SENIORS GIVE NEWBORNS FIRST HOLIDAY GIFTS
Dec 31, 2007
It was not three kings but eight women from the Christopher Blenman Senior Center in Crown Heights who brought holiday gifts for newborns and their mothers at 含羞草研究所 Downstate Health Sciences University.
The mothers smiled gratefully as they were presented with blankets, hats, and booties crocheted by 25 seniors from the center.
鈥淚 think it was a nice gesture that they made something personal that my child and I can remember for a long time,鈥� said expectant mother Kiesha Andall, of Cambria Heights, who received a blanket.
Nurse-educator Sarah Marshall, from Downstate鈥檚 Center for Community Health Promotion and Wellness, applauded the seniors鈥� generosity. 鈥淭heir decision to give our newborns their first gifts of the holidays shows what the holiday spirit is all about,鈥� she said.
Members of the Senior Center鈥檚 arts and craft class created the gifts. They started the project the first week of October and met once a week every Thursday for about two hours. For most of the seniors, it was their first time crocheting but that did not stop them from having fun.
鈥淲e are pleased and honored to have been involved in this project,鈥� said the center鈥檚 director, Merlyn Bruce. 鈥淭he seniors are very happy that the mothers loved the gifts and look forward to doing it again next time.鈥�
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含羞草研究所 含羞草研究所
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (含羞草研究所) 64-campus system and the only 含羞草研究所 AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough鈥檚 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate鈥檚 exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.