Whitney Young Health honors Fahy and Morne at legacy event
Whitney Young Health’s annual fundraiser, The Legacy Event, was held recently at Loft 433 in Troy. The event recognizes and honors community leaders who are making a difference in the Capital Region and benefits individuals and families who rely on Whitney Young Health for affordable medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare.
NYS Assemblymember Patricia Fahy, the representative of the 109th District, was honored with the Living the Legacy Award. Fahy was recognized for her decades of dedication and commitment to providing equitable access to education, jobs, and resources to the local community, including those in underserved communities.
The Living the Legacy Award is presented to an individual whose own life and work resemble the organization’s namesake, Whitney Moore Young, Jr., and who actively works to improve the lives of others through philanthropic, economic development, educational, and healthcare pursuits.
Johanne Morne, Deputy Commissioner in the Office of Health Equity and Human Rights for the New York State Department of Health, was the recipient of the inaugural Health Equity Champion Award. Morne’s work throughout her career has been focused on advocacy for quality resources for the community, community-based testing, and access to HIV, STI, and Hepatitis C prevention and treatment resources and care.
Whitney Young Health established the Health Equity Champion Award to recognize an individual who demonstrates outstanding contributions to dismantling barriers to equitable healthcare and championing policies and interventions that challenge discrimination, health illiteracy, and oppression and address social determinants causing healthcare disparities.
The Master of Ceremonies of this year’s event was D. Ekow King, Assistant to the Vice Present for Student Affairs for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and founding director of the Office of Intercultural Student Engagement at the University at Albany.