In The First Decade Of The Last Century, A Group Of Women Banded Together To Form A Bikur Holim Known As The New Utrecht Aid Society. Their Goal Was To Provide The Needy With Access To Qualified Medical Care, And Educate The Poor Immigrant Communities Of Southern Brooklyn On Modern Health And Sanitary Guidelines.
Fast forward 109 years and the spirit of their endeavor is still vital. The small dispensary they founded long ago has grown into the borough’s largest, most advanced medical center, serving as the hub for the most critical emergency and medical needs. Recognized among the top ten health systems in the country, it continues to offer leading-edge clinical services to the people of our community. We know it today as Maimonides.
Maimonides has a long track record of innovative medical breakthroughs and technological advances, yet remains deeply rooted in the fundamental ethics of charity, compassion and commitment to the sanctity of life. It is the only hospital we know of that has in its board-approved mission statement an explicit reference to “serving the special health care needs of the Orthodox Jewish community, whose religious and cultural traditions help to guide the provision of our services.”
It was this set of core values that prompted Rabbi Heshy Augenbaum to sign on as the Hospital’s Chief Development Officer. For someone with a long and eminent career in the Torah institutional world, it seemed a rather abrupt change of pace, but from Heshy’s perspective, it was a logical next step. “In Ozar Hatorah, I was privileged to build an international network of day schools,” he reflected. “In Lakewood, I was privileged to build batei medrash. In Ahi Ezer, I was privileged to expand community services, and in numerous other projects over the years I devoted my time to hesed and nurturing the spiritual life of our people. But at Maimonides, I am blessed and humbled by a truly awesome opportunity—that of helping to literally save lives. I am excited to reach out daily and engage with leaders and influencers who can support the Hospital’s incredible work, and ensure its future for the sake of our community and all those it serves.”
When Heshy joined Maimonides in 2016, he was immediately handed the reigns of Pink Runway, an annual fundraiser for the award-winning Maimonides Breast Center—Brooklyn’s first fully accredited, full-service program to make breast cancer screenings, diagnosis, treatment, counseling, and a full array of support services, all available under one roof. Until it opened back in 2006, women in Brooklyn coping with a breast cancer diagnosis were obliged to travel from provider to provider, with many leaving the borough for treatment.
Led by Maimonides Chair of Surgery, Dr. Patrick Borgen, and a team of exceptionally skilled and dedicated physicians and staff, the Breast Center saves lives every day with a level of care and empathy that has become legendary. Numerous patients of all backgrounds eloquently attest to this—it is their courage and resilience that is honored at Pink Runway, the fashion show where breast cancer survivors triumph. In the past four years, Heshy and his team have turned Pink Runway from a small gathering of patients with their doctors into a must-attend signature event for the greater Hospital community, hosted in a trendy club venue with corporate and philanthropic sponsors, celebrity guests and media star emcees.
“Each model who walks the Pink Runway is a patient of our Breast Center,” Heshy explained. “Their stories of survival are profound and powerful, they make us cry. But the reason they walk is to encourage others that there is hope. Every single step on the Pink Runway is a vibrant celebration of life that uplifts and inspires us all.” Maimonides President Ken Gibbs and Heshy Augenbaum with Real Housewives Dolores Catania (R) and Margaret Josephs (L) at the filming of Pink Runway.
This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no live event—instead, Pink Runway 2020 will be broadcast online. Filming took place in August at the iconic 1Oak, courtesy of owners Richie and Jackie Akiva; honorees accepted their awards at home; and sponsors will be recognized during the broadcast and in an online playbill. The broadcast will stream on Wednesday, October 21st at 8:00 pm on the event website, GoPinkRunway.org, and on the Maimonides Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube pages. Please mark your calendar and tune in for a spectacular experience.
“The fight against breast cancer is a cause that resonates with many in our community,” said Heshy, “particularly in our Sephardic community, because we are so close-knit. Whoever we are, we all know someone.” Among the Chairs raising funds and awareness for this year’s virtual event are Ike S. Sutton, Esther Hidary, Odette Rishty, and Alice Adjmi, who together with husband Harry is one of the event sponsors. They’re joining a special effort to get the word out to all women not to let fear of the pandemic keep them from going to the doctor and getting the routine mammograms and check-ups so crucial to life-saving early detection. While praying with all his heart that this New Year sees an end to the global health crisis, Heshy nevertheless looks to the future with faith and optimism.
In 2021, Maimonides will mark its 110th birthday and make history again with a Master Facilities Expansion to refresh, upgrade and increase the size of key clinical areas. Plans include modernizing and enlarging the Adult ER by an additional 47,000 SF of space; relocating the Pediatric ER to a separate building; modernizing and expanding the Neonatal ICU; renovating the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (Recovery Room); modernizing the Cardiac Catheterization laboratories; and completing a renovation of the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU) spearheaded by a group of Orthodox business leaders.
By the end of this year, Maimonides will also proudly cut the ribbon on a new 150,000 sq. ft. multispecialty Doctors Pavilion, an outpatient center that will bring together more than twenty specialty practices under one roof—a project led by board member Jack A. Hidary, Chairman of the Facilities Committee. With on-site testing, an on-site blood lab, underground parking, and numerous other resources and amenities, this beautiful new facility will greatly enhance the patient experience and make physician specialists who are recognized among the best in New York more accessible than ever. “B’ezrat Hashem,” said Heshy, “Maimonides will continue to stand strong on Brooklyn’s front line and be there for our community with outstanding clinical excellence and the highest standard of care.”
TO SUPPORT PINK RUNWAY AND LEARN MORE, PLEASE VISIT GOPINKRUNWAY.ORG.
