HRHCare Hosts Westchester Public Health Awards

Hudson River Health Care was honored to host the Westchester County Public Health Awards once again in the Atrium of our Jeannette J. Phillips Health Center in Peekskill. HRHCare Board Chair Hon. Alan Steiner and Founding Mother and EVP Rev. Jeannette J. Phillips joined Westchester Board of Health President Robert Baker and Westchester Community College President Belinda Miles to present five county residents with awards for their work in public health.

Norman Height, a lifelong Peekskill resident and VP/trustee of The Preservation Company, received the Dr. Harold Keltz Distinguished Public Health Service Award.

“Norman Haight has demonstrated an enduring commitment to improving the health and well-being of Westchester’s most fragile populations,” said Board of Health President Robert Baker. “His volunteer work and service as a vice president and trustee at The Preservation Company, a not-for-profit agency, has supported the construction and preservation of affordable housing in the Hudson Valley.”

Others recognized include:

• Hector Santiago, a Yonkers resident and community activist who walked alone from Yonkers to Albany last summer, to highlight the need for additional resources to address the mental health needs of New Yorkers. Mr. Santiago is a former gang member, who initiated the StopAndShake Campaign to improve relations between police and the communities they serve
• Marisa Porgpraputson, a Scarsdale resident preparing for a career in nursing. A leader of the Student Nurses Association at CNR, she played an active role in publicizing and coordinating opioid education and training for CNR nursing students
• Myrantz Assade, an Irvington resident and registered nurse. He was a leader of the Student Nurses Association at the College of New Rochelle  who helped plan a series of educational events on campus to inform students about the opioid public health epidemic
• Paul Presendieu-Cuesta, a New Rochelle resident who led the effort to revive Earth Day on campus, and has continued to expand Earth Day activities at Westchester Community College since 2015