Long Islander Eileen Gerard Receives Spirit Award From N.Y. State Health Care Providers

Dec. 28, 2010 - PRLog -- To a packed house at the recent 2010 New York State Health Care Providers (HCP) Conference, Eileen Gerard of East Patchogue, NY, was presented with the 2010 Founders’ Spirit Award for her contributions to the health care industry.  HCP is a trade association of agencies providing in-home and community-based health care.  Gerard, the Director of Human Resources and Regional Manager of South Shore Home Health Services, Inc. (Oakdale, NY), is active with the state association and the Long Island Chapter of HCP.

Inaugurated in 2001, The Founders’ Spirit Award “honors the intrepid individuals who founded HCP in 1974” and is presented to “someone who has demonstrated strong and successful efforts to promote awareness and appreciation of home and community-based services.”

“I’m honored to be recognized by my peers and extremely proud to be a part of HCP’s growth to over 225 members and associate members today,” said Gerard.  “It’s exciting to bring the Founders’ Spirit Award back to Long Island where HCP began.”

Eileen Gerard has served on the Board of Directors of HCP’s Long Island Chapter for eight years and was recently appointed Acting Chair of the HCP affiliate, Community Health Care Services (CHC).  For the past 10 years, she has organized the Long Island Chapter’s “Caregiver of the Year” event that recognizes the outstanding caregivers employed by the Chapter’s member agencies.  

The Long Island Chapter is active in advocacy and education relative to the industry, bringing its position to legislators, policymakers, regulators, and the public. Gerard coordinates the Suffolk and Nassau County licensed home care agencies to participate

each year on lobby day in Albany and with setting up office visits to key legislators.  She has also attended HCP’s lobby day in Washington, D.C., representing the Long Island Chapter and its member agencies.  Just some of the issues tackled by HCP include: reimbursement cuts to home care providers, a gross receipts tax, elimination of the 2009 and 2010 trend factor, and the 1.1% FMAP Contingency Fund cut.  

At South Shore Home Health Services, Inc. where her responsibilities include oversight of human resources, Gerard organizes the company’s annual employee recognition event.  This past July, South Shore Home Health Services recognized 44 employees who have been with the agency for five years or more.

Gerard earned her B.S. in Health Administration from St. Joseph’s College and resides in East Patchogue with her husband and two children.

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The Long Island Chapter of HCP is a nonprofit trade association uniting nearly 40 licensed and certified member agencies in a code of principles for providing the highest quality of health care for residents of Nassau and Suffolk Counties. For more information on the Chapter, please visit www.nyshcp.org and click on HCP chapters.

The New York State Association of Health Care Providers, Inc. is a trade association representing over 500 offices of Licensed Home Care Service Agencies, Certified Home Health Agencies, Long Term Home Health Care Programs, Hospices and health related organizations (HROs) across New York State.