Mount Sinai South Nassau to Hold “Soirée Under the Stars” Fundraising Gala on Saturday, September 17

Local Construction Firm and Executive, Nurse, and Environmental Services Leaders to Be Honored as In-Person Event Returns in Outdoor Setting After Pandemic Hiatus

Supporters of Mount Sinai South Nassau are set to gather once again at The Seawane Club on Saturday, September 17, following a two-year hiatus, to help raise funds for the hospital’s ambitious projects that will expand services along the South Shore.

Axis Construction Corp. Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Peter Cannuscio, PE, is the corporate honoree of Mount Sinai South Nassau’s 2022 “Soirée Under the Stars” gala. The entire event will be held outdoors in a tented area and guests will be required to be vaccinated to attend. Sponsorships and tickets are still available.

“We are so pleased to be able to get back together in person to celebrate and support the hospital as we expand our mission to provide high-quality care, close to home,” said Anthony Cancellieri, co-chair of the hospital’s board of directors.

The hospital also will honor Rita Regan, RN, BS, CPHQ, CPXP, Vice President for Patient Experience and Care Coordination, and Felix Nazario, Administrative Director of Environmental Services. They will be presented with the hospital’s Mary Pearson and Cupola awards, respectively. The Mary Pearson Award, named in honor of the hospital’s founding administrator, is presented annually to an individual for extraordinary effort and individual contributions that significantly advance the hospital’s commitment to the community, and the Cupola Award, established in 2015, honors a deserving hospital employee who goes above and beyond their duties and lives by the hospital mission to promote excellence in health care.  Ms. Regan and Mr. Nazario were among the leadership team that helped guide Mount Sinai South Nassau’s response to the COVID 19 pandemic.

“Peter and Axis have been involved for many years in our expansion and renovation projects and have helped us grow for the future,” said Adhi Sharma, MD, Mount Sinai South Nassau’s President. “Peter is a community-minded business leader who is always ready to help the hospital and our patients.”

Under Mr. Cannuscio’s strategic planning and 35 years of project and construction management, Axis has provided on-site management and has been instrumental in the execution of an array of important Mount Sinai South Nassau capital improvement projects. Current projects managed by Axis include the conversion of a vacant 60,000-square foot building in Wantagh to a multi-specialty medical office center; the construction of a dedicated Bi-Plane Imaging Suite in the emergency department for stroke patients, and the expansion and modernization of the hospital’s Pharmacy Department.  Among the notable projects completed by Axis include the construction of Urgent Care Center on Mount Sinai South Nassau’s Long Beach Campus and expansion of it to Long Island’s first free-standing Emergency Department; the restoration and renovation of Mount Sinai South Nassau Outpatient Dialysis after it suffered significant flood damage by SuperStorm Sandy, and the renovation and upgrading of the Intensive Care and Critical Care Units.

Ms. Regan has been in health care for 50 years. She joined Mount Sinai South Nassau in 2012 as Director of Performance Management and quickly ascended to Vice President for Patient Experience and Care Coordination. Throughout her tenure at Mount Sinai South Nassau, she has been a tireless advocate for patients, identifying ways to bring best practices to daily care and raising the quality, safety, and standards of care throughout the hospital.

A hospital environmental services professional for nearly 25 years, Mr. Nazario was appointed the hospital’s director of environmental services in 2018. Under his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mount Sinai South Nassau team of housekeeping and environmental services staff overcame daily challenges in their relentless effort to keep patients and staff safe from the virus.

“Rita and Felix are selfless leaders who question the norm, inspire their peers to innovate, and continuously strive to raise the delivery and quality of care to our patients,” Dr. Sharma said.

Funds raised at the Soirée will support Mount Sinai South Nassau. The hospital is amid a $400 million long-term strategic growth initiative designed to improve service for patients across the South Shore of Long Island. Components of the project include a new four-story patient pavilion, the J Wing, as well as the $35 million Medical Arts Pavilion at the hospital’s Long Beach campus and the new Wantagh medical arts building. The expansion of the hospital’s Emergency Department will nearly double its size to accommodate more than 80,000 patient visits expected each year and feature dedicated treatment areas for pediatric and behavioral health patients.



(L to R) left to right, Peter Cannuscio, PE, Axis Construction Corp., Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer; Rita Regan, RN, Mount Sinai South Nassau, Vice President, Patient Experience and Care Coordination; Felix Nazario, Mount Sinai South Nassau, Administrative Director of Environmental Services, and Broadway stars, Orfeh and Andy Karl.

“We are honored to recognize three outstanding leaders who have helped maintain and expand the mission of Mount Sinai South Nassau,” said Steven Gold, co-chair of the Soirée and chairman of the hospital’s Development Committee.

The 2022 Soirée will be highlighted by an hour of entertainment by husband-and-wife Broadway stars Orfeh and Andy Karl. Orfeh, known for her supersonic powerhouse pipes, starred in “Pretty Woman: The Musical,” while Andy Karl has wowed in “Rocky,” “On the Twentieth Century,” and “Groundhog Day” (for which he received an Olivier Award and his third Tony nomination).

The Soirée is Mount Sinai South Nassau’s major fundraising gala of the year. Board Members Wayne Lipton and Steven Gold oversee a gala committee of 40 community members, civic, and business leaders that has helped significantly increase the success of the event.

This year’s format again will feature a two-hour, outdoor reception starting at 6:30 pm at The Seawane Club that will be highlighted by an elaborate array of food choices, unlimited top-shelf open bar, passed hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, and an opportunity to mingle with the hospital’s key supporters, staff, board leadership, and administration.

Following the reception and a short program, guests will enjoy an hour of Broadway-quality cabaret style, live entertainment featuring Orfeh and Andy Karl.

To learn more about the Soirée, purchase tickets, or support as a sponsor, call South Nassau’s Development office at (516) 377-5360, or visit southnassaulifesaver.org.

About Mount Sinai South Nassau
The Long Island flagship hospital of the Mount Sinai Health System, Mount Sinai South Nassau is designated a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for outstanding nursing care. Mount Sinai South Nassau is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 455 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,500 employees. Located in Oceanside, New York, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health, and emergency services and operates the only Trauma Center on the South Shore of Nassau County, along with Long Island’s only free-standing Emergency Department in Long Beach.

In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, Mount Sinai South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty, and offers Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery technologies. Mount Sinai South Nassau operates the only Trauma Center on the South Shore of Nassau County verified by the American College of Surgeons as well as Long Island’s only free-standing, 9-1-1 receiving Emergency Department in Long Beach. Mount Sinai South Nassau also is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons; is an accredited center of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Association and Quality Improvement Program; and an Infectious Diseases Society of America Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence. For more information, go to www.mountsinai.org/southnassau.