Our heartiest congratulations to Elaine Healy, MD, who will be honored with the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Westchester Fairfield County Business Journals at its upcoming Doctors of Distinction award ceremony. Dr. Healy, our medical director and vice president of medical affairs, will be recognized for her extraordinary career as a geriatric clinician, health care administrator, and medical educator, as well as her national leadership and advocacy in long-term and post-acute care.
In addition to her exceptional work at United Hebrew, Dr. Healy holds leadership positions in the American Medical Directors Association (AMDA) and New York Medical Directors Association (NYMDA), has presented at dozens of state and national industry conferences, and has authored white papers and book chapters on a range of topics in geriatric medicine.
“We couldn’t be prouder of Dr. Healy’s achievement,” said Rita Mabli, president/CEO. “For over 35 years, she has dedicated herself to the field of geriatric medicine – caring for our most vulnerable residents with the utmost dedication, compassion, and skill. We are so fortunate to have her on our team.”
From the very beginning, Dr. Healy has worked tirelessly at Untied Hebrew to improve the care experience for our 300+ residents. Since 2014, she has served in a leadership role, working closely with our interdisciplinary care teams to create, monitor, and ensure implementation of resident care policies including admissions, transfers, discharges, medications, infection control, and wound care. She also cares for individual residents, including those in hospice and palliative care, and ensures that individual and family needs are met with care and compassion.
Her expert recommendations have led to quality improvement in infection control, pharmacological practices, and disease management. Dr. Healy has also shared her expertise as a clinical assistant professor/instructor at New York Medical College since 1986; in her work across medical administration, medical education, and clinical practice, she has made invaluable connections between health professionals and residents and their families.
Most recently, Dr. Healy became a national spokesperson on managing COVID-19 in nursing homes. She not only oversaw the management of the virus response at United Hebrew, she helped to lead the national conversation on COVID in nursing homes by presenting lessons learned and best practices at the AMDA’s national conference in 2020. Throughout the pandemic, as acting president of NYMDA, she communicated closely with the New York State Department of Health and championed the concerns of seniors and their families. Dr. Healy also authored a chapter in the Hospice Foundation of America’s “Living With Grief” book series, published April, 2021.
“I’m honored and humbled to receive this recognition,” said Dr. Healy. “I’ve been dedicated throughout my career to helping seniors to remain healthy and independent for as long as possible. I’m really fortunate to be able to do this work at United Hebrew, where there is a top-down commitment to helping our residents lead a better quality of life.”
Adds Mabli: “Dr. Healy’s lifetime dedication to the health and well-being of older adults in Westchester and the region is unparalleled. She is truly deserving of the lifetime achievement honor.”