Westchester County Presents Public Health Awards at Scarsdale Library

David Raizen and SVAC Staff and Volunteers were Honored by Westchester CountyThe Westchester County Board of Health and County Executive George Latimer presented the 2024 Public Health Awards, recognizing outstanding contributions to public health in Westchester by two adults and one student at Scarsdale Library on Thursday April 4, 2024.

Latimer acknowledged the work of the Westchester County Department of Health and celebrated the accomplishments of the public health Michelle Sterling presented David Raizen with a citation from the NYS Assembly.
community: “Today, during National Public Health Week, we honor two individuals whose efforts ensure that emergency responders in Westchester are well-prepared to answer our calls, and a student who persistently advocates for residents who wrestle with mental health challenges and addictions. I also want to thank the dedicated staff of our Health Department, our Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD, and the volunteers who serve on our Westchester County Board of Health, for their essential service to our community.”

Latimer presented the winners with proclamations honoring their achievements and continued: “These awards highlight the vital role that public health plays to preserve, protect and promote the health of Westchester residents. With their extraordinary concern for others, these volunteers set an example for all of us. I congratulate the winners and encourage other residents to choose this path.”

Board of Health President Robert Baker, MD, presented the 2024 Dr. Harold Keltz Distinguished Public Health Service Awards to David Raizen, the owner of a home security company who has dedicated his life to ensuring a robust and well-trained staff of volunteers and professionals is available around the clock to respond to emergencies in and around Scarsdale.

Baker said: “These honorees set a shining example for all of us with their dedication to serve our community and their fellow residents. The work they do helps preserve and improve public health in Westchester. This is an inspiring and accomplished group we are proud to honor.”

Raizen said: “I am honored to be recognized and to share the spotlight with the men and women of the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps, who continually work to improve their skills and to better serve our community.”

State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin said, “I’ve lived in Scarsdale for more than 40 years and have witnessed time and again the incredible work of our Scarsdale volunteer ambulance corp. SVAC is made up of highly trained and skilled paramedics who live and breathe healthcare. They are our beacons of light in life’s darkest moments. What SVAC did during Covid was herculean – vaccinating and testing thousands, and providing high-quality at-home care for the elderly and immuno-compromised – and they continue to valiantly serve our community. I congratulate them on receiving this well-deserved honor from Westchester County in honor of National Public Health Week. Most of all I thank them for their incredible service to the residents of Westchester County.”

The Board awarded the 2024 J.R. Tesone Youth Public Health Service Awards to Ashley Madden, a Pleasantville High School senior who has become a persuasive advocate for prevention, treatment and better allocation of resources for people who have one or more mental health challenges and an addiction, a combination known as co-occurring disorders. Madden has volunteered for five years with the harris Project, a not-for-profit agency founded by Stephanie Marquesano with the mission to raise awareness about co-occurring disorders.

Madden said: “I greatly appreciate this recognition of my commitment to community service. As a youth advocate, my mission is to empower individuals to address their mental health needs with compassion and resilience. I appreciate my mentor and nominator, Stephanie Marquesano, for entrusting me to serve as an ambassador for the harris Project and for giving me the confidence to elevate awareness, foster resilience and prioritize well-being for my peers.”

Amler presented the Commissioner’s Award to Emil Nigro, MD, an emergency medicine physician and the Medical Director of the Hoch Center for Emergency Education at Phelps Hospital Northwell Health in Sleepy Hollow.

Amler said: “I am grateful to Dr. Nigro for his dedication to emergency medicine and for ensuring that hundreds of clinicians, paramedics and other emergency responders have a state-of-the-art space where they can sharpen their skills and inspiring professionals to teach them at the Hoch Center for Emergency Education.”

Nigro said: “I am honored to be given the Commissioner’s Award by Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD. As the medical director of the Hoch Center, I value the partnership we have with the County’s Health Department and the Emergency Services Department and frontline staff.”