St. John’s Hospital gala supports new maternity unit

St. John’s Episcopal Hospital’s ICARE Foundation will honor community members and hospital doctors at its second annual Blue Phoenix Gala on Thursday, June 5, while raising funds for the Far Rockaway hospital’s new state-of-the-art labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum unit.

More than 300 people attended last year, and the foundation raised $345,000 for philanthropic projects and hospital renovations.

This year, all proceeds will support the new unit, which is set to open in late summer with six delivery rooms, two advanced cesarean operating rooms, two recovery rooms, and four triage rooms, the hospital said.

Nancy Leghart, the foundation’s executive director, said the unit is crucial for residents in Far Rockaway, the Five Towns and surrounding communities to have access to proper maternal care.

“This is going to be a supportive environment that really aims to decrease maternal and infant health disparities,” she said.

Dr. Sheldon Genack, chairman of the department of surgery at St. John’s, and Felicia Johnson, district manager of Queens Community Board 14, will be honored at the gala, for their lifelong service to their communities.

Genack will receive the inaugural CEO Distinguished Service Award. He has worked at the hospital for 30 years, and has helped recruit several surgeons in various specialties, including vascular, plastic, colorectal and bariatric surgery. He has also been involved in helping the hospital beyond his clinical role, previously serving as president of its medical executive committee and helping direct the education and training of residents and medical students.

Johnson will receive the Dr. Edward Williams Jr. Community Service Award, named after Dr. Edward Williams Jr., founder and CEO of Regional Ready Rockaway, an organization focused on educating the community about natural and man-made disasters, and former co-chair of the St. John’s Community Advisory Committee.

She previously served on Community Board 14 for 25 years, overseeing the Youth Services and Education, Land Use, and Health and Social Services committees.

Leghart said she hoped the gala would raise around $400,000 for the new unit, with more than 200 people already registered for the event.

The Blue Phoenix Gala will take place at the Garden City Hotel on June 5. For more information, or to register, visit BluePhoenixGala.org.