Donna Leno Gordon Shines in Brooklyn

Certainly, there are many people in Brooklyn doing amazing things.   Donna Leno Gordon is one of them.   The Nursing Director for Behavioral Health at Coney Island Hospital was just awarded the Fund for the City of New York Sloan Award.   This is the top public service award in the city and one that anyone would be honored to receive.

As Gordon so humbly explained,

“This award is not about me. It’s about the entire palliative care field and how far it has come.”

Gordon has run a program that started in 1998, completely revolutionizing the way that terminally and chronically ill patients are cared for in New York City.   She went back to school to get an Executive Master’s in Public Administration in 2005 from Baruch College.   Then, she took on the task of transforming the palliative care unit at Coney Island Hospital.

With Gordon as its leader, the team at the Coney Island Hospital turned their unit into a leader in the filed. In April of 2010, they even developed a 19 bed unit that was designed just for terminally ill patients to help with their acute care.   Their work was so successful that it inspired other HHC hospitals to follow suit.

As President Alan Aviles said in a health and Hospitals Corp press release,

“This award recognizes Ms. Gordon’s long-standing and deep commitment to her patients as well as her innovative efforts to strive for excellence in healthcare delivery. Her dedication is inspiration to us all.”

As Gregory Maizous, the Coney Island Hospital director of marketing said,

“Donna singlehandedly changed the entire field of palliative care in the city of New York. She has founded a multifaceted treatment program that not only benefits the patients, but looks out for their families as well.”