Hospital announced Spring Ball honorees

WARWICK - Dr. John Fiore, a long-time Warwick internal medicine and geriatrics specialist, the founders of the Kennedy Birthing Center at St. Anthony Community Hospital and the nurse manager of the center will be honored as part of the Warwick Healthcare Campus 2007 Spring Ball, slated for April 28 at the Sheraton Mahwah, N.J. Fiore, a partner in Warwick Medical Associates, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award which recognizes distinguished medical leaders who demonstrate the highest standards of medical practice and ethics. The Kennedy Family, founders of The Kennedy Birthing Center at St. Anthony Community Hospital, will receive the Caring for Life Award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the Warwick community as well as their support and commitment to the Warwick Healthcare Campus. Founded in 1998, the Kennedy Birthing Center is a state-of-the-art facility where 600 babies a year are born. Robert Michael Kennedy Sr., Mary G. Kennedy, Robert Michael Kennedy Jr., Robert M. Kennedy III, Erin Kennedy, Richard Kennedy, Nancy Kennedy and Melinda Kennedy Taylor will be among the Kennedy family members who will be honored at the ball. Receiving this year’s Dedicated Employee Award is Diane DeFreest, nurse manager of the Kennedy Birthing Center and Maternity Consultant, who has been with St. Anthony Community Hospital since 1974 as a registered nurse and as nurse manager for the hospital’s OB-GYN floor and the nursery since 1976. “It is an honor to announce and recognize these outstanding individuals who have given much of their time and talents to the Warwick Healthcare Campus,” said Leah Cerkvenik, executive vice president/administrator of the Warwick Healthcare Campus (St. Anthony Community Hospital, Schervier Pavilion and Mount Alverno Center). “We look forward to the festivities of the ball and to the special presentation that is planned that evening for them.” For the first time in the ball’s history, a spectacular multi-media presentation produced by Redlake Advertising will be featured during the evening highlighting the honorees and their accomplishments. The 2007 Annual Spring Ball is the largest fund-raiser for the Warwick Healthcare Campus and has established a goal this year of $300,000 for funds to be raised specifically for the expansion and renovation of the Emergency Department. According to organizers, sponsorships, raffle tickets, journal advertising and pre-ticket sales are ahead of last year, with expectations that the fund-raising goal will be easily exceeded. Last year’s event sold out with more than 500 people attending. For information on purchasing tickets at $200 per person, sponsorships, or journal advertising, contact the foundation office at 845-986-5677.