“Honoring Our Heroes” pays tribute to the unsung heroes of the Coronavirus Pandemic
On June 30, Tarrytown-based The Institutes of Applied Human Dynamics, Inc. (IAHD) honored their essential workers who fought on the frontlines of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The online virtual fundraising event “Honoring Our Heroes” was broadcast live across social media and the non-profit’s website (https://www.iahdny.org/), and told the story of the dedicated men and women whose commitment to the people they support never wavered. Among the staff of essential workers and healthcare partners, a few were honored as heroes with individual awards representing their unique contributions in the care and support of people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD).
The four award categories included:
- Healthcare Hero Award, presented to StationMD,
- Nightingale Hero Award, presented to the IAHD Nursing Team Osman Lizardo, Director of Nursing, Carmel Walbrook, Assistant Director of Nursing and Christina Wong, Residence RN
- Leadership Hero Award, presented to Stephen Lewis, Residence Manager
- Frontline Hero Award, presented to Edwin Pintor and Denise Dunkley, Direct Support Professionals who have been with IAHD for 30 and 14 years respectively.
A virus like COVID-19 is especially dangerous to people with I/DD who may have pre-existing conditions. Healthcare Hero Award Honoree, StationMD, joined with IAHD in early March 2020 to provide telemedicine services to the residents – not knowing that in less than a week, they’d be put to the test as they worked together to keep these vulnerable citizens safe and out of the hospital. Together, IAHD and StationMD helped more than 100 individuals with Coronavirus related illnesses and they continue to provide exceptional individualized care to people with I/DD.
Omayra Andino, CEO of the Institutes of Applied Human Dynamics, notes, “I am so grateful to the “Honoring our Heroes” honorees. Their steadfast, relentless care has made such a difference in the lives of the vulnerable people we support here at IAHD. They not only impacted those lives, but those of the families as well. They became surrogate family and their love shined through during this pandemic. They deserve this honor and more.”
