Promotions, Announcements & Appointments

ABOVE: Pictured (from left to right) are Sara Buckley, Helen Arteaga-Landaverde, David Guzman & Bishop Robert Brennan.

BUCKLEY WINS CON ED ‘LOV’ AWARD

Sara J. Buckley received the 2021 Con Edison’s Living Our Values (LOV) Award at a virtual ceremony last month. This recognition is given annually to Con Edison employees who exemplify the company’s values of service, teamwork, excellence, and concern for the quality of life in their communities.

As a coordinator and substance abuse counselor, in the company’s Employee Wellness Center, the Rockaway resident is always available to help any employee, family member or retiree suffering from addiction find the path to recovery. She supports them on their journey to a happy sober life, changing people’s lives for the better.

“Substance abuse destroys lives, families, marriages, and friendships,” she said. “One of the last things it destroys is careers. We make sure employees who come to the Wellness Center for help, have the services, information, and support networks they need to rebuild their lives and careers.”

“Sara is always willing to share her experience, strength and hope to assure her clients that they will be okay if they follow the path laid before them,” said John Lyons, Employee Wellness manager. “Many of Sara’s clients credit her for their recovery and many more have thanked her for setting them on the right road.”

The Employee Wellness Center’s Chemical and Substance Abuse Program is tasked with identifying unique safety concerns. From recognizing the warning signs of substance abuse, to engaging employees in candid conversations to helping them find the right treatment, the goal is to make sure they are safe.

Buckley, who is in recovery herself, credits her success in changing lives for the better to those who helped her, the “amazing” people in the Employee Wellness Center and Con Edison’s compassion for those struggling with addiction.

In addition to her work at Con Edison, Buckley is a member of a 12-step program of recovery and started a bereavement group to help parents cope with the loss of children following the loss of her 17-year-old son to a drug overdose. Recovering from addiction is hard under the best of circumstances, but when it is compounded by the anxiety and isolation brought on by the pandemic it can be incapacitating.

“It’s been like a roller coaster,” Buckley recalled. “We’ve worked hard to re-build the personal relationships that were disrupted by the pandemic, first by meeting with clients virtually, and since September of last year, in person. I hope that my clients can see the positive changes in themselves and how the work that they did has transformed their lives, and the lives of those around them.”

ELMHURST EXECS HONORED BY CRAIN’S

Elmhurst Hospital CEO Helen Arteaga-Landaverde and CFO David Guzman were named to Crain’s “2021 Notable Hispanic Leaders and Executives” list. Both leaders were recognized for their successes in steering Elmhurst Hospital through the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as ongoing efforts to provide care to underserved communities.

Arteaga-Landaverde, who previously served as an assistant vice president at Urban Health Plan, was appointed CEO in January of 2021. In addition to overseeing the hospital’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts and securing over $27 million in capital funding for facility upgrades, she has also focused on improving the hospital’s ties with the surrounding neighborhoods through collaborative partnerships with community-based organizations and educational institutions.

“I am extremely honored to have received this recognition,” said Arteaga-Landaverde. “I look forward to continuing to expand Elmhurst’s reach into the community and to increasing access to healthcare for all those who need it.”

Guzman has 20 years of healthcare finance experience at NYC Health + Hospitals. In his role as CFO, he has spearheaded efforts to increase hospital revenue while containing costs.

“Having spent the formative years of my career working at NYC Health + Hospitals, and having been born at one of its facilities, I feel a special connection to the organization, the patients, the communities that we serve, and my friends and colleagues whom I am privileged to serve with,” said Guzman.

He has also managed efforts to secure funding for sufficient PPE, medical equipment, and other vital supplies as the hospital continues to care for an underserved community placed under enormous stress by COVID-19.

“Great to see Elmhurst’s very own Helen Arteaga-Landaverde and David Guzman recognized in Crain’s Notable Hispanic Leaders,” said Councilman Francisco Moya. “The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored how important it is to ensure that our communities hardest hit have the health care they deserve, regardless of status.”

BRENNAN TO LEAD BROOKLYN DIOCESE

After 18 years of service, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio is retiring from his role as Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn. He will be replaced by Robert J. Brennan, who has been appointed as the eighth bishop of the Diocese by Pope Francis.

Bishop Dimarzio, 75, submitted his letter of resignation on June 16, 2019. His resignation was accepted today by Pope Francis, followed by an announcement that Bishop Brennan will fill the position.

Bishop Brennan was born and raised on Long Island, where he attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School in Lindenhurst and St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in West Islip. He later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and computer science from St. John’s University before completing his studies for the priesthood at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington.

Brennan served as a parish priest for St. Patrick in Smithtown and was later ordained an Auxiliary Bishop for the Diocese of Rockville Centre. In 2019, Pope Francis appointed him as the 12th Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus in Ohio. For Bishop Brennan, the appointment in Brooklyn feels like a homecoming of sorts.

“I came to know amazing people in the Diocese of Columbus and there is a tremendous sadness in leaving them behind,” said Bishop Brennan. “As I prepare for a return to New York, I am ready and eager to embrace the people of Brooklyn and Queens as their pastor.”

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