(February 23, 2008 - Rockville Centre, NY) - The 71st annual Mercy Ball, held on Saturday, December 1, 2007 at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, raised more than $140,000 for Mercy Medical Center. Over 400 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, chaired by Jan Albert Koenig, MD, of Dix Hills, Mercy’s Director of Orthopedic Surgery, will support the medical center’s Emergency, Trauma and Express Care facilities, which provide around-the-clock urgent care for both adults and children.

In ceremonies that included remarks by Most Reverend Paul Walsh, DD, Auxiliary Bishop, Diocese of Rockville Centre, Robert A. Brancato, Sr. 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. Brancato is a past president of the Friends of Mercy and has been a member of its Board of Sponsors since 1982.

The Sister Mary Nadine Casey, CIJ, Award was presented to Janet Starr, LCSW, CASAC, of Malverne, Program Supervisor of Mercy’s Outpatient Mental Health Clinic. 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.

John E. Ryan, Esq., of Floral Park, 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. Mr. Ryan is a principal of the law firm Ryan Brennan & Donnelly, LLP and served on Mercy’s Board of Trustees from 1999 through 2006.

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Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre is a 375-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 provides 24-hour emergency and trauma care, is a state-designated Stroke Center and site of a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, as well as 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 2008 Orthopedic Care Excellence™ Award from HealthGrades©, marking the fourth 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.

Contact: Mel Granick
Phone: (516) 705-2618
e-Mail: Mel.Granick@chsli.org