Brooklyn, NY, Oct. 15, 2024 — Maimonides Health invited community organizations from across Southern Brooklyn to join together at its annual community celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The event, held at Azteca Hall, was hosted by Maimonides leaders and staff and was attended by representatives from local elected officials’ offices and more than 40 community groups that primarily serve Brooklyn’s Hispanic community.
This marked Maimonides’ second year hosting the event. Clinicians and staff from Maimonides Cancer Center, Jaffe Stroke Center, Heart & Vascular Center, and Departments of OB/GYN, Emergency Medicine, Endocrinology, Nutrition, Patient Experience, and Human Resources hosted a clinical mingle with community group representatives, with the goal of collaborating to provide more accessible health care to Brooklyn’s Hispanic and Latino community.
Ismael Castillo, Assistant Vice President of Security at Maimonides Medical Center, and Carina Vizhnay, Community Relations Coordinator for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, were recognized with awards for service to the Hispanic and Latino community.
“Our diverse community is what makes our hospital, and this event, so meaningful,” said Ismael Castillo. “Together we share the strength of our heritage, our values, and our contributions to this great institution. It’s a privilege to stand alongside you all tonight.”
“This award is not only for me, it’s for Sunset Park and all my partners across Brooklyn,” said Carina Vizhnay. “This community gave me the opportunity to do something special.”
“Healthcare is about connecting with the total human being,” said Ken Gibbs, Preisdent and CEO of Maimonides Health. “Our belief that all patients in Brooklyn deserve world-class care is at the heart of all our work, and our partnerships with people like those here tonight are where we get our strength and inspiration to keep driving that mission forward.”
Maimonides looks forward to continuing to build upon renewed efforts in recent years to strengthen and create services and outreach focused on our Hispanic and Latino patients, including patient translation services and community screening events, as well as our new initiatives like Brooklyn’s only Spanish-language cancer support group and self-defense workshops offered in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic.
Photos of the event can be found at: https://maimo.pixieset.com/annualhispanicheritagecelebration92624/. To download photos, use PIN 6584.
Maimonides Health is Brooklyn’s largest healthcare system, serving over 320,000 patients each year through the system’s 3 hospitals, 1,800+ physicians and more than 80 community-based practices and outpatient centers. The system is anchored by Maimonides Medical Center, one of the nation’s largest independent teaching hospitals and home to centers of excellence in numerous specialties and Maimonides Midwood Community Hospital (formerly New York Community Hospital), a 130-bed adult medical-surgical hospital; and Maimonides Children’s Hospital, Brooklyn’s only children’s hospital and only pediatric trauma center.
Maimonides’ clinical programs rank among the best in the country for patient outcomes, including its Heart and Vascular Institute, Neurosciences Institute, Bone and Joint Center, and Cancer Center. Maimonides is an affiliate of Northwell Health and a major clinical training site for SUNY Downstate College of Medicine. For additional information, please visit www.maimo.org and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.