St. John’s Episcopal Hospital to Purchase $20,000 Giraffe Incubator Carestation Thanks to the Extraordinary Support of the Community

Far Rockaway, New York, September 25, 2019 — St. John’s Episcopal Hospital will be purchasing a new Giraffe Incubator Carestation thanks to the generosity of the hospital staff and their families, a board member and his employer, faithful donors, a local charity and the community at large.

According to Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer Donald Morrish, MD, MMM, the Giraffe Incubator Carestation is an innovative piece of medical equipment that provides a state of the art, calm and quiet environment for premature babies to thrive. Designed to facilitate the health care team’s delivery of care, the incubator monitors, assesses and treats neonates in their own environment, cutting down on unnecessary handling of some of our most fragile patients. Most importantly, it permits parents and other family members access to babies so they can form those most important bonds.

The effort to purchase this lifesaving equipment began with a $16,000 goal on Tuesday, November 27, 2018, when the hospital launched its first ever #GivingTuesday campaign, an online global giving movement. The $2,287 raised during the #GivingTuesday event turned out to be a jumping off point and the beginning of widespread support.

In January, hospital board member Daniel Kasle, who rallied his family to support the #GivingTuesday campaign in honor of his birthday, also suggested that St. John’s be the recipient of money raised during a “Denim Day” fundraiser held monthly by his employer, Church Pension Group (CPG). They selected St. John’s and designated the money raised specifically for the Giraffe Incubator Carestation. The generous CPG staff raised over $700 that day. By the end, Kasle personally matched the amount with $760 and CPG matched it again for a grand total of $3,025.

With a little more than $10,000 still to raise, St. John’s approached Angels of the Bay, whose mission is to support the programs and facilities that provide quality health care and services to children. A proposal for the remainder of the money needed to purchase the incubator was submitted, and later approved by the charity’s Board of Directors. Angels of the Bay will award the grant to the hospital during their gala on October 15.

“To get the ball rolling, we went to place the order for the incubator. That is when we realized the total price was actually $20,000 with all the additional pieces of equipment needed to support it,” said Nancy Leghart, Director of Foundation. Thankfully, that same week, a generous unrestricted donation came in from Neponsit resident Marvin Eisenstadt. “When we told him about how we would like to use his gift, he was touched, and with good reason,” said Leghart. “He said that if it were not for an incubator, he would not be alive today,” she said. A preemie and the sole surviving member of a set of twins, Eisenstadt was saved at Coney Island by the only incubator at the time.

“We are so grateful to everyone for their generous support and ongoing commitment to St. John’s. This equipment will raise the level of quality care so we can continue to effectively care for the newest members of our community,” said Morrish.