PROSPECT HEIGHTS — The oldest voluntary hospital in Kings County, The Brooklyn Hospital Center (TBHC), held its annual Founders Ball in the Beaux-Arts Court at the Brooklyn Museum on Monday, May 19. The signature fundraising event drew 630 supporters and raised north of $1.4 million for the institution.

Honorees included Joseph Davi, founder and CEO of Med-Metrix, a privately held healthcare technology and outsourcing firm that serves healthcare providers. 

Davi, who received the Founders Medal, said he was “beyond honored and humbled.”

“I look forward to continuing our shared vision of providing exceptional health care to those who need it,” he told the crowd. 

Davi also praised the hospital workers, noting that everyone who works at TBHC feels that it is their hospital, and an immeasurable amount of pride shines through in everything they do “from the parking attendant, to the cashier in the café, to the doctors and the nurses, everyone brings their best self to work each and every day.” 

Erroll Byer Jr., TBHC’s chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was the recipient of the Walter E. Reed Medal. 

“While I am grateful to receive this award tonight, I want to acknowledge the committed and hardworking physicians, nurses, and staff that allow us to provide such quality care to our patients,” Byer said. “My motto is to uplift the people around you, and leave a place better than when you found it.”  

‘A grass roots undercurrent’ 

Deborah Niederhoffer, TBHC’s vice president and chief development officer, told the Brooklyn Eagle that the facility is one of the very few standing independent hospitals. “That importance just cannot be overstated,” she said.

“The Brooklyn Hospital board is very passionate about staying independent because they want to be able to respond to the community in real time,” Niederhoffer said. “If we were part of a bigger system, we might not have that much flexibility.” 

Niederhoffer, who has been with the hospital for 15 years, described it as having “a grass roots undercurrent.”

Chair of the board at the Brooklyn Hospital Foundation and longtime Park Slope resident Dino Veronese told the Eagle that this particular event not only raises funds that the hospital needs but also brings people together.

“It’s a worthwhile cause, and we are hoping to have a wonderful time tonight,” Veronese said. 

Since 1845, TBHC has provided health services, education and research to the borough. It focuses on ensuring optimal patient care through staff expertise and uses advanced technology and innovative medical and surgical treatments. TBHC is a clinical affiliate of Mount Sinai Hospital and an academic affiliate of The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.