The kick-off ceremony at 11:30 AM, Friday, May 1 at Renaissance Square Fountain, White Plains will bring together White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino and Hospital officials to declare May 2009 as Wellness Month. In addition, about a dozen representatives from the Hospital and students from Archbishop Stepinac High School will call attention to the importance of eating healthy food by dressing in fruit and vegetable costumes and handing out fruit donated by Whole Foods Market in White Plains and Trader Joe’s in Hartsdale. 

Among the highlights are lectures by NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center renowned physician, professor and best-selling author Isadore Rosenfeld, M.D. whose topic will be “Modern Prevention: How to Collaborate with Your Doctor” and nutrition expert and contributor to the “Today Show” Joy Bauer, MS, RD, CDN., who will appear during a lunch and lecture sponsored by the Auxiliary of White Plains Hospital Center. In addition, the award-winning broadcast journalist, health and medical reporter Max Gomez, Ph.D. will moderate an obesity and weight loss panel comprising physicians from the Hospital. The multi-disciplinary panel members are: Roger Cappucci, MD, Cardiologist and Vice President, WPHC Medical and Dental Staff; Jonas Leibowitz, MD, Endocrinology Chief; Karen Pechman, MD, Director of Physical medicine and Rehabilitation; Philip Weber, MD, bariatric surgery specialist and Dawn Sheafe, RN, board certified family nurse practitioner and certified diabetes educator.

Other leading Hospital medical experts will provide free lectures on current health issues: Seth Lerner, M.D. Director of the Hospital’s Prostate Program and urological surgeon, will present Prostate Health, Diagnosis and Care; Arthur G. Lerner, M.D., Surgical Director of the Hospital’s Dickstein Cancer Center, will discuss Breast Cancer Detection; Richard Sweet, M.D., Medical Director of the Hospital’s Regional Stroke Center, will talk about Striking Back at Stroke and Robert Small, M.D., FAAOS, Director of the Hospital’s Westchester Orthopaedic Institute, will discuss Arthritis and Joint Replacement.

There will also be programs targeted to seniors as well as the Spanish-speaking and African-American communities. More health screenings are also scheduled this year at a wide range of well-trafficked annual festivals celebrated in May including  the Mayfair Festival at Rye Playland, the White Plains Cherry Blossom in White Plains, the Westchester County Mamapalooza Festival in Valhalla and the City of White Plains Clean and Green Day. (See the attached Wellness Through Prevention Month calendar of events for more details.)

Some of the events require registration. For more information, visit www.wphospital.org.

Jon B. Schandler, WPHC President and CEO, said: “White Plains Hospital Center is very pleased to again provide the communities we serve with a wide range of informative health and wellness programs to underscore the important roles that preventive measures and lifestyle changes play in lowering the risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. We have significantly expanded the number of events over last year’s program to help assure we will reach more individuals and families to take advantage of the valuable information and services that we are making available.”

Paul M. Weissman, Chairman of the WPHC Board of Directors, noted: “Our hope is that this comprehensive community outreach program will have an impact on people adopting a healthy lifestyle including being physically active every day, eating a nutritious diet, getting preventive screenings and making healthy lifestyle choices.”

J. Michael Divney, Vice Chair of the Hospital’s Board of Directors, who has been spearheading the Hospital’s wellness initiative since it was launched a year ago, stated:”Wellness Through Prevention Month will truly be a community event, bringing together the Hospital’s remarkable physicians, nurses, volunteers, guest speakers as well as event sponsors and our many supporters. They are to be congratulated for taking our wellness program to a new level.”

White Plains Hospital Center

White Plains Hospital Center is a 292-bed voluntary, not-for-profit health care organization with the primary mission of offering high quality, acute health care and preventive medical care to all people who live in, work in or visit Westchester County and its surrounding areas.  Its Centers of Excellence include the Dickstein Cancer Treatment Center, The William and Sylvia Silberstein Neonatal & Maternity Center, The Ruth and Jerome A. Siegel Stroke Center and The Westchester Orthopedic Institute.  The Hospital has the busiest Emergency Department in Westchester County, treating more than 45,000 patients a year.  White Plains Hospital Center is a seven-time winner of the Consumer Choice Award, an honor given to the nation’s top hospitals by the National Research Corporation. WPHC is a member of the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System and the Stellaris Health Network, Inc.  For additional information, visit www.wphospital.org.

Calendar of Events

White Plains Hospital Center’s  Wellness Through Prevention Month – May 2009  

May 1: Kick-Off Ceremony

Renaissance Square Fountain, Main Street and Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains

Kick-off ceremony with White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino and other guests including  Hospital personnel and Stepinac High School students dressed in fruit and vegetable costumes, handing out  fruit care of Whole Food Market, White Plains and Trader Joe’s in Hartsdale

May 2:

Health Screening at Mayfair Festival

10 AM, Rye Playland, Rye   

Wainwright House, 260 Stuyvesant Avenue, Rye

To register, call (914) 967-6080

3 PM: Prostate Health, Diagnosis & Care – Speaker: Seth Lerner, M.D.

4 PM:  Breast Cancer Detection & Treatment – Speaker: Art Lerner, MD

May 3:  Health Screening at White Plains Cherry Blossom Festival

Noon, Turnune Park, Canfield Avenue between Lake and Main Streets, White Plains

May 4: Mall Walk for Your Health

9 AM, Galleria Mall, Fashion Level 2, 100 Main Street, White Plains 

May 5: Nutrition & Positive Psychology: The Effect of Food on Your Mood

7 PM, White Plains Library, 100 Martine Avenue, White Plains

Speaker: Alan Logan, ND

May 6:

Healthy Brain Aging

12:15 PM, White Plains Senior Center, 65 Mitchell  Place, White Plains 

 Speakers: Alan Jacobs, MD and Judy Simon

Cancer Screening Tests: Do You Need Them?

