An evening of Wine and Roses

By Leslie Sullivan HACKETTSTOWN — Newton Medical Center held their annual WIne and Roses fundraiser on Thursday, May 17, at Centenary College's Lakeland Center. Roughly 700 people attended the event with proceeds estimated at $200,000. Plans to expand and renovate parts of the hospital are being discussed with the Buckl architecture firm. To help accomplish the renovation and expansion projects, the Newton Medical Center Foundation has established a 2012 Capital Campaign to raise $3,000,000. Guests sampled cuisine from the area's most popular restaurants in addition to the many fine wine and spirits stations. Participating restaurants included Andre's Restaurant & Wine Boutique in Newton, Barone's Restaurant in Byram, Dove Chocolate Discoveries in Blairstown, the Prickly Pear and Mama's Restaurant & Café Baci in Hackettstown, and Perona Farms in Andover, as well as many other vendors. Celebrity chef and cookbook author Michael Colameco signed copies of his latest book, "Food Lover's Guide to New York City." Produce expert and food editor for CBS 2 Tony Tantillo mingled with guests throughout the evening. Steven Mirassou, owner of the Steven Kent Winery in Livermore California, made a special appearance chatting with guests throughout the VIP hour. The event was sponsored by RoNetco Supermarkets at a cost of $125 per person. VIP room tickets were $200 per person or $350 per couple. Newton Medical Center, part of Atlantic Health System, is a fully accredited, 148-bed acute care, not-for-profit hospital serving more than 250,000 people in Warren and Sussex counties in New Jersey, Pike County in Pennsylvania and southern Orange County in New York. Specialty service areas include cardiology, general and vascular surgery, orthopedics, gastroenterology, nephrology, oncology and neurology, mental health and sleep medicine. Newton Medical Center is renowned for its emergency care, with a state-of-the-art emergency department equipped to handle 45,000 patient visits per year with 30 private treatment areas, a CT scanner and access to laboratory and radiology services. The Charles L. Tice Heart Center for Diagnostic Services offers the latest diagnostic cardiac technology and expert care from Newton Medical Center's board-certified cardiologists. Newton Medical Center's Maternity Center offers 17 rooms, all of which are private, as well as a Level II Intermediate Care Nursery. "The evening was a success thanks to the support of the community we serve," said Tom Senker, President of Newton Medical Center. "Of course, all of these enhancements we have planned for 2012 encompass cutting-edge tools to help our physicians, nurses and staff provide better, compassionate patient care. These initiatives position Newton Medical Center as the area leader in quality, state-of-art medical and compassionate care."