Northwell rocks vets, active military
BY NORTHWELL HEALTH
On May 25, thousands of veterans, active
military members and their families gathered
at Rockefeller Center and Radio City
Music Hall for Side By Side: A Celebration of Service,
created by Northwell Health.
The two-part event honoring service members
was the “offi cial pinnacle event” of New
York City Fleet Week.
Bands Imagine Dragons and Boyz II Men
and singer Gavin DeGraw and others performed
as part of the inspirational day honoring
service members.
“Northwell was honored to stand with those
who have given so much of themselves to this
great nation, which was especially fi tting over
Memorial Day weekend,” said Michael Dowling,
president and C.E.O. of Northwell Health, who
more than a decade ago created Northwell’s Offi ce
of Military and Veterans Liaison Services.
“It is our privilege and responsibility to continue
our ongoing support to veterans and their families,
including both medical care and behavioral health
treatment for those struggling with PTSD. As a
proud employer of thousands of veterans, we also
remain committed to recruiting and assisting newly
returned veterans trying to fi nd a job and acclimate
back into civilian life.”
COURTESY NORTHWELL HEALTH
Boyz II Men crooned smooth tunes at Side by Side.
The fi rst half of the celebration at Rockefeller
Center, which was free and open to the public,
featured performances by Boyz II Men, Gavin De-
Graw, Alex Boyé, Rock Star Karaoke, The U.S.
Navy Band, and cast members from “Jersey Boys”
and “Wicked.”
Attendees also interacted with actual U.S. Navy
equipment, and got to see a special presentation
of Northwell Health’s “The Fin” — the fi rst 3Dprinted
amphibious prosthetic leg, which was
named one of TIME magazine’s Best Inventions
of 2018.
A highlight of the daytime portion was hearing
Navy veteran Dusty Kirby tell his extraordinary
story and the moving onstage reunion
with those who served with him in Iraq, as well
as with surgeons from Northwell’s Lenox Hill
Hospital who literally gave him his smile back
by reconstructing his jaw, which was shattered
by gunfi re more than a decade ago. Northwell
awarded its Patriot Awards to Kirby and Dr. David
Hirsch, Lenox Hill’s chief of oral and maxillofacial
surgery, who performed two pro bono surgeries to
reposition Kirby’s jaw so it aligned with his teeth.
Later that evening, Northwell Health provided
free tickets to hundreds of service members and
their families for a special performance by Grammy
Award-winning, multi-platinum band Imagine
Dragons.
COURTESY NORTHWELL HEALTH
Singer Gavin DeGraw was part of the starstudded
lineup of performers for Side by
Side.
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