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​NYRA Cares: New backstretch healthcare clinic to open at Saratoga Race Course in 2023

by NYRA Press Office

There’s a variation of a word that people working on the backstretch at Saratoga Race Course use to describe the new healthcare clinic due to open there next year. 

The word is “dream” – as in, “the culmination of what many of us have dreamed of and thought about for years,” as Nancy Underwood of the Backstretch Employee Service Team (B.E.S.T.), which teams with Saratoga Hospital to operate the clinic, put it. “This will allow us to provide more comprehensive healthcare to the backstretch community.”

As a tribute to his late wife, Marylou Whitney, philanthropist John Hendrickson is funding construction of the new clinic, which will replace a doublewide trailer that has housed on-site healthcare services at Saratoga Race Course. The new clinic will provide a dramatically improved experience for those receiving primary and emergency healthcare services at Saratoga Race Course, which will be provided by doctors and medical professionals from Saratoga Hospital

Mr. Hendrickson has pledged $1.2 million for construction of the permanent clinic, some $400,000 of which was raised in a 2020 auction of possessions belonging to Mrs. Whitney.

To date, a concrete foundation has been poured for the new clinic, which will include a large waiting area, four examination rooms, a lab for blood work and office space. 

A groundbreaking ceremony is set for Wednesday, July 13, the eve of the 2022 summer meet. Work will then resume in September with the building to open in the spring of 2023. 

The construction of the new clinic continues Mrs. Whitney and Mr. Hendrickson’s long-running commitment to the backstretch community. Since Mrs. Whitney’s death in 2019, Mr. Hendrickson has continued to lend his support to a variety of initiatives including  backstretch appreciation dinners, E.S.L. classes and bingo nights.

 Mr. Hendrickson has spoken of carrying on Mrs. Whitney’s heartfelt calling to support backstretch workers, who she called horse racing’s “unsung heroes.”

“No one shared her blessings and good fortune more than Marylou,” Mr. Hendrickson said. “No one was more dedicated to helping charities than Marylou, and so the idea was born. Her spirit of giving will live on.”

For B.E.S.T. Executive Director Paul Ruchames, the new clinic reinforces his organization’s 30-plus-year mission of meeting the health and social welfare needs of backstretch workers at Saratoga, Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack by providing on-site counseling and primary healthcare services, access to health insurance, and case management assistance.

It will allow B.E.S.T. to ensure a “continuum of service and an opportunity to expand,” said Ruchames, which will include a team of bilingual doctors, nurses, and other Saratoga Hospital healthcare professionals, providing the kind of primary care, disease management and prevention, and other services.

“The new clinic will be a prototype for tracks across the country to follow,” Ruchames continued. “It’s a matter of all of us working together to serve an important community who are so vital to racing. They deserve our support.” 

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Getting to know…Nick Caras

This month’s edition of Getting to know... visits with Nick Caras, Programs Director of the Race Track Chaplaincy of America, New York Division (NYRTCA), to discuss the upcoming summer meet at Saratoga for his organization.

What are you most looking forward to for the Saratoga summer meet?

After a couple of tough pandemic years, we want to bring our program in Saratoga back to the way it was – while taking things to a new level. I’m confident we’ll do that.

So, what tops the agenda for the summer?

A number of things. We’re getting our Saratoga campground up and running. Our partners on the project, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, has found families who will be adopting all 30 cabins at the campground, which is on the west side of town, near the Knights of Columbus.

The families will get linens, pillows and towels in their cabins; and some cabins have been recarpeted and repainted. And we have about 20 kids signed up to date for the summer enrichment program at the campground.

What else does the NYRTCA have in store?

We’ll be having events six nights a week under the big tent at the Marylou Whitney Pavilion for backstretch workers and their families during the meet. The only night we won’t have something will be Saturday because that’s when the races often run long. Whether it’s the big Sunday dinner, the twice-a-week ESL (English as a Second Language) classes or the ice-cream sundae socials, it will be busy again out there.

Also, for the second year in a row, we’re working with the Jockey Club SafetyNet Foundation to prepare goodie bags for all the backstretch workers just before the start of the meet. They’ll all receive a bag with a towel, socks, toiletries and a hat, along with a box lunch from Panera Bread.

