medical Center’s Interim Director of Nursing, who began her nursing career at Mercy in 1971. The award honors a member of the Mercy family who best personifies the values of the Medical Center and the Congregation of the Infant Jesus whose members founded the hospital nearly a century ago.

Ann M. Barbaccia, MD, of Oyster Bay received the Theodore Roosevelt Award For Outstanding Service, presented by the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council to an individual contributing to the development of Long Island’s community hospitals in the spirit of the renowned former president and Long Island resident’s lifelong devotion to public service. Dr. Barbaccia is an obstetrician/gynecologist with a private practice in Rockville Centre who has been a member of Mercy’s Medical Staff for over 25 years. She has served as President of the Medical Staff, Chairperson of the Medical Center’s Board of Governors and Vice Chairman and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, as well as on the Board of Directors of Catholic Health Services of Long Island.

About Mercy Medical Center
Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre is a 387-bed, not-for-profit hospital serving the healthcare needs of Nassau County and its surrounding area. Best known for services in maternal health, oncology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, orthopedics, and behavioral health, Mercy is a state-designated Level II Trauma and Stroke Center, site of a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a Bariatric Center of Excellence designated by the American Society of Bariatric Surgery, and the regional home of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Mercy also is the recipient of the 2007 Orthopedic Care Excellence Award from HealthGrades, marking the third year in a row that the nation’s leading healthcare ratings company has given Mercy’s program its top orthopedics honor.

Founded nearly a century ago by the Sisters of the Congregation of the Infant Jesus, Mercy today has a medical staff of nearly 800 physicians, nearly 1,500 employees and one of Long Island’s newest acute-care hospital facilities, the $41 million, 160-bed North Pavilion housing state-of-the-art technology and the latest features in hospital design to promote patient safety and comfort.

Mercy Medical Center is a member of Catholic Health Services of Long Island.
For information and physician referrals call (516) 62-MERCY or visit Mercy on line at http://mercymedicalcenter.chsli.org For information about supporting Mercy Medical Center, please call the Development Department at (516) 705-1021.

For immediate release, contact: Mel Granick
Phone: 516-705-2618
E-Mail: mel.granick@chsli.org