Timeline: Southcoast's first 10 years
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Southcoast Health System was formed in 1996 from the merged entity of St. Luke's Health Care System in New Bedford, Mass., Charlton Health System in Fall River, Mass., and Tobey Health System in Wareham, Mass.
Southcoast Health System is a community based health delivery system with multiple access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. In addition to its three community hospitals, Southcoast Health System includes 35 ancillary facilities, including an assisted living facility, home health care and hospice, a wellness center and numerous outpatient medical services.
Southcoast is a not-for-profit charitable organization that relies in part on philanthropic donations for operational and capital support.
Southcoast celebrates its 10th anniversary, bringing together the collective experience of more than 311 years of continuous service to our communities.
St. Luke's completes the first phase of its $33 million Emergency Department expansion project.
RAPPP (Responsible Attitudes toward Pregnancy, Parenting & Prevention) celebrates a decade of educating area youth on the realities of teenage sexual activity, youth risk behaviors and violence.
Christian T. Campos, MD, a cardiac surgeon specializing in cardiac surgery, valvular heart surgery and coronary artery bypass surgery, joined the practice of cardiothoracic surgeons Paul Hatton, MD, and Thomas Carr, MD, at Southcoast Cardiac Surgical Associates in Fall River.
- Southcoast heart surgeon Paul Hatton, MD, retired from active surgical practice. Southcoast named his longtime colleague, Thomas Carr, MD, as its new Director of Cardiac Surgery.
- The three hospitals that make up Southcoast Hospitals Group earned designation by DPH as Primary Stoke Service providers.
St. Luke's held a "Topping Off" ceremony to mark another major milestone in the $33 million Emergency Department renovation and building project.
Southcoast Hospitals are among the first in the country to use the recently approved CHARITƒ Artificial Disc replacement performed by Southcoast neurosurgeon, Alvin Marcovici, MD (right).
A new Southcoast Health Van was unveiled to provide better access to free health screenings, education and blood donation. New equipment, private screening facilities, a blood donor center with five donor chairs and a reliable vehicle are highlights of the new $187,000 van, made possible through support from local businesses.
- Tobey dedicated a new helipad made possible by a donation by long-time hospital supporters Anne and Dick Webb of Marion.
- Southcoast Hospitals are among the first in New England to use a new less-invasive procedure called endoscopic radial harvesting to remove the radial artery for use during cardiac bypass surgery.
- Southcoast Hospitals Group received approval from DPH to provide Positron Emission Tomography (PET) services through acquisition of a mobile PET/CT body scanner.
- Southcoast opens a radiology center in the New Boston Medical Center in Fall River, which also offers a wide range of traditional and holistic health services for women.
- Southcoast hosts a regional nursing forum to address some of the most pressing issues facing health care in Massachusetts — the shortage of nurses and steps necessary to further advance patient safety and quality of care.
- Tobey ER staff among first in Massachusetts to attend national disaster training.
Southcoast Hospitals ERs rank 10th busiest in the U.S.
New cardiac electrophysiology (EPS) program that brings advanced heart rhythm services to the area opens at Charlton in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital.
Southcoast Trustees announce prestigious medal for outstanding service. The inaugural recipients were Earle P. "Chuck" Charlton II, Margherita B. Baldwin and Wendy Joblon.
Tobey Hospital's $12 million expansion and new construction project was completed, bringing advanced surgical services to the residents of Greater Wareham.
Groundbreaking at St. Luke's Hospital on $33 million expansion and renovation project to address long waits in the Emergency Department and bring unprecedented health care services to the greater New Bedford region.
- The emergency physicians at St. Luke's pledge $1 million to The Campaign for a New St. Luke's.
- Tobey Hospital launches a laproscopic weight loss surgery program that incorporates a thorough approach to weight loss surgery. The program utilizes a team comprised of dieticians, psychologists and surgeons to provide a safe and comprehensive surgical weight loss program.
- Linda Bodenmann, Southcoast's Chief Financial Officer, becomes Southcoast's Chief Operating Officer and Southcoast Health System names William E. Grigg, CPA, FHFMA, as its Chief Financial Officer.
Southcoast purchases new 1.5T MRI for the Charlton site.
The St. Luke's floor containing the Intensive Care Unit was named in honor of the late John C. Bullard, MD.
- Completed new family areas at Charlton, made possible by the generous donation of $67,000 by the Charlton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary.
Renamed the "fast-track" side of the Charlton Emergency Department ExpressCare 24 @ Charlton to better reflect the qualities of the services provided — speed, simplicity, trust and convenience backed up by all of the advanced services and technology available at Charlton.
- St. Luke's hires Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. (VHB), a transportation, land development and environmental services firm, to address parking and traffic issues.
- Southcoast provides $12.8 million in free or low-cost health services, education and awareness. Adding Southcoast's community benefit and community service programs and Southcoast's subsidization of unfunded Medicaid care totaled $22.3 million in 2004.
Elective coronary angioplasty program launched at Charlton Memorial Hospital, marking the second phase of Southcoast's cardiac surgery program.
