Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins with Elizabeth Seton CEO Pat Tursi, Board Chair Frank Oswald,and Stephanie
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins was honored Friday with the St. Elizabeth Seton Legacy Award by the Elizabeth Seton Children’s Rehabilitation Center, in recognition of her unwavering commitment to advancing care for medically complex children and young adults across New York State.
The St. Elizabeth Seton Legacy Award specifically acknowledges Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins’ decades-long advocacy for the patients, families, medical staff, and administrators at Elizabeth Seton Children’s. The award reads in part: “you lifted us in our time of need and guided us through unfamiliar paths with fortitude, wisdom and grace – offering your gifts with a loving and open heart.”
Said Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins: “In my eyes, the doctors, staff and administrators of Elizabeth Seton Children’s are real-life angels, providing care, dignity and hope to countless children and young adults with complex and life-threatening medical conditions. It’s been my honor to support these heroes in their mission, and it is incredibly humbling to receive this award honoring the legacy of St. Elizabeth Seton.
Said Elizabeth Seton Children’s CEO Pat Tursi: “This award is presented to those who embody Mother Seton’s deep faith, tender compassion and benevolent spirit who serve our children and young adults – who are the most vulnerable in society – with grace and humility. Senator Stewart-Cousins not only embodies the essence of this award, but she brings it to life every day with her courageous leadership, bold action and unwavering devotion to those in need.”
The award was presented during the Ground Blessing ceremony for Elizabeth Seton Children’s new state-of-the-art Young Adult Center in White Plains. This transformative project was made possible through the Majority Leader’s decisive legislative action to address a critical gap in health care for medically complex young adults over age 21 who previously faced life-threatening risks after “aging out” of pediatric care.
In 2021, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Assemblymember Nader Sayegh sponsored landmark legislation which designated Elizabeth Seton Children’s as the demonstration program for a first-of-its-kind Young Adult Center. In 2022, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins secured $2 million in State and Municipal (SAM) Grant funding to support the project.
Once it opens, the new Young Adult Center will provide round-the-clock specialized medical, rehabilitative, and residential support to serve nearly 100 individuals over age 21.
