Mercy Hospital of Buffalo
Connections
News and announcements for associates, patients, and their families. Summer 2018
It’s That Special Mercy Touch!
Stroke survivor Dr. Thomas Witakowski, center, reunites with ICU staff Dr. Julius LaTorre, Andrea Perry, NP, and Maria Masci, NP, during a news conference.
Mercy Hospital President & CEO C.J. Urlaub, at left, accepts a $500,000 donation to the Mercy Hospital Foundation from esteemed restaurateur and philanthropist Russell J. Salvatore—the largest single donation made in the hospital’s 114-year history.
During National Stroke Awareness Month in May, Mercy Hospital was pleased to announce reaccreditation as an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center from the Joint Commission, the nation’s leading healthcare accrediting body.
Russell Salvatore Makes Record-Setting Gift
As part of a news conference to recognize this achievement, the hospital welcomed stroke survivor Dr. Thomas Witakowski, a music professor at Buffalo State College and conductor of the Amherst Chamber Orchestra, who wanted to thank and reunite with staff. He shared his story of how Mercy caregivers turned his passion for music into a plan of care and an incredible recovery. Dr. Witakowski had suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke in December of 2016 – the kind many people do not survive. Following surgical procedures to save his life, he laid in a coma in the ICU. In early January, Sarah Rice, who knew Dr. Witakowski from college and daughter of Mercy Pharmacist Stephen Rice, played the violin for him and his care team discovered he was responding to music. A couple days later, a Potsdam College men’s choir came to the hospital Continued on Page 4
Russell Salvatore, local philanthropist and one of the area’s most renowned and admired restaurateurs, continued to spread his kindness and generosity throughout the local community as he recently gave a $500,000 donation to the Mercy Hospital Foundation — the largest single donation made by an individual in the hospital’s 114-year history. This record-setting gift, presented at a special ceremony at the hospital on June 21, will be used to support facility and equipment upgrades at the hospital. Home to the Catholic Health Heart Center and the Mercy Comprehensive Stroke Center, Mercy Hospital is one of the largest and busiest hospitals in Western New York. This generous donation will benefit the more than 24,000 patients cared for at the hospital each year. “I believe in giving back to the community I love and making a difference in people’s lives,” said Salvatore. “Just as my dad always told me as a young boy, ‘Give and you will receive,’ and it is so true. It makes me feel good when I can help others.” Expressing his gratitude for this significant pledge of support, Mercy Hospital President & CEO C.J. Urlaub said a plaque will be prominently displayed in the hospital’s lobby to recognize Mr. Salvatore’s generosity, which continues to enhance healthcare throughout the region. “Russell Salvatore has truly left his mark on Mercy Hospital and our entire Western New York community,” Urlaub said. “As the largest individual donation ever to Mercy Hospital, we can’t thank him enough for this unparalleled support. His charitable giving has become as legendary as his restaurant career, and will certainly benefit our patients, visitors and staff for years to come.”