Mady Schuman, Cathy Tweedy, Ann Ciardullo, Julie Ratner (Co-Founder and Chair), Geoff Lynch (Pres. Hampton Jitney), Amanda Frazer (Lisa Tamburini)
The Seasun highlights Julie Ratner this month in honor of her sister Ellen Hermanson. Julie and her older sister Emily Levin created the Ellen Hermanson Foundation in Ellen’s honor.
I understand that the Ellen Hermanson Foundation is going to celebrate its 30th year anniversary. Is there anything special that you would like to highlight or accomplish for this milestone?
Yes. I would like to highlight all that The Ellen Hermanson Foundation has accomplished since 1996 filling a gap in breast health care by making strategic grants to Southampton Hospital enabling the hospital to focus on breast health in a holistic way within the radiology department. With the support of the Foundation this department expanded its capabilities to include a breast biopsy chair, stereotactic breast biopsy, computer aided detection and more. In December 2008, Robert Chaloner, the CAO of Southampton Hospital approached the Foundation with a proposal to fund a new, self-contained Breast Center within the Hospital. This new breast center would be named for my sister, Ellen. The Foundation agreed and in August 2009, The Ellen Hermanson Breast Center opened its doors to all women on the East End with a full-time board certified breast surgeon as the medical director, a full time patient navigator and outreach coordinator and the promise that no women would be turned away from the Center because she lacked medical insurance.
I see that you have created a collaboration with the Hampton Jitney and Geoff Lynch. Could you tell us about that?
We are thrilled by this extraordinary gift from Geoff Lynch and the Hampton Jitney. We all know how kind and supportive Geoff and the Hampton Jitney have been to cancer patients by providing bus tickets for travel back and forth to New York for treatment. Geoff has bestowed that same generosity on the Foundation by “wrapping” an Ambassador coach that travels the LIE between the Hamptons and New York for the month of October. We are the grateful recipients of this gift that was facilitated by Amanda Frazer, a member of our board. Amanda shared with Geoff the work the foundation does and its impact on the local community. Wanting to help the Foundation reach more people, Geoff gave us the gift of a lifetime.
Amanda Frazer, Ann Ciardullo, Cathy Tweedy, Julie Ratner (Lisa Tamburini)
What other community partnerships are you focusing on?
During COVID, as we all know, our normal lives stopped. With more time for reflection, we looked at our mission statement – to ensure access to state-of-the-art quality breast care and empower people affected by cancer – and asked ourselves if we were doing enough to live up to it. We came to the conclusion that we could do more to reach medically at-risk women and women who have limited access to breast healthcare. In our diverse community, we identified four groups of women for whom access to breast health care can be a challenge and created The Ellen Hermanson Community Partnership with The Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, OLA of Eastern Long Island, The Retreat – All Against Abuse, and The Shinnecock Indian Health Services.
Can you tell us about some of the life-saving services and the cutting-edge medical equipment that the foundation provides?
The most important life-saving service we can provide is access to breast health care. Early detection can make the difference between an early stage diagnosis when the chances for survival are the best and late stage diagnosis when the challenges are greater and survival rates are lower.
The Foundation is proud that we provided tomosynthesis at the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center – the first hospital in Suffolk County to have this technology – the most advanced technology in mammography. Briefly, tomosynthesis is able to take a 3 dimensional image of the breast enabling a more accurate reading of the breast image. Armed with tomosynthesis, the Breast Center performed more than 6,800 screening and diagnostic mammograms in 2023.
We work closely with Dr. Edna Kapenhas the medical director of the Breast Center and Kevin Unruh, VP of Allied Health and Support Services to identify technological needs of the Breast Center. Recognized as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by The American College of Radiology, the Breast Center strives to be in the vanguard of having the most advanced technology.
How does the foundation support patients psycho-socially?
Ellen was very aware of the importance of psychosocial support. After she was re-diagnosed, Ellen joined a support group with four women; all had metastatic breast cancer, all were in their early forties, all were married and all had a child/children. This group provided Ellen with an outlet to share her thoughts, fears, anger – her entire emotional landscape with other women who were going through the same experience. From Ellen, I learned the importance of psychosocial support to help cope with the trauma and challenges of living with a life-threatening disease.
In 2000 the Foundation created Ellen’s Well – free psychosocial support groups for breast cancer survivors and their families under the guidance of Edyle O’Brien, our oncological social worker. These groups are still meeting today. In addition, Edyle provides individual counseling, end-of-life support and family counseling.
Another source of support is Laura Davis RN, the full-time patient navigator and outreach coordinator at the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center. She is often the first person a patient sees after receiving a diagnosis. And it is Laura, who provides a safe haven for a newly diagnosed patient to talk about her feelings and fears about her diagnosis while also providing essential information on how to navigate this new and terrifying landscape.
Besides monetary donations, what are the foundation’s greatest needs?
Money is always our greatest need. Without it we can’t move forward with our mission and work in the community. And to raise money we need a body of loyal donors and supporters. We would love to attract corporate sponsorship for our two major events: the Summer Gala, happening July 26, 2025 at the Bridgehampton Tennis & Surf Club and the 30th Annual Ellen’s Run, Sunday August, 17 at the Southampton Intermediate School.
In addition to money, we are always trying to grow our family of volunteers. I am very grateful to the many volunteers who turn out at our events to make sure they run smoothly and successfully. Our volunteers are critical to all we do, and we cherish their gifts of time, energy, and enthusiasm.
What accomplishments are you most proud of with the foundation?
This is such an interesting question. I am very proud of all our quantifiable accomplishments including: making grants in excess of $6 million since 1996 in service our our mission, funding the Ellen Hermanson Breast Center at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and its satellite in Hampton Bays, funding three tomosynthesis systems, funding stereotactic breast biopsy equipment and so much critical technology in service of providing excellence in breast imaging, I am proud of The Ellen Hermanson Foundation Community Partnerships with The Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, OLA of Eastern Long Island, The Retreat – All Against Abuse, and The Shinnecock Indian Health Services for we are reaching out to women often left out of the medical pipeline.
And, I am proud of our accomplishments that are less visible: the warm, friendly culture – the ethos – of the Foundation and the caring and respect we bring to all of our endeavors. Over the years, The Foundation committed to keeping the money that is raised on the East End in the local community. What we raise here stays here where it can do the most good. We are effective, accessible, and do what we say we are going to do earning the respect of people living in our community. With each year, our name is more widely known and we add to our coterie of friends. Possibly, I am most proud of this. The ineffable, the unseen and the heart of whom we are – our life force.
How many are currently employed or donate their time for the foundation?
As I mentioned, we have a wonderful band of volunteers who show up and make our events happen. As for actual employees, The Foundation has a seasoned and talented Executive Director, Mady Schuman, and several independent contractors who work on social media, graphic design and administrative responsibilities.
What are the goals of the organization over the next 5 years?
As I write the answer to this question, I need to say that we are currently working on our next 5-year plan. Briefly, we intend to continue what we are currently doing , to expand our services in the community, and to raise enough money in order to fulfill our mission of ” ensuring access to state-of-the-art breast healthcare and empowering people affected by cancer.”
As to the next 10 and 20 years? We plan to still be here doing what we do with flexibility to meet the changing needs of the community we serve.