And we’re excited to be honoring NYRA racing analyst Andy Serling at our annual brunch on August 16. Andy has been one of our best, most steadfast supporters. 

 Though we were able to make things work the last couple of years, our programs will be back and better than ever this summer.

And what about the popular Chaplaincy fundraiser, the Jockeys vs. Trainers basketball game?

It’s coming back! After a two-year [pandemic] hiatus, we’re thrilled that the game is returning – this year on August 3 at the Saratoga Rec Center. This year, we’ll be looking forward to welcoming [four-time NBA all-star and New York Knicks’ star] Latrell Sprewell, who will play. [To learn more about the event, click this link.]

That’s some summer, isn’t it?

It’s my favorite time of the year. There’s a lot going on, and it really gives us the opportunity to bring some smiles to and enhance the lives of backstretch workers at a busy time of year for them.

To learn more about the NYRTCA and its programs, please visit https://www.rtcany.org/.

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In the community

BCCA’s Child Care Center at Belmont Park, Anna House, Celebrates Graduation Day

In June, the Belmont Child Care Association (BCCA) celebrated the Anna House Class of 2022 graduation with 12 students from its early childhood education program for the children of backstretch workers based at Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course.

Students received their diplomas on a bright, sunny afternoon in front of Anna House inside Gate 6 on the Belmont Park backstretch. The children sang songs and told the audience “What They Want to Be” when they grow up. Some said they want to be police officers, firefighters and bakers; others dreamed of becoming a doctor, an astronaut and an ice skater. To read more about the ceremony, click this link. 

TRF’s Barbecue at the Barn returns!

One of the most anticipated events of the summer, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Barbeque at the Barn, will return as an in-person event in 2022 and will be held at the beautiful Saratoga Winery on Tuesday, August 23 from 5:00-9:00 p.m.

In addition to a delicious meal (with a vegetarian option!), the event will feature family friendly activities, music, raffle and silent auction items along with special guests.

For more information, please visit https://www.trfinc.org/event/bbq-2022/.

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A helping hand… 

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy (NYRTCA) is hosting a “Back To School New Sneaker Drive.”

Each year, with the help of volunteers, the NYRTCA provides backpacks filled with the specific supplies needed, for hundreds of students of the backstretch communities of Belmont, Aqueduct, and Saratoga.

During the backpack distribution, the NYRTCA provides free first day of school haircuts, distribute free clothing, and even provide ice cream for everyone in order to provide a fun, relaxing, and festive atmosphere for the students and their families as they prepare for the first day of school.

This year, the NYRTCA is looking to expand on this program by providing a new pair of sneakers for students in Kindergarten through 6th grade. For more information on how to contribute to the purchase of a new pair of sneakers or to purchase and drop off new sneakers, please visit this link.

The deadline for the drop-off of sneakers is Monday, August 22nd. 

About NYRA Cares

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), which holds the exclusive franchise to conduct thoroughbred racing at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, sponsors its NYRA Cares initiative to support the charitable endeavors of industry-related non-profits, service providers and community groups.

In New York, NYRA has long provided sustaining financial contributions to deepen the impact of the Backstretch Employee Service Team (BEST), the Racetrack Chaplaincy of New York and the Belmont Child Care Association (BCCA).

NYRA Cares partners with national organizations such as the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the American Red Cross, Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program among others.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival is marked by a number of special events and community partnerships sponsored and supported by NYRA. These include the annual Belmont/Elmont Parade, the jockey visit to the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island and the Belmont Stakes Blue Ribbon Run for Prostate Cancer.

At historic Saratoga Race Course, NYRA Cares’ signature initiative is the Community Outreach Booth, which each season highlights a total of 40 local and industry non-profit organizations by providing them with a unique platform to share information about their work and fundraising initiatives. One non-profit per day of the summer racing season receives the exclusive opportunity to interact with the thousands of guests who visit Saratoga Race Course. The Community Partner of the Day is also featured in the Post Parade racing program and on televisions throughout the venue.

To learn more about NYRA Cares, visit: https://www.nyrainc.com/community.