Old Westbury, NY – Long Island Business News has recognized NYIT's Adele Smither's Parkinson's Disease Treatment Center, the Family Health Care Center in Central Islip, Associate Professor William Werner, PT, Ed.D., and Assistant Professor William Blazey, D.O., as "Health Care Heroes."

The business newspaper honored Werner, Blazey, and representatives from the two medical facilities at a breakfast ceremony, recognizing them and others across Long Island for their efforts to improve the quality and value of healthcare.

In the healthcare facility category, the Adele Smither's Parkinson's Disease Treatment Center was recognized for its comprehensive programs that address the physical and mental effects of Parkinson's disease for hundreds of patients each year. It is the first center on Long Island dedicated to Parkinson's disease research and treatment.

One of NYIT's College of Osteopathic Medicine's two clinics, the Family Health Care Center of Central Islip, was recognized in the community outreach category for its provision of accessible medical care and treatment to an underserved Long Island community. The Carleton Avenue facility offers a range of clinical services and outreach efforts with schools, churches and other agencies.

Werner, who is supervisor of rehabilitation and the biomechanics laboratory at the Riland Academic Health Care Center, won a "Health Care Professional" award while Blazey was recognized as a "Physician Hero." Werner's recent published studies in the Journal of Neurology, Movement Disorders Journal, and others have focused on improving the gait of Parkinson's disease patients, strength training, and the effects of exercise and vitamins on levels of a key antioxidant, glutathione. Blazey, a 2005 graduate of the NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicinesees patients at both clinics and at Long Beach Medical Center. He is also a faculty associate with the NYIT Center for Global Health, and has traveled to Haiti twice this year to provide medical care in some of the poorest areas of the country.

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About NYIT

New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 14,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.

Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, 92,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.

Elaine Iandoli
Office of Communications and Marketing
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