Connie Milstein

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Last month Blue Star Families partnered with the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) to host the sixth annual Military Spouse Symposium and Career Fair in San Diego. More than 500 military spouses attended the event, dubbed “Keeping a Career on the Move” to learn about job opportunities in the area. Connie Milstein, a long-standing supporter of military families, serves on the Board of Directors for Blue Star Families.

The morning session included an employer panel with representatives from Facebook, United Way, the Society for Human Resource Management, who offered insight into who employers view military spouse job seekers.

“Employers not only provided practical information, but really motivated the attendees to focus on their strengths, work ethic, and value they bring no matter how many jobs or how many moves they’ve had,” said Monique Rizer, the deputy director of spouse programs for the Military Officers Association of America and the annual spouse symposium producer.

During the afternoon, participants were free to explore the career fair where over 50 local employers, many of whom are Military Spouse Employment Partners, were on hand to recruit and hire.

“The collaboration between public, private and nonprofit provided a balanced and powerful resource for military spouses,” said Communications Director for BSF, Stephanie Himel-Nelson.

In today’s world, most people are well-versed in Internet communication via social media networks. Whether it’s keeping in touch with an old classmate, marketing a small business or learning more about a new friend, nearly everyone is familiar with Facebook and similar websites. For military families especially, Facebook can be a very pivotal part of a family member’s deployment. Following an initiative announced on Veterans Day, Facebook and Blue Star Families have launched a Social Media Guide to better help military families communicate during these long deployments. Connie Milstein is a long-time supporter of Blue Star Families and their work with military families and serves on the nonprofit’s Board of Directors.

“Social media has completely altered the landscape of communication for today’s military families,” said Stephanie Himel-Nelson, the Communications Director for Blue Star Families. “But with each notable stride in technology comes greater responsibility and knowledge and that’s what this guide is designed to do.”

The guide is described by Facebook as “an easy-to navigate online handbook detailing everything from privacy settings to groups to Operational security and more – all tailored for today’s 21^st century military.” It is broken down into sections that give a basic overview of the social network and its set up, applications and messaging. It also details how the military is using Facebook to better connect unit leaders, service members, spouses and family members. One of the most important sections in the social media guide addresses common misperceptions about privacy and security and offers clarity and recommendations.

Connie Milstein and the other members of the Board of Directors for Blue Star Families are happy to announce that the 2012 military Spouse Symposium & Career Fair “Keeping a Career on the Movie,” will take place on Thursday, January 26, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, Calif. The free event open to all military spouses, service members and veterans, is co-sponsored by BSF and the Military Officers Association of America. This year’s topic will help spouses looking for a job or preparing for a future career through career-development seminars, meet-and-greets with expert panelists and employers from regional and national companies, and onsite résumé advice.

In the morning, speakers will touch on topics like “Five Things Employers Want You to Know,” hosted by employers from the Society for Human Resource Management and others, and “Build Your Brand: Your Dependable Strengths,” which will encourage attendees to discover what they love about their career and how to better market themselves. Following a joint lunch between MOAA and West 2012 with keynote speaker SFC Leroy Petry, a Medal of Honor recipient, attendees will be free to visit employers and seminars of their choice.

“Blue Star Families and MOAA have a long history of working together successfully, through MOAA’s Spouse Council and BSF’s annual survey of military families,” said Mark Smith, executive director of Blue Star Families.

In October of 2010, New York-Presbyterian launched the Regional Health Collaborative, an initiative intended to reduce the number of hospital visits and preventable procedures among low-income and immigrant residents living in the communities of Washington Heights and Inwood. To date, the program has been a great success; the hospital has seen a reduction in the number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations related to diabetes, asthma and congestive heart failure.

“So far the results have been very encouraging. A reduced need for emergency medical attention or hospitalization means more patients are getting the preventive and ongoing care they need,” said lead author J. Emilio Carrillo, M.D., who currently serves as vice president of community health at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

The hospital currently serves more than 60 percent of the 270,000 inhabitants of the Washington Heights and Inwood community, which is geographically bounded by the Hudson and Harlem Rivers. The New York-Presbyterian program is based around the hospital’s Ambulatory Care Network, which includes seven community health center practices and seven school-based centers in the area. It also connects residents with independent physicians and home health care providers in the community.

