Glen Cove Hospital celebrates centennial with 5K race

Glen Cove Hospital celebrated its centennial with a 5K race at the Glen Cove High School on Sunday, with 100 percent of all the proceeds designated to frontline worker wellness.
The wellness program incorporates a holistic approach that focuses on mental health, emotional and spiritual and physical well-being, as well as their employee action program that assists with programs such as the hospital’s childcare program.
“Hospital workers are still suffering from the traumatic aftereffects of working through Covid-19,” Sue Rassekh, senior director of the hospital’s patient customer experience said. “And we really want to give back to those people who cared for us.”
The need for a hospital in Glen Cove became apparent in 1919, during the influenza epidemic. Glen Cove Hospital was initially a small three story 19-bed facility on Glen Street. Originally named Glen Cove Community Hospital it opened in 1922. As Glen Cove was developing, the Morgans, Pratts and other leaders in industry made Glen Cove their home, building sprawling mansions during the early 20th century. Banks, a railroad company and mail service followed, but Glen Cove Hospital is the city’s first health care facility, and the final milestone ensuring that the city would become a year-round community. It soon outgrew itself and was moved to a new building on Saint Andrews Lane, where it is today.
“We anticipate being here for another 100 years,” Rassekh said.

Over the 100 years it has been around, the hospital has gained a reputation as the place to go for acute rehabilitation programs, head and neck surgery and women’s surgical care. Glen Cove Hospital received “America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers 2022. The honor places the hospital among the leading acute inpatient physical rehabilitation programs in the country, and one of the top nine in New York state. It is the only program on Long Island that has been recognized for the award.
The 5K run had 179 participants, including Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck, who was born at the hospital. Earlier this year she was honored for volunteering at the hospital for at least 10 years as a member of the hospital’s auxiliary board after she retired from teaching.
“We love having the hospital here,” Panzenbeck said.
Eric Sieden, director of food and nutrition, has been with the hospital for seven years. Sieden said he’s happy that funds raised from the event will also go towards the hospital’s employee fitness area.
Participants of the race were split into categories by sex and age, but the overall winners were Brandon Eagle arriving at the finish line at 17 minutes and 26 seconds, and Samantha Siler finishing at 17 minutes and 37 seconds.