News Flash

October 21, 2017 – Legislator Leslie Kennedy and Comptroller John Kennedy welcomed members of the local community to the St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center’s Annual Health Fair. Organized by the Medical Center’s Community Outreach Program, the fair is a chance for hospital staff to meet and interact with members of the community in a more relaxed and informal setting. Half education and half celebration, the fair boasted flu vaccinations, health screenings, and informational tours, as well as more child-friendly attractions such as the Teddy Bear Clinic. The fair was also a celebration of the Medical Center’s Maternity Ward, which was recently designated Baby-Friendly by the World Health Organization’s Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, the first hospital to be designated as such in Suffolk County. Hospitals designated as Baby-Friendly provide support, education and resources for the breastfeeding of newborn infants, a practice associated by the National Institute of Health with better nutrition, more robust immune protection and lower chances of developing allergies, diabetes and other conditions in later life[i].

“The first few months of a child’s life are some of the most formative,” Legislator Leslie Kennedy stated, “and as a member of the Health Committee I make it a priority to ensure that mothers and their children have both the nurturing environment and necessary support to prosper. I am proud of St. Catherine’s for ensuring that new mothers will have more than enough of both.”

For more information about this event or other events in the community, please call our office at (631)-854-3735 or log onto Legislator Kennedy’s Facebook page at facebook.com/legislatorlesliekennedy.

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