Blythedale Honors Longtime Supporters Larry and Randi Cohen

May 7, 2012 - PRLog -- Blythedale Children’s Hospital celebrated its 5th Annual Spring Event on Tuesday, April 17, at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. Larry Cohen, a longtime member of Blythedale’s Board of Trustees and former Board Chair, and his wife, Randi, were honored for their decades of support.  The event raised more than $520,000 for the Hospital’s second phase of construction.

“This evening was a great success on many levels,” said Blythedale President and CEO Larry Levine. “We, at Blythedale, are so deeply grateful to Larry and Randi for their extraordinary commitment to the Hospital and to our young patients. This was an extremely fitting tribute to their years of dedication.”

260 attendees enjoyed spectacular views from the pier, and were treated to the culinary talents of Abigail Kirsch. Michael Gargiulo, co-anchor of Today in New York, served as Master of Ceremonies. In his opening remarks, he credited Blythedale for helping his family, when his own daughter required a medical evaluation.

Jordana Holovach, parent of a former patient and founder of Jacob’s Cure (a foundation dedicated to raising funds for research of Canavan Disease), also addressed the crowd, sharing her own personal experience of caring for a child with extremely complex medical needs.

Attendees at the event purchased nearly $16,000 worth of items from a “Giving Tree”, which will provide vital medical equipment, and much-needed support for social work and other valuable programs, such as parent transportation and pet therapy.

Blythedale opened a new $65.3 million, 56,000 square-foot inpatient hospital building in December 2011. Phase II construction, which includes a renovation of the existing building to accommodate an expanded Day Hospital and Early Childhood Center, a new Center for Assistive Technology and a new Center for Speech and Audiology, is currently underway.

About Blythedale Children’s Hospital
As New York’s only freestanding, specialty children’s hospital, Blythedale Children’s Hospital is dedicated to improving the health status and quality of life of children with complex medical illnesses and disabling conditions through superb multi-disciplinary patient care, teaching, research, and advocacy programs.  Blythedale’s board-certified physicians, nurses, and other clinical staff (social workers, respiratory therapists, clinical pharmacists, Child Life specialists, etc.) and New York State’s largest hospital-based pediatric therapy department (PT, OT and Speech) work together to provide intensive and innovative multi-disciplinary clinical and therapeutic care to help children achieve their medical and rehabilitative goals for independent living, and return to their communities.  Blythedale is also the only Hospital in New York State with its own, on-site public school district, the Mt. Pleasant Blythedale Union Free School District. For more information about Blythedale Children’s Hospital, visit http://www.blythedale.org

#
Photo Caption:
NBC News Anchor Michael Gargiulo of Larchmont, Master of Ceremonies for A Celebration of Blythedale Children’s Hospital on April 17 at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan, with Honorees Randi and Larry Cohen of Manhattan, and Blythedale President and CEO Larry Levine.