Nassau County lights up pink for breast cancer awareness as officials praise local nonprofit’s 25 years helping patients on LI

Nassau’s government building was lit pink Tuesday to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month and celebrate Hewlett House’s 25th anniversary, a nonprofit that’s helped thousands of breast cancer patients. 

County Executive Bruce Blakeman joined survivors, advocates, and local leaders at the Theodore Roosevelt Legislative and Executive building in Mineola, praising the nonprofit for offering resources and a safe haven where those going through treatment can access peer support, guidance and privacy.

Run by the nonprofit 1 in 9, Hewlett House has served more than 42,000 people since opening in 2000 — standing as a lifeline for Long Island families navigating the disease, officials said. 

Blakeman urged residents to prioritize early screenings and announced the dome of the Executive and Legislative Building will remain glowing pink throughout the entirety of October.

“With all the treatments they have now, it’s amazing what they’re able to do,” Blakeman said outside of Hewlett House Wednesday.

Executive Director Geri Barish, who founded Hewlett House with Blakeman’s backing during his time as a county legislator, credited volunteers and survivors for keeping the doors open and the mission alive for 25 years.

“If it wasn’t for Bruce Blakeman, we wouldn’t be standing here. We wouldn’t have saved all those lives. I will forever be indebted and grateful to him for his fight to get this open, for the struggle to continue on, and for his backing and support,” Barish said.

Breast cancer rates on Long Island are among the highest in the nation, with women diagnosed at roughly 15–20% above the national average, as Nassau and Suffolk sit among the hardest-hit counties in New York as well, according to state health data.