Press Releases

Annual Gala Will Support Hospital's Women's Imaging Center

(November 6, 2009 – Rockville Centre, NY) –The Friends of Mercy Medical Center will hold their 73rd annual Mercy Ball on Saturday, December 5th at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. The annual gala will support the recent acquisition of new digital mammography and other state-of-the-art equipment in the hospital's newly-renovated Women's Imaging Center.

For tickets, sponsorship opportunities and complete event information, please visit on line at www.MercyBall.com, or call the Development Department at 516-705-2620.

Chairman for the event for the second consecutive year is Marc DiSciullo, MD, of Muttontown, a long-time member of the Medical Center's anesthesiology staff.

Three major awards will be presented:

• Robert Curran, MD, of Wantagh, a long-time member and current president of The Medical Staff at Mercy, will receive the Theodore Roosevelt Award for Outstanding Service. The award is 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.
• Jeannie Jaeger of Oceanside, Employee Services Coordinator in the hospital's Human Resource Department, will receive the Sister Mary Nadine Casey, CIJ Award in recognition of her nearly 37 years of service. The award honors members of the Mercy family who best personifies the values of Mercy Medical Center and the Congregation of the Infant Jesus whose members founded the hospital nearly a century ago.
• Rick Myatt of Rockville Centre, a long-time member of The Friends of Mercy Board of Sponsors, will receive The Bishop John R. McGann Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented to a distinguished individual dedicated to volunteering time and effort in support of the Medical Center.

One of the annual traditions at the Ball is the Mercy Honor Guard, comprised of high school students who escort the Grand March of dignitaries into the ballroom preceded by a Color Guard from the United State Marine Corps, and are then presented to the Bishop. Following the program, guests enjoy a sumptuous meal and dancing into the night.

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The Friends of Mercy was founded in 1935 as an organization of men dedicated to volunteering their time and efforts to raise funds for the construction of the new Hospital and advancement of medical and surgical care for the patients of Mercy Medical Center. In addition to the Mercy Ball, the group sponsors several fund-raising events each year, including a black-tie St. Patrick's Dinner in March, and a Golf Outing in September. In the past four years, the Friends have raised over $1.25 million which supported a new radiology suite in the hospital's Express Emergency Care Center, and for the hospital's new North Pavilion acute care facility.