PORT JERVIS, NY (December 10) - On Monday evening, December 7, Bon Secours Community Hospital, Port Jervis, NY, hosted another in the series of Ladies Night Out dinner lectures on health issues. Approximately 125 guests attended the event, which was held at the Erie Trackside Manor in Port Jervis.
This evening the topic was "Mediterranean Diet for the Holidays," a power point presentation and cooking demonstration by representatives of Morrison Healthcare at Bon Secours Community Hospital under the direction of Clinical Nutrition Manager Elaine Ridley, RD, CDN.
Dietician Tanya Lopez, MS, RD, CDN first put her guests at ease by saying that although she was a dietician, she had begun her career as a cook, and wanted them to know that the Mediterranean Diet was not about dieting. "This is about a lifestyle," she said. "It's good for you and it tastes good."
During her power-point presentation Lopez explained that this lifestyle approach to healthy eating was filled with delicious foods including fruit, vegetables, fish, beans, nuts and whole grains as well as other ingredients shown to promote good health like olive oil and wine in moderation along with daily physical activity.
She added that the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are numerous including longevity, defense against chronic diseases, fighting cancers, protection from diabetes, depression and Alzheimer's disease among many other ailments.
Sous Chef Allison Wharton then put those words into practice by offering a cooking demonstration for a holiday celebration table that included colorful vegetable platters and a selection of dips and spreads made from healthy ingredients such as black beans, eggplant and roasted red peppers. She also demonstrated unique ways to decorate that table using common household items. All of the guests were served a pumpkin mousse dessert at their tables and then invited to come to the presentation table and sample the other dishes.
The Ladies Night Out Program, which the hospital has hosted for over a decade, usually charges a registration fee of $15 and all of the proceeds are donated directly back to the community. In a departure from that custom during this holiday season, the fee was waived and guests were encouraged to "pay it forward" by contributing to a favorite charity of their choice.
"Our hospital is proud to offer these important dinner seminars as a service to the community," said Mary Decker, community liaison for Bon Secours Community Hospital. "We thank Morrison Healthcare for this informative and entertaining presentation. And we also thank our volunteers and the ladies who attend for their continued support of these programs."
About Bon Secours Community Hospital, a Member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network
For nearly a century, Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis, New York, has served the residents of Western Orange County, New York, Pike County, Pennsylvania, and Northern Sussex County, New Jersey, as the area's premier healthcare provider. The hospital serves its community with 122 beds for acute care and medical-surgical services, a 24-hour emergency department, long-term care and rehabilitation, a dedicated bariatric surgery unit, behavioral health, and outpatient services. For more information about Bon Secours Community Hospital and the services provided, visit
www.bschs.bonsecours.com or follow the hospital at
www.facebook.com/bschs and
www.twitter.com/bschs
About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,500-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, NY, spanning seven hospitals and several campuses and locations in the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 10,000 people, with nearly 3,000 attending physicians. From Level 1 and Level 2 Trauma Centers, the region's only acute care children's hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals and numerous health-related centers, programs and services, today WMCHealth is the leading and pre-eminent provider of integrated health in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit
www.wmchealth.org
This evening the topic was "Mediterranean Diet for the Holidays," a power point presentation and cooking demonstration by representatives of Morrison Healthcare at Bon Secours Community Hospital.
From left, Sous Chef Allison Wharton, Dietician Tanya Lopez and Clinical Nutrition Manager Elaine Ridley.