- Tobey Hospital breaks ground on $12 million project that includes state-of-the-art surgical suites, a highly sophisticated Intensive Care and PostÐAnesthesia Care (Recovery) units and the complex equipment and technology required for many modern surgical procedures.
- Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) were installed in The Oncology Center, Southcoast Surgery Center at Faunce Corner, Southcoast S.P.O.R.T., Southcoast Rehabilitation Services at Dartmouth Place and the Southcoast Health Van.
- Southcoast complies with the new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, known as HIPAA, which went into effect to protect patient privacy.
The open heart surgery program at Southcoast Hospitals completed its first full year of service with exemplary reviews and outstanding patient satisfaction.
- Southcoast Health System sells its partial ownership of Sarah S. Brayton Nursing Care Center in Fall River and Southcoast Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Somerset to Genesis ElderCare.
- Southcoast provides $10.4 million in free or low-cost health services, education and awareness. Adding Southcoast's community benefit and community service programs and Southcoast's subsidization of unfunded Medicaid care totaled $23.4 million in 2003.
On April 18, Southcoast Hospitals Group performed the first open heart surgery in Southeastern Massachusetts, becoming the first of three community hospitals approved by DPH to offer open heart surgery. The patient was Richard Rudzik of Buzzards Bay (right).
- Southcoast named cardiac surgeons Paul Hatton, MD, and Thomas Carr, MD, to anchor Southcoast's cardiac surgery program at Charlton Memorial Hospital. Dr. Hatton served as Southcoast's first Director of Cardiac Surgery.
Study released by University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth shows Southcoast Hospitals' Responsible Attitudes Towards Parenting, Pregnancy & Prevention (RAPPP) program raises teen awareness of sexual consequences and positively changed their sexual attitudes.
- Received approval from Massachusetts Department of Public Health to begin open heart surgery, beginning in Spring 2002.
- St. Luke's Emergency Department expanded to add six new treatment bays.
- St. Luke's opened the Prompt Care center to treat visitors with simple injuries and health issues and speed emergency services.
- E.P. "Chuck" Charlton II pledged $2 million from The Charlton Family Trusts to help fund Southcoast's open heart surgery program at Charlton Memorial Hospital.
Southcoast Home Care, Hospice & Infusion Services and the Visiting Nurse Association of Southeastern Massachusetts entered into an exclusive agreement to provide home telemonitoring services to cardiac patients in the South Coast region.
Completed $32 million renovation and reconstruction project at Charlton that included a new Surgery Center, Maternity Unit, Heart Center, MRI, Lobby and 160 new parking spaces.
- New Surgical Intensive Care Unit completed at St. Luke's.
- Established an on-site MRI facility at St. Luke's.
- State-of-the-art CT scanner installed at Tobey Hospital.
- Refurnished all patient rooms with new beds, mattresses and furniture.
- Replaced all critical care beds with state-of-the-art technology.
- Renovations completed to SK-2 nursing unit at Tobey.
- Renovations to Pharmacy and new paging system at Tobey.
- Renovations to Rogers, Knowles Units and Collins House at St. Luke's.
Second Cardiac Cath Lab approved at St. Luke's.
- New central chiller unit installed at St. Luke's.
- Replacement of phone system at Charlton.
Southcoast Centralized Microbiology Laboratory established at St. Luke's.
- Hospital payroll systems converted into a single Southcoast system.
- Implemented one computer-based EKG management system for all three hospitals.
- Benefit plans combined for Southcoast employees on January 1, 1998.
Successful system-wide JCAHO Survey of six facilities with an average score of 95.
- Southcoast Surgery Center opened at Faunce Corner in Dartmouth.
- New food service initiated at all three sites, saving $1 million annually.
- Primary urgent coronary angioplasty implemented at Charlton.
- Refinanced Charlton bonds and the first Southcoast Health System bonds were issued with A-1 ratings.
- All three hospitals were moved onto same computer system.
- Primary urgent coronary angioplasty began at St. Luke's.
- Makepeace Center for Women & Families and outpatient services center opened at Tobey.
- Addition of four new Operating Rooms and expanded the surgical support services area at St. Luke's.
- Pediatric Unit renovated at St. Luke's.
- Emergency Department at Charlton expanded.
- Jarabek Diagnostic & Treatment Center completed at Charlton.
Visiting Nurse Association of Southeastern Massachusetts and Little Compton VNA joined Southcoast.
- Southcoast Health System was formed from the merged entity of St. Luke's Health Care System in New Bedford, Mass., Charlton Health System in Fall River, Mass., and Tobey Health System in Wareham, Mass.
- St. Luke's Hospital named one of the Top 100 Hospitals in the country for the second time.
- Transitional Care Units opened at St. Luke's & Tobey.
- Retail pharmacy and home infusion program opened in conjunction with Home Care Services at St. Luke's.
- Wareham VNA was combined with Southcoast Hospitals Group.
- Centralized system purchasing.
- Clinical Engineering consolidated at all three sites resulting in major cost savings.
- Outreach Laboratory services extended from Falmouth, Mass., to Warwick, R.I.
Expanded women's health services at Charlton and opening of the Southcoast Center for Women's Health at Faunce Corner Road in Dartmouth.
