NRI couple devoted to charity

Sweta and Yaz (Shreyas) Shah are founders of Hudson Drug of Cresskill, NJ and owners of numerous real estate properties. The couple are also devoted to charity work in the field of medicine and first in their scheme of things is Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, New Jersey.

The Shahs have allowed to use one of their buildings, a 5,000 square foot property at 97 Engle Street in Englewood, New Jersey for the Center’s work. The gift, valued at $425,000 for the first three years, couldn’t have come at a better time, as numerous services are displaced during the construction of The Kaplen Pavilion. The two-story structure will include a 35,000 square foot nextgeneration emergency care center when it opens in 2009.

Thanks to the Shahs, the three-story building, only a few blocks south of the hospital is now home to the medical offices of Bergen Laparoscopy & Bariatric Associates, which provides often-lifesaving solutions to morbidly obese people.

Two world-renowned programs for polio patients, The Post-Polio Institute and The International Centre for Post-Polio Education and Research have been also relocated to the newly renovated premises.

"It is wonderful to be able to see exactly how our gift is helping people," explained Yaz (Shreyas) Shah. "For example, polio is a worldwide problem that affects too many people to count and Sweta and I are proud to know we are making a difference in fighting that terrible disease. Also, we are helping build the new ER and we are part of the growth and prosperity of the hospital. How great is that?"

"The Shahs’ generosity provides major assistance at a time when Englewood Hospital and Medical Center is reaching out to the community in an unprecedented way," said Medical Center President and CEO Douglas A. Duchak. "We thank them for their outstanding support of our Medical Center."

"Englewood Hospital and Medical Center Foundation is grateful to the Shahs for their generous donation and proud to be partnered with them in ensuring exceptional care for area residents and everyone who looks to our Medical Center as a healthcare leader," said Margaret C. Bridge, executive vice president for the Foundation, the fundraising entity of the Medical Center.