New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care Honors Dr. Deepak Chopra

On May 2, 2012, the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care (NYZCCC) will host its second annual Contemplative Care Awards.  Hosted by artist Ross Bleckner, ABC Home CEO Paulette Cole, and philanthropist Shelley Rubin, the evening will honor the work of Dr. Deepak Chopra, author Jane Brody, Stephen and Ondrea Levine, and Shirley Escala, R.N., and their devotion to creating a more holistic and transformative approach to illness and end-of-life care.  The program will feature an intimate conversation between Dr. Chopra and NYZCCC’s Co-Founders, Koshin Paley Ellison and Chodo Campbell, as part of Dr. Chopra’s Deepak HomeBase series of live Web broadcasts.  In addition, there will a live auction, cocktails, and hors d’oeuvres by Silkstone and Blue Ribbon Sushi. All proceeds will directly benefit the compassionate care work and Buddhist chaplaincy training that NYZCCC provides.

Celebrity guests currently expected to attend include Donna Karan, Anthony Edwards and Richard Thomas.

Dr. Deepak Chopra is the author of more than 64 books translated into over 85 languages, including 19 New York Times bestsellers in both the fiction and nonfiction categories. Dr. Chopra is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Adjunct Professor of Executive Programs at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization. TIME magazine heralds Deepak Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and credits him as “the poet-prophet of alternative medicine.”

Jane Brody is the Personal Health columnist for The New York Times. Her award-winning column is published in The Times’s Science Times section every Tuesday and in many other newspapers around the country.  Ms. Brody is a much-sought-after speaker who lectures frequently to both lay and professional audiences on issues relating to health and wellness, including end-of-life preparation and care. She is the only or principal author of more than a dozen books, including two best-sellers, Jane Brody’s Nutrition Book and Jane Brody’s Good Food Book. She has appeared on hundreds of radio and television programs and starred in her own 10-part show on public television, “Good Health from Jane Brody’s Kitchen.”

For over 32 years, Stephen and Ondrea Levine have provided emotional and spiritual support for those who are life-threatened, and for caregivers. Through their healing and forgiveness workshops, many writings, and endless compassion, Stephen and Ondrea have touched the lives of thousands of people all over the world.  They are the authors of numerous books, including Who Dies, Embracing the Beloved, and A Year to Live, among others. They operate the levinetalks.com website, serving as a way for Stephen and Ondrea to continue their teachings and connect with an broader audience.

Shirley Escala, R.N. is a Nurse Manager at Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan. Since joining Beth Israel in 1999, Shirley has managed the inpatient Oncology unit and more recently, the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. In 2007, she received the Beatrice Renfield Circle of Excellence Award for Nursing Leadership, and in 2010, she received the Beth Israel Wholeness of Life Award. Beginning in 2008, Shirley collaborated with the leadership of the Urban Zen Foundation on an initiative to provide an optimal healing environment for the patients of the Beth Israel cancer unit through the use of integrative therapies. She is a firm believer in spiritual support as it relates to healing, and therefore works to create an interdisciplinary team, utilizing music and yoga therapists in addition to NYZCCC’s Contemplative Care Chaplains, who provide hundreds of hours of support a year to the patients, families and nursing staff on the cancer unit.

The New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care’s mission is to to provide compassionate care to the sick and terminally ill, and create a supportive, nurturing environment for people to consciously face their illness and/or end-of-life journeys.  This is accomplished through hands-on, direct care partnerships with leading healthcare providers, through accredited caregiver and pastoral training programs, and by actively advocating for contemplative care at the national level.

Their goal is to not only to relive individual suffering, but to create a more courageous and harmonious world that provides compassionate care for all. One patient at a time, NYZCCC manifests its mission by treating those who are suffering with the wisdom, compassion and equanimity of the Buddhist teachings.

Accomplishments since 2007:

• 43,478 individuals received contemplative care in the face of death, cancer, AIDS, and other illnesses;
• 15,681 family members, couples and friends received contemplative care as they dealt with grief, mourning and loss;
• 30,299 hours of compassionate care have been given by our volunteer chaplains
  11,784 staff people in hospitals, hospices, and prisons received spiritual care, including doctors, nurses, social workers and officers;
• 3,094 contemplative care and meditation groups were run by our volunteer chaplains, with over 10,903 people attending;
• 5,315 men and women from the general public have received education in topics such as death and dying, Buddhist approaches to death, addictions and spirituality, and contemplative practices.

The New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care’s (NYZCCC) second annual Contemplative Care Awards will take place Wednesday, May 2, 2012 (6:30 – 8:30pm) at ABC Carpet & Home (888 Broadway – at 19th St.) Tickets are available for $250 and up.  For additional ticket prices and more information, contact events@zencare.org or 212.677.1087.