“The success of this program is a testament to the hospital’s longstanding commitment to the health of the communities we serve, as well as to an unprecedented collaboration between New York-Presbyterian, Columbia University, government agencies and community physicians and organizations,” said senior author Steven Corwin, M.D., the CEO of New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

Connie Milstein has served as a trustee to the New York –Presbyterian hospital since 2000. She also oversaw the creation of the hospital’s Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center. Milstein is a long-time supporter of medical research; she also serves on the Board of Directors of CURE (Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy) and was the 2010 Chairman of “Heart’s Delight,” an annual actuaion and fundraiser in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the American Heart Association.

In 1998, the Humpty Dumpty Instutute (HDI) was established by a small group of successful and creative business entrepreneurs, including Connie Milstein, who stands as the organization’s co-founder and chairman emeritus. This successful group hoped to tackle international problems through the creation of specialized public-private partnerships. Since its inception, HDI has effectively strengthened the ties between the United Nations and the United States Congress through a series of non-partisan programs. Today, HDI is the only organization in the country that regularly sponsors visit by Members of Congress and their staff to the United Nations.

As part of HDI’s ongoing endeavor to invigorate the relationship between the U.N. and the U.S., the organization recently led a Congressional Staff Delegation to Africa. From August 9-12, a large group from Washington, along with representatives from the United Nations Foundation and Nothing But Nets, visited Yaoundé in Cameroon to participate in the country’s first nationwide malaria net campaign, which plans to give away 8.6 million malaria nets to the citizens of Cameroon.

During their stay in Cameroon, the delegates met with the Ministry of Health, United Nations Development Program, the Chantal Biva Foundation Children’s Hospital, Country Coordinating Mechanism and Cameroon’s Prime Minister, Philemon Yang, among many others. They were educated about the health and economic concerns of the disease, helped with malaria net distribution efforts, learned about malaria treatment and visited with children at an orphanage. Overall, the Congressional Staffers left Cameroon with a more solid knowledge of the damaging effect malaria has on African counties, but were hopeful that the nationwide net distribution would be a great success.

Connie Milstein is very involved with the well-known New York-Presbyterian Hospital, which was recently ranked the number one hospital in New York and the sixth-best hospital in the United States. This honor is not only due to the incredible work done by the hospital’s doctors and nurses, but also the work done behind the scenes to keep the hospital running. Connie Milstein, for example, is a hospital board member and trustee and serves on the Real Estate and Major Facilities Committee, the Join Conference Committee and the Quality and Performance Improvement Committee.

U.S. News Media & World Report evaluated almost 5,000 institutions to compile their 2011-2012 list of best hospitals. In addition to ranking high on the list, New York-Presbyterian made the U.S. News’ honor roll list for the 11th year in a row. The honor roll list highlights the hospitals that rank at or near the top in at least six specialties based on volume, reputation and other factors affecting patient care. The hospital ranks nationally for its excellent treatment in the areas of cancer; cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology; ear, notes and throat; gastroenterology; geriatrics; gynecology; nephrology; neurology and neurosurgery; ophthalmology; orthopedics; psychiatry; pulmonology; rheumatology; and urology.

In a statement, Dr. Herbert Pardes, New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s president and CEO, shared his excitement at being included on the list for eleven consecutive years. “We are pleased to once again be ranked among the nation’s best hospitals,” he said. “Patients at our hoptial are cared for by some of the world’s leading physicians and surgeons who are dedicated to offering the most advanced treatment options in a compassionate and caring environment.”

The Real Estate Board of New York, which Connie Milstein serves as a member of the Board of Governors, recently released some exciting news coinciding with the continued construction of 1 World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. Since the spring of 2010, average asking rents in the financial district area along Broadway from Battery Park to Chambers Street have risen 36 percent. The report notes that much of this gain took place since last fall.

With more businesses opening in this area than in any other Manhattan neighborhood during that period, signs point to a commercial revival in Lower Manhattan. Executive Vice President of the Lansco Corporation, Robin Adams, believes that many retailers were waiting to see what would happen with the World Trade Center development.

Michael Slattery, a senior vice president of the Real Estate Board, agrees with Adams. He was quoted in a New York Times article saying, “Until there was a glimmer that the rebuilding was well on its way, retailers didn’t want to risk it. You wanted to get in early, but you didn’t want to get in too early, because you wouldn’t be able to sustain yourself without significant foot traffic or activity.”

But with the completion of 7 World Trade Center and the new Goldman Sachs headquarters, in addition to the recent Condé Nast decision to inhabit part of 1 World Trade Center, the area will continue to see more office workers eating and shopping in the area, as well as sticking around after hours. It is only reasonable to expect to see rent prices continue to rise and more retail shops to open their doors, a great sign for the revitalization of the Lower Manhattan area.