FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 15, 2016

The HUMOR Project Donates Copies of the Original Laughing Matters to Saratoga Hospital

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY, March 15, 2016—If Dr. Joel Goodman had a say in it, the city of Saratoga Springs would add an extra “H” to its famous “Health, History, Horses” slogan, an extra “H” for Humor. And he’s not kidding.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY, March 15, 2016—Saratoga Hospital staff sharing a joke with The HUMOR Project’s Joel Goodman, who donated 1,500 original copies of his Laughing Matters magazine to share across the Hospital’s waiting areas. Pictured: Kelly Matney, Emergency Department Technician; Grant Van Patten, Emergency Department volunteer, who has volunteered at the Hospital for 25 years; Christine Hansen, Patient Access Specialist; Dr. Joel Goodman, The HUMOR Project; Betsy St. Pierre, Associate Director Volunteer Services; Dale Long, Emergency Department Technician; Chris Torino, Director, Respiratory Therapy (seated).

In 1977, Dr. Goodman opened the doors of The HUMOR Project here in Saratoga Springs, the first organization in the world to focus full-time on the positive power of humor. Along with speaking engagements, humor conferences, life coaching, corporate seminars, books, and more – all focused on “helping people get more smileage (pun intended) out of their lives by applying the practical, positive power of humor and creativity,” The HUMOR Project publishes Laughing Matters, once a quarterly publication and now a complimentary email newsletter.

And Saratoga Hospital is the lucky recipient of the gift of humor.

Dr. Goodman, Founder and Director of The HUMOR Project (www.HumorProject.com) and recipient of the International Lifetime of Laughter Award, and his wife, Margie Ingram, co-director of The HUMOR Project, generously donated 1,500 copies of the original Laughing Matters, to be distributed in waiting areas and other patient and family spaces throughout the Hospital, including Wilton Medical Arts. The magazines will also be available at Malta Med Emergent Care.

“Margie and I are delighted to donate the magazines to the patients and staff at Saratoga Hospital,” said Joel. “Perhaps we can help lift the spirits of someone at a difficult time. And perhaps our donation will be an incentive to others to consider helping and supporting the hospital and the good work it does in our community.”

Betsy St. Pierre, Associate Director, Volunteer Services, who coordinates the volunteer staff at Saratoga Hospital that will distribute the magazines, said, “When I first met Dr. Goodman, he made me laugh. Then he offered his donation, and he made me smile. What a gift! As Joel likes to say, seven days without humor makes one weak. With The HUMOR Project’s gift, our patients and families have one more positive prescription to make them stronger.”

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About Saratoga Hospital: Saratoga Hospital is the Saratoga region’s leading healthcare provider. The only acute-care facility in Saratoga County, the hospital has a medical staff of over 450 physicians and other credentialed providers, offering care in a broad range of medical specialties. In keeping with its emphasis on quality, Saratoga Hospital was the first in the Capital Region to earn Magnet Designation for nursing excellence. Hospital facilities include: Saratoga Hospital, Saratoga Hospital Nursing Home, Wilton Medical Arts, Saratoga Surgery Center, Milton Health Center, Saratoga Community Health Center and the Mollie Wilmot Radiation Oncology Center. The hospital’s physician practice, Saratoga Regional Medical Group, includes physicians in the following specialties: cardiology, dentistry, endocrinology, family medicine, hematology/oncology, internal medicine, nephrology, neurology, occupational medicine, oncology, pain management, physiatry, podiatry, primary care, psychiatry, pulmonary medicine, surgery and urology. For more information, go to www.saratogahospital.org.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Peter Hopper
Director of Marketing and Communications
518-583-8679
phopper@saratogahospital.org