Bergen Volunteer Gala to Aid the Uninsured is September 13th

January 13, 2018

Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative Gala: Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative (BVMI) has announced that Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center is providing major support to the nonprofit’s 9^th Anniversary Gala on September 13, 2018. The event will take place at the Hilton Woodcliff Lake, 200 Tice Blvd, Woodcliff Lake. Proceeds will benefit BVMI, which provides free primary medical care to Bergen County adults who work, but do not have health insurance.

“For the third year in a row, Hackensack University Medical Center has stepped up as the exclusive Diamond Sponsor, the highest level of support for our annual gala,” said Amanda Missey, BVMI’s President/CEO. “We appreciate their support of this event, and their ongoing partnership in providing X-rays and advanced diagnostic procedures for our patients, free of charge. That commitment goes a long way toward helping BVMI meet the high standards we set for primary care.”

Dr. Peter Kagan, a vascular surgeon at the Heart & Vascular Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center, will be one of a select group of leaders recognized at the gala as a BVMI Champion. “We congratulate Dr. Kagan on this well-deserved honor in being named a BVMI Champion,” said Ihor S. Sawczuk, M.D., FACS, president, Hackensack University Medical Center. “Dr. Kagan is a well-respected member of the Hackensack University Medical Center team and his service to the Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative and its patients is truly invaluable. I am extremely proud of Peter’s contributions to such a worthy cause and his dedication and commitment to patient-centered care.”

Founded in 1888 with just 12 beds (and now numbering more than 780), Hackensack University Medical Center was Bergen County’s first hospital. A member of Hackensack Meridian Health, this nonprofit teaching and research hospital has grown to become the largest provider of inpatient and outpatient services in New Jersey. It is part of one of the largest and most comprehensive networks in the state, with more than 6,500 physicians and over 33,000 team members. Four of its hospitals – Hackensack University Medical Center #2, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune #4, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank# 8, and Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, #10 – are recognized among the best hospitals in New Jersey for 2018-2019 by U.S. News & World Report.

“BVMI has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the communities it serves,” stated Dianne Aroh, MS, RN, FACHE, NEA-BC Executive Vice President, Chief Clinical and Patient Care Officer of Hackensack University Medical Center. “Our team, at Hackensack University Medical Center, is proud of our continued partnership over the years and the outcomes speak for themselves. We are committed to treating our patients with compassion, dignity and respect, which are some of the same values that BVMI is engaged in. This commitment ensures that our patients and their families are our top priority.”

For more information about BVMI and to purchase gala tickets, visit www.bvmigala.org, or contact Terry Shahidi, Development Assistant, at 201-518-8487, [email protected].