Community Corner
Hispanic Brotherhood of RVC to Honor Dr. Neil Kirschen
RVC resident to be commended in May for his service to the community.
On May 5, members of Rockville Centre’s Hispanic community will gather for a Cinco de Mayo celebration hosted by the Hispanic Brotherhood of RVC at Temple B'nai Sholom. This year’s gala will not only serve to celebrate the Day of the Dead, but also honor village resident Dr. Neil Kirschen for his years of dedication to healing members of the community.
“I’m very excited and honored,” Kirschen said. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years so it’s nice to know that someone has been watching and taking an interest.”
Kirschen, medical director of the Pain Management Center of Long Island (PMCLI) on North Centre Avenue, specializes in anesthesiology, pain medicine, acupuncture and massage therapy. In addition to treating his regular patients, Kirschen has done a great deal of charity and volunteer work throughout his career, both locally and abroad.
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“We have also travelled to places as far as Mexico to treat people in pain management,” Kirschen said. The doctor added that he believes a person’s financial situation should not prevent them from receiving proper care.
Margarita Grasing, president of the Hispanic Brotherhood, said Kirschen has been a great friend to the organization as well as to her.
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"Neil has been a good friend to us for many years, his daughter volunteered many years ago in our After School Program," Grasing said. "Patricia, his wife is also a good friend of the agency. Neil is also a volunteer with the fire department and years ago, my new hip came out and when the ambulance came, Neil was there and was an angel for me."
According to a statement released by the Hispanic Brotherhood of RVC — a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting immigrants from different Spanish language cultures —“Dr. Kirschen will be honored for his dedication and compassion in working with the community.”
In addition to his position at the PMCLI and his role as chief of Pain Management for the Department of Anesthesiology at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, Kirschen is the medical director and a volunteer firefighter for RVC’s fire department, and also does volunteer emergency medical work for RVC’s police department.
“Rockville Centre has a large Hispanic community and we have always been involved,” Kirschen said. “This honor is their way of thanking us.”
Other honorees will be Msgr. Robert J.Brennan, Dr. Lidia Epel and Larry Siegel.
