On November 5, a dozen Westchester Medical Center Health Network staff members will run in the TCS New York City Marathon to raise funds for WMC’s 10 area hospitals. The WMC runners are a physical therapist, an oncology pharmacist, five registered nurses, an OBGYN, a health counselor, and two anesthesiologists. All donations will support the network, and those wishing to contribute can do so by visiting this site.
“What makes this team so unique and so representative of WMCHealth, New York City, and the nation, is their diversity,’’ says WMC Health Network President and CEO Michael D. Israel. “Whether they hail from Kenya or White Plains, live in Rockland or Dutchess County, care for children or adults, the members of Team WMCHealth are all motivated by the same thing: their dedication to the patients they serve.”
One of the team members is Ruth Johnson, an intensive-care nurse at WMC who was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. “Running is the major sport in Kenya and we ran a marathon every Friday evening from elementary to high school. I still love to run,” says Johnson. “I am going the distance for our transplant patients and to help spread awareness on the importance of organ donation.”
OBGYN Gabriel Tennembaum, MD, a team member from Monsey, NY, says it’s an honor to run as “a representative of great health and healing organizations such as Good Samaritan Hospital and WMCHealth Network.” He looks forward to “going the distance for WMCHealth and my patients at Good Samaritan.”
Boeu Chon, DO, a pediatric anesthesiologist at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, loves caring for his young patients and their families. “When I run in the marathon, I will remember the meaningful work that I have the opportunity to do each day, and think of the pediatric patients we care for.”
WMC outpatient mental health counselor Fred Dombrowski, PhD, LMHC, notes that, because of the stigma surrounding mental health, “many patients — especially those who identify as LGBT — may avoid entering into treatment” and that by running “on behalf of our behavioral-health patients, I hope to minimize the stigma and provide a reminder that anything is possible with hard work and determination.”
To donate, please visit wmchealth.org/marathon. The New York City Marathon will take place November 5 and begin at 8:30 a.m. from the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
