It’s amazing how many invitations I get every year around this time to attend a charity walk, golf outing and dinner dance. While each is equally as important to the people the charity helps, most of the time, I discard the information unless it’s an event in which I’m connected.
Recently, I was invited to participate in a walk to raise money to create a new woman’s hospital on Long Island, New York. This would be the first hospital geared specifically for women’s needs and will include state-of-the-art equipment for early detection.
The information I received got me thinking. All too many times, I hear about women who had procedures that were more invasive than needed to be. Then, I thought about my daughter. Wouldn’t it be great that in her lifetime when and if she ever needs medical treatment to be able to go to an all-woman facility where she feels completely comfortable and can relate to the other patients because they’re all women going through the same thing too?
That’s when I made the commitment to be a team captain and organize a team for the “Every Woman Matters” 5K Walk, which will be held on Sunday, May 16 at 10 am at Jones Beach State Park.
The hospital, which is part of North Shore-LIJ Health System, will be called the Katz Women’s Hospital. (Saul Katz is part owner of the New York Mets.) It will target healthcare issues from birth onward. It will focus on: cardiac diseases, thyroid conditions, cancer, bleeding disorders, orthopedics, maternal-fetal medicine, neurosciences and emotional disorders. It will offer all women a full range of obstetrical and gynecological services. In addition to that, North Shore-LIJ is developing a Women’s Health Institute, which will be a community service of education and outreach on lifestyle and wellness programs. The new hospital has already broken ground on September 2008 and it is anticipated that the hospital will be completed by spring 2012.
The Katz Women’s Hospital will also have a special maternity services wing with 88 new private rooms. I don’t know about you, but when I had my children, I was in a double. There were many women who were in a room with three other mothers. Having a single room to bond with a new baby would be special.
In addition to becoming a team captain, I decided to join the Commerce & Industry Council (CIC). CIC is a group of business people who volunteer their time to raise money for various hospital related programs. Most recently, the group helped to renovate the Emergency Department at North Shore University Hospital. Now, the group is focusing their efforts on raising money for the new Women’s Hospital.
So, here I am. A new team captain, a new member of the CIC and someone who wants to make a difference and see a change. If you would like to join me, check out the web site – www.everywomanmatterswalk.com