6:30 PM, JCC of Mid-Westchester, 999 Wilmot Road, Scarsdale

Speaker: Julie Monroe, MD

Striking Back at Stroke

8:30 AM, Sarah Neuman, 845 Palmer Avenue, Mamaroneck

Registration required. Call (914) 864-5166

Speaker: Richard Sweet, MD

Sleep Apnea: Breathe Easy to Sleep Easy

7 PM, Scarsdale Library, 54 Olmstead Road, Scarsdale

Speaker: Rochelle Waldman, MD

May 9: Enfermedades y Lesiones Diarias

2 PM, Westchester Chapel Community Church, 214 Central Avenue, White Plains

Speaker: Norberto Torres-Ottero, MD

 May 11: Beginning a Running or Walking Program

 7 PM, JCC of Mid-Westchester, 999 Wilmot Road, Scarsdale

 Speaker: Adrienne Wald, EdD

May 14: Modern Prevention: How to Collaborate with Your Doctor

7 PM, The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester, Five Renaissance Square,

White Plains – Registration required.  Call (914) 681-2650

Guest speaker: Isadore Rosenfeld, MD

May 15:  Health Screening at Hispanic Resource Center

10 AM, Strait Gate Church, 120 Madison Street, Mamaroneck

May 16: 

Top 10 African-American Health Concerns

10 AM, Thomas H. Slater Center, 2 Fisher Court, White Plains

Speaker: Valiere Alcena, MD

Health Screening at Westchester County

Mamapalooza Festival

Noon, Kensico Dam, Valhalla

May 18:

Arthritis and Joint Replacement

11 AM, Rye YMCA, 21 Locust Avenue, Rye

Speaker: Robert Small, MD

Solutions to the Childhood Obesity Fight

 7 PM, Calvary Baptist Church, 188 Orawaupum Street, White Plains

Speaker: Allison Marshall, RD

May 19: Sports Injury Prevention

1 PM, Rye YMCA, 21 Locust Avenue, Rye

Speaker: Richard Weinstein, MD 

May 20:

Arthritis and Prevention

10:30 AM, YWCA, 515 North Street, White Plains

Speaker: Richard Weinstein, MD

The Power of Childhood Nutrition

3 PM, Open Door, 5 Grace Church Street, Port Chester

Speaker: Jamie Lee Kilmartin, RD

 Alzheimer’s Disease (for healthcare professionals)

 6 PM, White Plains Hospital Center,  41 E. Post Road, White Plains

 Speaker: Alan Jacobs, MD and Judy Simon

May 21: Exploring Meditation

10:30 AM, YWCA, 515 North Street, White Plains

Instructor: Merrill Harmin, PhD

May 22:  Web Surfing for Seniors: Finding Health Information 

2 PM, White Plains Hospital Center, 41 E. Post Road, White Plains

Limited Seating: Call (914) 681-2650 to register

Speaker: Rachel Occhiogrosso

May 26:  Health Screening at Stop & Shop        

11 AM, 25 Waterfront Place, Port Chester

May 27:  Senior Health and Fitness Day

10 AM, Burke Rehabilitation, 785 Mamaroneck Ave,  White Plains

Call (914) 681-1249 to register

May 28: 

Health Screening

11:30 AM, 445 Hamilton Avenue, White Plains

Obesity and Weight Loss Forum:

6 PM, The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester, Five Renaissance Square, White Plains – Registration Required. Call (914) 681-2650

Panel of White Plains Hospital Center experts moderated  by Max Gomez, PhD, WCBS-TV Contributor

Panelists to include Roger Cappucci, MD, Cardiologist, Vice President, WPHC Medical and Dental Staff; Jonas Leibowitz, MD, Endocrinology Chief; Karen Pechman, MD, Director, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Philip Weber, MD, Bariatric Surgery specialist and Dawn Sheafe, RN, board certified family nurse practitioner and certified diabetes educator

Pilates Mat Beginner Class @Apogee

6 PM, 140 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains. To register, call (914) 644-8884

Instructor: Melanie Danza

May 29: Lunch & Learn Lecture with Nutritionist Joy Bauer,  MS, RD, CDN, Contributor to “Today Show” and  best-selling author.

Sponsored by the WPHC Auxiliary.

11:30 AM, Doral Arrowwood, 975 Anderson Hill Rd, Rye Brook.

$75 per person. Registration Required. Call (914) 681-2650.

May 30:

Health Screening at City of White Plains Clean and Green Day

11 AM, Renaissance Square Fountain, Main St. and  Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains

WPHC 1893 Society Dinner

Call (914) 681-1040 for info and tickets

May 31: Westchester County Bike Sundays

10 AM, Bronx River Parkway. Call for information (914) 681-2650

Instruction in Safe Biking

Cancer Symposium--$20 per person